| A Newspaper Story The Ottawa Citizen and Peace In Our Time All Canadian mainstream media, since the cartoon protests of 2006, have learnt to thread carefully where Islam and God’s Messenger, the Prophet Muhammad are concerned. The Ottawa Citizen is no exception, except that the national capital’s leading and most trusted newspaper seems to have gone the furthest in sacrificing impartiality for peace in our time. Every year at, Christmas time, Boreal invites visitors to read The Two Marys, a Christmas story like no other. The Two Marys was in response to The Muslim Mary published by the Ottawa Citizen on December 21, 2006. In that Christmas story, the writer implied that Muslims are more devoted to the mother of Christ because Mary is the only woman mentioned by name in the Koran. Mary's son, in the Koran, is just another messenger and those who claim otherwise are perverted. 5:75 The Messiah, son of Mary, was only a Messenger before whom other Messengers had gone; and his mother was a godly woman. They both ate [earthly] food. Look how We make clear Our Revelations to them; then look how they are perverted! Allah, in His Koran, is vociferous in denying that Mary's baby boy is the Son of God. He will even have Jesus himself, on the day of his birth, at the request of his mother who is being accused of having a child out of wedlock, refute his divinity 19:27 Then she brought him (the child) to her people, carrying him. They said: “O Mary, you have surely committed a strange thing. 19:28 “Sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man and your mother was not unchaste.” 19:29 Whereupon she pointed to him. They said: “How will we talk to one who is still an infant in the cradle?” 19:30 He [Jesus] said “Indeed, I am the servant of Allah, Who gave me the Book and made me a Prophet. And still later in life, Jesus will accuse those who worship him as the Son of God, of being unbelievers and evildoers who will burn in Hell for an eternity. 5:72 Those who say that Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary, are unbelievers. The Messiah said: “O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Surely, he who associates other gods with Allah, Allah forbids him access to Paradise and his dwelling is Hell. The evildoers have no supporters!” Making superficial misleading comparisons like the one made in The Muslim Mary in the pursuit of peace in our time is one thing, publishing what you know to be untrue in the pursuit of that elusive peace is another. The recently arrived Ottawa imam is quoted in the Citizen (Ottawa imam condemns ‘honour killings’, Dec. 10) as urging “a packed Ottawa Mosque to look to the examples of the Prophet Muhammad, who never hit or abused his wives in any form.” I am sure the imam meant well, but this is simply not the case. Most, if not all authenticated hadiths (sayings or recorded examples of the Prophet Muhammad, including actions done in his presence of which he did not disapprove) are legal precedents under Sharia law if they do not contradict the Koran. The Koran and the hadiths form the basis of the Sharia and no man-made law can contradict, or even modify, the ordinances that Allah and His Messenger have issued for all times. 33:36 It is not up to any believer, man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have passed a judgement, to have any choice in their affairs. Whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has gone astray in a manifest manner. Sunni Islam considers the hadiths collected by six men – al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, At-Tirmidi, Ibn Majah, Abu Dawood and An-Nisa’i – as the “six canonical collections.” They have the force of law. Any believer who does as the Prophet is said to have done in a authenticated hadith, cannot, under Sharia law, be charged or convicted of a crime; and as reported in a hadith recorded by Sahih Muslim, the Prophet struck his child bride Aisha in the chest for ostensibly running past him into the house. The following is from The Book of Prayers (Kitab Al-Salat)' of Sahih Muslim, hadith # 2127 (partial, complete text of hadith at the end of this posting): ... He (Muhammad b. Qais) then reported that it was 'A'isha who had narrated this ... "He came (to the house) and I also came (to the house). I, however, preceded him and I entered (the house), and as I lay down in the bed, he (the Holy Prophet) entered the (house), and said: Why is it, O 'A'isha, that you are out of breath? I said: There is nothing. He said: Tell me or the Subtle and the Aware would inform me. I said: Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be ransom for you, and then I told him (the whole story). He said: Was it the darkness (of your shadow) that I saw in front of me? I said: Yes. He struck me on the chest which caused me pain, and then said: Did you think that Allah and His Apostle would deal unjustly?" The next part of the hadith would indicate that the Prophet may have struck his young wife, punched most likely based on the pain she said she experienced, for intruding on a private conversation he was having with the angel Gabriel. … and then said: Did you think that Allah and His Apostle would deal unjustly with you? She said: Whatsoever the people conceal, Allah will know it. He said: Gabriel came to me when you saw me. He called me and he concealed it from you. I responded to his call, but I too concealed it from you (for he did not come to you), as you were not fully dressed… If the imam meant that the Prophet did not physically harm his wives, except under extraordinary circumstances, which intruding, half-dressed, on a private conversation your husband is having with an Archangel no less would qualify, he should have said so! Because he did not, the reporter for the Citizen should have asked for clarification; as he should have when he quotes the imam as saying that “one of the major problems in dealing with many issues, including domestic abuse, is that people often pull Quranic verses out of context and act on them … [that they] should be read in conjunction with others, and with the teachings and practices of the Prophet Muhammad to get a proper understanding of the scripture.” The Koranic verse, which I believe the imam is referring to, is revelation 4:34 whose is intent, even without referring to the Prophet’s actions in hadith 2127, is clear and unambiguous on its own. 4:34 Men are in charge of women, because Allah has made some of them excel the others, and because they spend some of their wealth. Hence righteous women are obedient, guarding the unseen which Allah has guarded. And those of them that you fear might rebel, admonish them and abandon them in their beds and beat them. Should they obey you, do not seek a way of harming them; for Allah is Sublime and Great! It is high time that the mainstream media and the religious leadership start being more forthright and quit pretending that everyone’s scriptures contain the same message. Peace in our time will be within reach when we start building bridges (and yes, making accommodations) based on the trust which springs from being honest with each other. ------------ The full hadith and my comments Following is a typical introduction to a hadith where the narrator identifies himself, and if it's hearsay, as most are, who he heard it from, followed by some atypical comments from his audience: Muhammad b. Qais said (to the people): Should I not narrate to you (a hadith of the Holy Prophet) on my authority and on the authority of my mother? We thought that he meant the mother who had given him birth. He (Muhammad b. Qais) then reported that it was 'A'isha who had narrated this: Should I not narrate to you about myself and about the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)? We said: Yes. From Aisha we learn that it all started when she joined her husband for an intimate moment, after which, thinking she is asleep God's Messenger leaves her side. She said: When it was my turn for Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) to spend the night with me, he turned his side, put on his mantle and took off his shoes and placed them near his feet, and spread the corner of his shawl on his bed and then lay down till he thought that I had gone to sleep. He took hold of his mantle slowly and put on the shoes slowly, and opened the door and went out and then closed it lightly. Aisha is not asleep and decides to follow the Prophet outside where she observes God's Messenger doing hand gestures, after which they both return to the house; Aisha rushing ahead of her husband and hopping into bed hoping he is none the wiser. I covered my head, put on my veil and tightened my waist wrapper, and then went out following his steps till he reached Baqi'. He stood there and he stood for a long time. He then lifted his hands three times, and then returned and I also returned. He hastened his steps and I also hastened my steps. He ran and I too ran. He came (to the house) and I also came (to the house). I, however, preceded him and I entered (the house), and as I lay down in the bed, he (the Holy Prophet) entered the (house), and said: The Prophet is no fool, he notices she is out of breath and asks the obvious question; and she better tell him the truth because if she does not, Allah will tell on her. Why is it, O 'A'isha, that you are out of breath? I said: There is nothing. He said: Tell me or the Subtle and the Aware would inform me. Aisha tells whatever she tells God's Messenger, swearing it is the truth, and this is when her husband strikes her. I said: Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be ransom for you, and then I told him (the whole story). He said: Was it the darkness (of your shadow) that I saw in front of me? I said: Yes. He struck me on the chest which caused me pain, and then said: Did you think that Allah and His Apostle would deal unjustly with you? She said: Whatsoever the people conceal, Allah will know it. At this point, the Prophet feels compel to explain to an obviously skeptical young woman why she did not observe him and the angel Gabriel in animated conversation; one of the reason being that she was not appropriately dressed. He said: Gabriel came to me when you saw me. He called me and he concealed it from you. I responded to his call, but I too concealed it from you (for he did not come to you), as you were not fully dressed. I thought that you had gone to sleep, and I did not like to awaken you, fearing that you may be frightened. The hadith ends with the Prophet, on Gabriel's order, instructing his wife to go to a graveyard, where he will join her later, and pray for the dead as penance for having spied on her husband. He (Gabriel) said: Your Lord has commanded you to go to the inhabitants of Baqi' (to those lying in the graves) and beg pardon for them. I said: Messenger of Allah, how should I pray for them (How should I beg forgiveness for them)? He said: Say, Peace be upon the inhabitants of this city (graveyard) from among the Believers and the Muslims, and may Allah have mercy on those who have gone ahead of us, and those who come later on, and we shall, God willing, join you. The Book of Prayers (Kitab Al-Salat), hadith # 2127
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