Jewish Taboos about Menstruation were attacked by Muhammad (pbuh)
Today his Hadith on Menstruation are Under Attack from abusive web
sites
by Kaukab Siddique, Ph.D
(New readers: In a booklet titled CRIMINALS OF ISLAM (posted on the
web by pakistanforum, IslamicDawn, aboutquran and others sectarians), one
Dr. Shabbir Ahmed, living in Florida, piles abuse above abuse on the
blessed Sahih of Bukhari and by inference on all books of Hadith. In my
example #1, I took one item from CRIMINALS of ISLAM and illustrated the fraudulent methodology used in CRIMINALS OF ISLAM to discredit Sahih of Bukhari.)
Audience: CRIMINALS OF ISLAM is obviously aimed at Pakistani elites
who have never read any actual book of Hadith and who may never have
read the Qur'an either. These people find ulema's ("mullas") preaching
distasteful, sometimes with good reason. Hence they are the "right" audience for a misleading book which abuses the second source of Islam: Hadith.
Through this audience the enemy is trying to enter the lands of Islam. My response is for the same audience and might be very obvious for scholars of Islam. To scholars: my apologies for stating the obvious.
ISSUE OF MENSTRUATION: For most of recorded history, men have looked at
women's menstruation as degrading, something which makes women
disgusting and to be avoided. Such anti-women menstruation-related ideas are openly stated in Jewish writings and can be seen even today in the laws of the
illegitimate state of Israel.
While the Jews went to extreme separation from menstruating women, the
Christians often behaved as if they could ignore the draining, sometimes
debilitating, experience women go through during menstruation, to the extent
that they would have intercourse with menstruating women.
ISLAM taught the middle path: Menstruation is hurtful and blood can
carry pollution. So sexual intercourse should be avoided. At the same time,
the Jewish attitude is dead wrong. The woman must not be made to feel that
she has become a defiled, low and subservient, unlovable being because of
menstruation.
The Qur'an laid down the law on menstruation:
"They ask thee concerning menstruation. Say: It is a source of hurt and
pollution. So keep away from women in their courses, and do not approach them
until they are clean. But when they have cleansed themselves, ye may approach
them as ordained by Allah, for Allah loves those who turn to Him constantly
and He loves those who espouse cleanliness." (2:222)
The Jewish taboos against menstruating women were so strong that there
was a danger that the Qur'an's words: "...so keep away from women in their
courses" could be interpreted to mean that men should stay away from women
altogether during menses. The Qur'an has been interpreted in detail by the
Prophet (pbuh) so that it would not be left to the whims of charlatans and
dictators. In the case of menstruation too, the Prophet through his own
behavior showed that men must show love, intimacy and respect for women even
when the blood is flowing from them. THE GREATEST REVOLUTIONARY OF ALL TIMES
showed us and taught us that biological differences do not make women
inferior. He specifically wanted to negate the JEWISH view of women and
menses, as can be read in a narration from by one of his companions:
"Anas (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when a woman from among
the Jews menstruated, they would not eat with her, nor drink with her, nor
allow her to remain with them. The messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of
Allah be on him) was asked about this. Then Allah Almighty revealed the verse
beginning 'They ask thee concerning menstruation ...' The blessed messenger of
Allah then commanded: Have your meals and drink with the menstruating women,
and stay with them in your homes, and be normal with them in sexuality,
except for actual intercourse. The Jews said angrily: 'This person will
oppose us in everything we do ...' (Sunan of Tirmidhi, abwabu tafseer al-Qur'an.)
An important aspect of menstruation is that the woman starts feeling
that she has become unattractive to the husband. The usually loving/lusting
husband suddenly becomes distant and starts behaving as if she has a disease.
This 'distancing' has caused distress to women throughout the ages for 6 to
10 days EVERY MONTH of their menstruating life.
In earlier times, the situation for women was even more serious because
it was very difficult to stop the blood flow from becoming very evident.
It could not be entirely hidden or absorbed.
Hence the Prophet (pbuh) took serious steps to show in his personal
life that intimacy and sexual contact with one's wife (without actual
intercourse) must continue during menstruation. Ayesha (the sublime beloved
of the beloved of Allah) being young was the one most affected by monthly
menstruation. Through expression of his love for her and other of his wives,
the Prophet (pbuh) sent this message for all times to come that the Qur'an's
words "keep away from women" DO NOT MEAN NO INTIMACY OR SEXUAL CONTACT DURING
MENSTRUATION. Ayesha (radi Allah 'unha) tells us in an authenticated Hadith:
"Whenever Allah's messenger (pbuh) wanted to be intimate with (fondle
lovingly) anyone of us (his wives) during her menses, he told us to put on a
lower covering (over the menstrual area) and then became intimate (fondled
them lovingly) (yubashirha). Ayesha added: None of you can control his sexual
desires as the Prophet, pbuh, could." Bukhari's Sahih, 1:299
The Prophet (pbuh) also took steps to show 'Ayesha (and through her,
the whole world of Islam for all time to come) that there is no reason to
think that a woman's menstruation violates any sanctities of religion, or
that, as in the case of the Hindus, she is somehow spiritually "dirty" when
she menstruates. Hence this authentic Hadith:
'Ayesha narrates: The Prophet, pbuh, used to lie in my lap and recite
the Qur'an while I was menstruating. (Bukhari's Sahih 1: 296)
There is a vast amount of evidence that the Prophet negated all the
taboos about menstruation. Be intimate with your wife during her menses but
do not have actual intercourse: That's the jist of the vast Hadith literature
on the subject. No Muslim scholar has ever brought out a meaning from these
hadith other than the one I have stated. Hence for those who have studied
Islamic texts, this article is not astonishing.
Most Muslims are not aware that the Jews have successfully motivated
some half-baked writers to attack these liberating and beautiful Hadith in
the most crass and ugly way. Look at what CRIMINALS of ISLAM (as posted on
pakistanforum and the pervezi sites) does to the teachings of the Prophet
(pbuh).
In CRIMINALS OF ISLAM, the readers are not told that Imam Bukhari began
his BOOK of MENSES with the text of Qur'an 2:222 which I have quoted above.
Thus secular readers would think that "mulla" Bukhari was perhaps unaware of
the Qur'an.
Then CRIMINALS OF ISLAM (as posted) does something very simple but very
dishonest to change the meaning of the first Hadith I have quoted from
Bukhari. The criminal Dr. Shabbir (as posted) simply changed the word for
intimacy or fondling to INTERCOURSE. Here are the words of Dr. Shabbir (as
posted) attributing this "hadith" to Bukhari:
"If the prophet wanted to have intercourse with a menstruating wife, he
ordered her to tie a loincloth even though the menstruation would be at its
peak. Then he had intercourse."
Here Dr. Shabbir interjects to say: "Whoever concocted this hadith adds a
contrary statement: 'Aisha said: 'No one of you has as much control over his
desire as the Prophet had!' (The Book of Menstruation 1:98, chapter 207)
Look at the process of dishonesty here:
1. Dr. Shabbir leaves out the Qur'anic verse with which Imam Bukhari begins
his BOOK OF MENSTRUATION. The secular reader would think that Bukhari (the
"mulla") did not know what the Qur'an said.
2. Then he claims that the Hadith is saying that the Prophet (pbuh) violated
the Qur'an by having intercourse during menses. (May Allah forgive us.
Quoting kufr to refute it is not kufr.)
3. Then totally with out any evidence, discussion, analysis he claims in a
little parenthesis that the hadith has been CONCOCTED by someone.
4. Somehow he also thinks hazrat 'Ayesha's caution that men should not become
too intimate during menses, because they are not so strong in self-control as
the Prophet (pbuh), is contradicting the first part of the Hadith.
5. Thus Dr. Shabbir makes a virtue of his ignorance.
6. About the recitation of the Qur'an in a menstruating woman's lap, Dr.
Shabbir has this "I am shocked" type of comment: "Can even an ordinary Muslim
do this?!" The exclamation mark is his.
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Try to imagine the ignorance of people who run pakistanforum that they have
been touting this worthless book CRIMINALS OF ISLAM for a whole year as if it
is some kind of final verdict on Imam Bukhari's Sahih.
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2002-02-19 Tue 16:46ct