New Trend Magazine (www.newtrendmag.org)

(by Kaukab Siddique, Ph.D) (part 1)

Perwezi sect's attack on Hadith: Fabrication and Lies
Attempt to Claim that Hadith permits Sex during Menstruation
Libellous Attribution of Translation to Abdul Hameed Siddiqui

A heretical Pakistani group called Tolu-e-Islam, organized by a Pakistani writer named Ghulam Ahmed Pervez, has been making frantic efforts to discredit Hadith. Known for its subservience to western ideas against Islam, Tolu-i-Islam claims that is serving the true Islam by calling people to concentrate on the Qur'an "only."

One of the books this group published was titled MAQAME HADITH which can be called its magnum opus because it was published in four editions, 1953, 1965, 1975 and 1986 WITHOUT change.

MAQAME HADITH (written in the Urdu language) is packed with baseless attacks on Hadith, quoted out of context and twisted in a variety of ways.

In one of its most vicious attacks, MAQAME HADITH tries to give the impression that the Hadith teaches sexual intercourse during menstruation and thus violates the Qur'an. MAQAME HADITH achieves this "meaning" by translating a key word in the Hadith about menstruation as MUBASHIRAT which in Urdu means sexual intercourse. (See page 202 of MAQAME HADITH under the heading: halate haiz main mubashirat)

The Perwezi sect could not succeed in Pakistan owing to the Islamic resurgence led by Maulana Maudoodi and later by the Jihad movements. Perwezis in Pakistan are residual now and exist largely in minute sections of the westernized ruling class which can easily be led astray owing to their relative ignorance of both the Qur'an and the Hadith.

However, the Perwezis retreated to Canada and started spreading their heresies among Pakistani immigrants and sometimes even among recent converts to Islam.

Earlier on Pakistan Forum and more recently on Wide Minds (two Pakistani discussion groups), a number of Perwezis made the same claim as in MAQAME HADITH, that the Hadith violates the Qur'an by teaching sexual intercourse during menstruation. I pointed out to the readers of these groups that no scholar of HADITH had EVER taught that the Hadith permits sex during menses. As a result I was subjected to incessant abuse by a number of Perwezis on these lists. The attackers tried to make the claim that I was defending Hadith because I am a "Mullah."

However, after the Perwezis were put on the defensive, they came up with the claim that they had finally found a translation of SAHIH MUSLIM which has the Hadith about menstruation which clearly says that the Prophet (pbuh) [nauzoobillah min zalik] did intercourse with his wife during menstruation. They said the TRANSLATION WAS BY ABDUL HAMID SIDDIQUI and was published from India!

They have been transmitting ABDUL HAMID SIDDIQUI's "translation" far and wide and claiming victory against Hadith on that basis.

UNFORTUNATELY FOR THE PERWEZIS, the library of Masjid Jamaat al-Muslimeen has Abdul Hamid Siddiqui's translation of SAHIH MUSLIM. Here is the translation from page 173 of Volume 1:

"(577) ‘Aisha (ra) reported: When anyone amongst us (amongst the wives of the Holy Prophet) menstruated, the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) asked her to tie a waist-wrapper over her (body) and then embraced her."

Not only does Abdul Hamid Siddiqui's translation NOT say anything about doing sexual intercourse, the translator seems to be aware of the attack by the enemies of Islam on this Hadith and he writes this commentary on this hadith: (same page)

"499. This tradition has been the target of worst criticism by the hostile critics of the Hadith. They assert that it contravenes the teaching of the Qur'an (ii.222), in which it has been commanded to keep aloof from women during menstrual period. But these critics little realise that it is the sexual intercourse with the menstruating women which is prohibited. The hadith gives no indication that the Holy Prophet acted against this injunction of the Qur'an. The very wording that he ordered to tie a waist-wrapper on the lower part of her body gives a clear indication that the Holy Prophet did not have sexual intercourse with his wives during this period of menstrual discharge; he simply embraced them. The verb yubashira does not necessarily mean sexual intercourse. It denotes to have contact, to touch (Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon).

Notice also that ABDUL HAMEED SIDDIQUI produced his translation of SAHIH MUSLIM in Pakistan, not India as the Perwezis claim. He wrote it and published it in Pakistan.

The question arises, why did the Perwezis decide to libel Abdul Hameed Siddiqui? Allah knows what is in their minds but we do need to notice that Abdul Hameed Siddiqui's translation of Sahih Muslim into English was a unique event. There are not many (IF ANY) other translations into English.

The Perwezis might have chosen to smear Abdul Hameed Siddiqui because he was an associate of Maulana Maudoodi (ra). G.A. Perwez, the doyen of the Perwezi sect, wrote at length and very viciously and abusively against Maulana Maudoodi. Obviously the disciples of Perwez want to continue their leader's tradition of lies and fabrication. (To be continued.)
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2002-04-18 Thu 09:08ct