In this way he married ‘Â’ishah

“The falsehood inventers of modern times muddled about the marriage of the Messenger of Allâh to her when she was less than ten years of age depending on the narrations of the books of Sîrah and the narrations on the authority of ‘Â’ishah herself. They cried loudly, condemning Muhammad for his violation of the sanctity of childhood and ascribing him to sexual brutality. But nothing, in fact, is farther from the character of Muhammad than this slander.”[41]

“Regardless of the fact that ‘Â’ishah was 12 years old or a year or two younger when she was married to him, what counts is the environment in which this incident took place. Since it is misapprehending to construe an event separately from its contextual time, place and circumstances, there is no point then to say that the drive of this marriage was sexual brutality with which one abnormally takes pleasure in violating the sanctity of childhood.”[42]

“That there was a great difference of age between the spouses, it is sufficient for refutation of it to repeat the previous statement (i.e. the necessity to return to the environment in which the incident took place). There, the difference of age was not peculiar at all in so much as common.”[43]

“He loved her, first of all, because she was the daughter of Abu Bakr, and pampered her like a father with his daughter. In the early years of their marriage, he used to let her friends enter into her room to play together with toys. Sometimes, he carried her to watch, from behind his shoulder with her cheeks sticking to his, the Abyssinian show of spears and shields. How many times did he close his eyes to her slips, kindly and compassionately?”[44]

“It may be said that he married her to honor Abu Bakr and validate the relationships between the small number of believers in Allâh amidst the blind darkness of disbelief.”[45]

The writer discusses the untrue speech faked about ‘Â’ishah [may Allâh be pleased with her] and the behavior of the Messenger of Allâh [peace be upon him] toward her. Then, he says commenting on this: “It is not relevant here to discuss the issue in its own right, for this has its proper place in the coming books of the encyclopedia in which I am going to write about Islamic issues. The point here is to see the conduct of the Messenger of Allâh toward her in this trial. Does this balanced conduct indicate that his relationship with this wife was motivated by any burning and abnormal lust as they allege?

He was not agitated like one with a flaming inclination and sweeping desire. Rather, he was self-possessed like a father who is kind toward his young daughter. He did not speak to her in a matter which disturbed him and injured his dignity simply because she was sick. He only did not pamper her as he used to do whenever she fell ill and it was not within his capacity nor within the capacity of anyone else to pamper his wife in those hard times.

This is the manner of the compassionate and kind father. Although this fatherly kindness reached the farthest point of self-control and sympathy human nature could endure, they depict it as an attachment to ‘Â’ishah like an erotic man who takes pleasure in violating the sanctity of a playful childhood; and how far is this!”[46]

Do they not remember?

“Let men remember that, along history, many were the Messengers and carriers of Divine messages, each of whom had a great number of wives, as much as tens to several hundreds and countless slave-girls. Nevertheless, this did not defame even in the least their apparent superiority and the strong impact of their Da‘wah on minds and hearts. Did people forget David and Solomon and others like them? How should this simple polygamy be regarded a point of weakness only in Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullâh?

Verily, the straight balance should not have double measures nor should it forbid something to anyone and make it, if not many times like it, lawful for others. Whoever wrongs only wrongs himself and whoever is unjust in judgment harms but his own thinking and conscience; and peace be upon the truthful.”[47]

I am about to doubt his human nature

“Let anyone say what he likes to say. But there is no way other than to ascribe Muhammad to the utmost degree of loyalty, which makes me almost deem him beyond humanity. I have experienced the different types of ingratitude and evasion among men which made me about to lose confidence in all human beings.”[48]

The eye may deny sunlight simply because of Conjunctivitis

“I wonder at some human minds which attribute to Abul-Qâsim adulation in situations where he set forth the most amazing and marvelous examples of matchless loyalty. But the eye may deny sunlight simply because of Conjunctivitis.”[49]

There is a great difference between ignorance and illiteracy

“Those of circuitous purposes, either wickedly or stupidly, allege that Abul-Qâsim was ignorant because he was unlettered and could neither read nor write; and there is no claim more indicative of the ignorance of the issue than this.”[50]

“Foolish is he who ascribes to ignorance a man to whom all the people submitted, be they lettered or unlettered. He convinced them of his Da‘wah and silenced them with his proof. Thereupon, they followed him and believed in him so much that they gladly sacrificed their lives for him and his Da‘wah.

How could a human mind think this man is ignorant without going through his well-memorized speech and reported biography?

Poor is he who launches such a false charge depending on the illiteracy of Abul-Qâsim. Of course, the poor is not him who is accused of this reckless charge. This charge is believed only by the ignoramus who is proud of a false value which enables him only to read rather than to distinguish between good and bad. He indeed carries what he reads, which he neither benefits from nor understands. His example is like a donkey which carries (a load of) books.

The ignoramus believes in this charge because it consoles him that he is better than this unlettered one who was brought up in the middle of the desert. But his blind insight fails to perceive the fact that this unlettered one was the center of attention of millions whom he guided and instructed and whose sight was enlightened. In spite of the great number of writers and readers who lived among them before him, they were of no avail to them even in the least.”[51]

References:

 [41]Ibid. 131.

[42]Ibid. 135.

[43]Ibid. 135.

[44]Ibid. 136.

[45]Ibid. 136.

[46] Ibid. 141.

[47] Ibid. 142.

[48] Ibid. 63.

[49] Ibid. 64.

[50] Ibid. 30.

[51] Ibid. 31-33.