[Assam] “WE WILL REMOVE THIS SITE IF PROVEN WRONG”: Series of logical articles from THE site posted here to prepare for the challenge, as some people in Assam even using loud speakers to spread their message without a challenge. Article 29: Safiyah

Thu Nov 15 01:22:45 CST 2007

http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina/safiyah.htm   Safiyah, the Jewish
Wife of Muhammad

 Italian translation <http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina/safiyahit.htm>

By Ali Sina  <http://www.faithfreedom.org/Author/Sina.htm>

The following is the story of Safiyah Bint Huyeiy Ibn Akhtab, the Jewish
woman who was captured when Muhammad's troops attacked Kheibar and brought
her to the Prophet as part of his share of the booty.  This story, is
reported in the Book of Tabaqat and is published also in the trusted Islamic
site. http://www.muslimunited.org/topics/prophet/wives.html<http://www.prophetmuhammed.org/>Safiyah
was seventeen and very beautiful when Muslims killed her father,
husband and many of her relatives. In the same day the Prophet of Allah
wanted to sleep with her. Here is the exact text of the story.

*"Safiyah was born in Medinah. She belonged to the Jewish tribe of Banu
'I-Nadir. When this tribe was expelled from Medinah in the year 4 A.H,
Huyaiy was one of those who settled in the fertile colony of Khaibar
together with Kinana ibn al-Rabi' to whom Safiyah was married a little
before the Muslims attacked Khaibar. She was then seventeen. She had
formerly been the wife of Sallam ibn Mishkam, who divorced her. One mile
from Khaibar. Here the Prophet married Safiyah. She was groomed and made-up
for the Prophet by Umm Sulaim, the mother of Anas ibn Malik. They spent the
night there. Abu Ayyub al-Ansari guarded the tent of the Prophet the whole
night. When, in the early dawn, the Prophet saw Abu Ayyub strolling up and
down, he asked him what he meant by this sentry-go; he replied: "I was
afraid for you with this young lady. You had killed her father, her husband
and many of her relatives, and till recently she was an unbeliever. I was
really afraid for you on her account". The Prophet prayed for Abu Ayyub
al-Ansari (Ibn Hisham, p. 766) Safiyah had requested the Prophet to wait
till he had gone a stage away from Khaibar. "Why?" asked the Prophet. "I was
afraid for you on account of the Jews who still happened to be near at
Khaibar!"*

The reason Safiyah rejected the sexual advances of the 57-year-old Muhammad
should be obvious to any objective person. I believe most women prefer to
mourn than jump into bed with the killer of their father, husband and many
relatives on the same day of their death. But the fact that the prophet of
Allah could not contain his sexual urges for one day to let this young girl
grieve, says a lot of his thinking and moral character. However as for the
rest of the story we are not sure whether it is true or was fabricated by
Muslim historians to wipe the impression of rape. But this is all we have
and to find the truth we have to rely on these biased documents written by
Muslim historians.  The story goes on to say that Abu Ayyub was concerned
for the safety of the prophet because he (Muhammad) had killed Safiyah's
father, husband and many of her relatives. This is logical. It is foolish to
sleep with a woman after killing her loved ones. But Safiyah's excuse for
rejecting Muhammad's advances towards her seems unreasonable. When Muhammad
took this young girl into his tent, he had already killed many Jews and was
winning the war. If there were any Jews left, they probably were more
worried for their own lives than Safiyah's chastity. Also she was already in
the tent alone with Muhammad, how the Jews would have known if they were
engaged in sex or not? I wonder what other excuse could she make to a man
who was the murderer of her father, husband and many of her relatives to let
her alone at least that night?

*"The next day a Walima (we dding-feast) was arranged on behalf of the
Prophet…  *

Note that the historian is saying that the wedding took place one day after
the prophet got private with Safiyah and made his moves to have sex with
her. This presented no problem for the prophet as he had his Allah reveal a
verse saying it is okay to sleep with women captured in war without marrying
them even if they are married.

*"And all married women (are forbidden unto you) save those (captives) whom
your right hands possess…" (Q.
*4:24<http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/004.qmt.html#004.024>)

The above verse shows that the Holy prophet did not believe that slaves have
any right. You could be a happily married woman living your own life, but if
Muhammad and his devout followers attacked your town and captured you, you
would lose all your rights, and while your husband was being killed or
enslaved you would be given to a Muslim Mujahid who would rape you all with
Allah's blessings.

This is confirmed in another place.

(Q. 23: 1-7 <http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/023.qmt.html#023.001>)

 1-The believers must (eventually) win through,-
2- Those who humble themselves in their prayers;
3-Who avoid vain talk;
4- Who are active in deeds of charity;
5- Who abstain from sex,
6- Except with those joined to them in the marriage bond, or (the captives)
whom their right hands possess,- for (in their case) they are free from
blame,
7- But those whose desires exceed those limits are transgressors;-

Let us continue with the story of Safiyah.*  *

*"The other wives of the Prophet showed their jealousy by making slights
upon her Jewish origin. But the Prophet always defended her. Once Safiyah
was vexed to the extreme by the t aunts of all the Arab wives of the
Prophet. She took the complaint to the Prophet, who felt great compassion
for her. He consoled her. He encouraged her. He equipped her with logic. He
said: "Safiyah, take courage and be bold. They are in no way superior to
you. Tell them: I am a daughter of the Prophet Harun, a niece of the Prophet
Musa, and a wife of the Prophet Muhammad".   *

*When she was brought along with other prisoners-of-war, the Prophet said to
her, "Safiyah, your father always maintained enmity with me until Allah made
the final decision." She said, "But Allah does not catch one for the sins of
another."  *

This of course contradicts Muhammad's own behavior who annihilated the
entire Bani Qainuqa<http://www.faithfreedom.org/Rational%20Thinking/jews.htm>with
the pretext that few of them had killed a Muslim in retaliation
<http://rationalthinking.tripod.com/jews_of_medina.htm>. That is despite the
verse that says "*Namely, that no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of
another*" (Q. 53:38 <http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/053.qmt.html#053.038>)
Also it was not Allah who made the final decision. Safiyah's father was
killed by Muhammad's men not by Allah. This would be the same as Hitler
claiming that God killed all the Jews in the holocaust. If God wanted to
kill all those people that Muhammad and his army killed He could have done
it on his own. God needs no mercenaries to do his will.

*"The Prophet then gave her the choice of joining her people after freedom
or accepting Islam and coming into a matrimonial relationship with him" *

We have to remember that Muhammad killed most of her people and banished the
rest of them. So giving the choice to join her people is not much of a
choice.

*"She was very intelligent and gentle and said, "O Allah's Messenger, I had
hoped for Islam, and I confirmed you before your invitation. Now when I have
the honour to be in your presence, I am given a choice between kufr and
Islam I swear by Allah, that Allah and His Messenger is dearer to me than my
own freedom and my joining with my people." (Tabaqat). *

Was this confession, if true, sincere? Was she safe to speak out her mind?
She was enslaved by a man who had exterminated her family and could do with
her the same. See the reference made to her "freedom". This shows clearly
that she was not free. In fact she must have been very intelligent to
fabricate those lies to save her own life.

*"When Safiyah was married, she was very young, and according to one report
she was hardly seventeen years old and was extremely beautiful. Once A'isha
said a few sentences about her short stature, at which the Prophet said,
"You have said a thing that if it were left in the sea, it would mix with it
(and make its water dirty). " (Abu Dawud). She not only deeply loved the
Prophet but also greatly respected him as Allah's Messenger, for she heard
the conversations of her father and uncle after they went to Medinah. When
the Prophet migrated to Medinah, they came to see him and find out whether
he was the true Messenger of Allah spoken of in the Scriptures. When they
got back and talked together that night, Safiyah was in her bed listening to
them. One of them said, "What do you think about him?" He replied, "He is
the same Prophet foretold by our Scriptures." Then the other said, "What is
to be done?" The reply came that they must oppose him with all their
might."  *

Is this story, narrated by Abu Dawud, credible? How can two Jews recognize
Muhammad as the prophet foretold by their scriptures and decide to oppose
him with all their might? It defies all logic. It takes a "deficient in
intelligence" to believe in this nonsense. It is not clear whether Safiyah
lied to conform and make her self accepted among her enemies or it is
another fabrication of a zealot believer. Why would someone decide to oppose
with all his might the one who he has found out to be the promised one of
his own scriptures? But this is not all! Where in the Bible it says anything
about Muhammad? How come Safiyah's father and uncle could decipher their
scriptures and find about Muhammad while for 1400 years all Muslim scholars
have been unable to do it?

*"So Safiyah was convinced of the truth of the Prophet. She spared no pain
to look after him, care for him and provide every comfort that she could
think of. This is evident since she came into his presence after the fall of
Khaibar."  *

See how the writer contradicts himself in one page? Just a few lines above
we read that she was captured and was taken to Muhammad as a prisoner. She
didn't come on her own. She was taken to the prophet because she was young
and the prettiest of other women captured.

*"The Prophet had a slight grievance against her for she had refused when
the Prophet wanted to have privacy with her at the previous stage (of the
journey). At the next halt, the Prophet had privacy with her and spent all
night with her. When she was asked by Umm Sulaim, "What did you see in
Allah's Messenger?" She said he was very pleased with her and did not sleep
at all but was talking to her all night. He had asked her, 'Why did you
refuse at the first stage when I desired privacy with you?' She had said, 'I
was afraid for you because of the nearness of the Jews. "'This thing further
increased my merit in his eyes." (Tabaqat). *

Bukhari also has recorded some Hadithes telling the invasion of Kheibar and
how Muhammad met Safiyah.

*Narrated 'Abdul 'Aziz:
Anas said, 'When Allah's Apostle invaded Khaibar, we offered the Fajr prayer
there yearly in the morning) when it was still dark. The Prophet rode and
Abu Talha rode too and I was riding behind Abu Talha. The Prophet passed
through the lane of Khaibar quickly and my knee was touching the thigh of
the Prophet . He uncovered his thigh and I saw the whiteness of the thigh of
the Prophet. When he entered the town, he said, 'Allahu Akbar! Khaibar is
ruined. Whenever we approach near a (hostile) nation (to fight) then evil
will be the morning of those who have been warned.' He repeated this thrice.
The people came out for their jobs and some of them said, 'Muhammad (has
come).' (Some of our companions added, "With his army.") We conquered
Khaibar, took the captives, and the booty was collected. Dihya came and
said, 'O Allah's Prophet! Give me a slave girl from the captives.' The
Prophet said, 'Go and take any slave girl.' He took Safiya bint Huyai. A man
came to the Prophet and said, 'O Allah's Apostles! You gave Safiya bint
Huyai to Dihya and she is the chief mistress of the tribes of Quraiza and
An-Nadir and she befits none but you.' So the Prophet said, 'Bring him along
with her.' So Dihya came with her and when the Prophet saw her, he said to
Dihya, 'Take any slave girl other than her from the captives.' Anas added:
The Prophet then manumitted her and married her."*

*Thabit asked Anas, "O Abu Hamza! What did the Prophet pay her (as Mahr)?"
He said, "Her self was her Mahr for he manumitted her and then married her."
Anas added, "While on the way, Um Sulaim dressed her for marriage (ceremony)
and at night she sent her as a bride to the Prophet .  (Sahih Bukhari
1.367<http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/008.sbt.html#001.008.367>
)*

Mahr or dowry is a money that a bride receives from her husband when he
marries her. Muhammad did not pay Safiyah her Mahr because he had to pay it
to himself for manumitting her. Of course the irony is that he did not buy
her but enslaved her by raiding her town. This story is significant because
it gives us an insight into the moral and ethical values of the Prophet of
God (Peace be upon his immaculate soul).

Our modern sensibility makes us cringe with stories like this, yet amazingly
Muhammad taught that he is going to receive two rewards by marrying Safiyah.
One for manumitting someone whom no one but himself had enslaved and the
other for marrying the prettiest girl who was 40 years younger.

*Abu Musa reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said about
one who emancipated a slave woman, and then married her, that for him there
are two rewards. (Sahih Muslim Book 008, Number
3327<http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muslim/008.smt.html#008.3327>
)*

Also in another part

*Narrated Anas:
The Prophet offered the Fajr Prayer near Khaibar when it was still dark and
then said, "Allahu-Akbar! Khaibar is destroyed, for whenever we approach a
(hostile) nation (to fight), then evil will be the morning for those who
have been warned." Then the inhabitants of Khaibar came out running on the
roads. The Prophet had their warriors killed, their offspring and woman
taken as captives. Safiya was amongst the captives, She first came in the
share of Dahya Alkali but later on she belonged to the Prophet . The Prophet
made her manumission as her 'Mahr'. (Sahih Bukhari V.5 B.59
N.512<http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/059.sbt.html#005.059.512>
)*
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://assamnet.org/pipermail/assam_assamnet.org/attachments/20071115/a3b650a8/attachment.html 