07-28-2003, 08:19 AM
The Prophet's Married Life
Q. A Christian missionary Dr. Anis Shorrosh says that the prophet's wives were virtually captives in the prophet's houses. This he says because they were not to be spoken to except from behind a curtain, and because they could not remarry after Muhammad's death (see Dr. Anis Shorrosh, Islam Revealed. US: Thomas Nelson, 1988. p. 64).
A. Dr. Shorrosh is mistaken. First, the wives of the prophet (pbuh) were allowed to go out for their needs as specifically stated in the authentic hadiths although it is true that they were also directed to stay at home except when such need arose.
Second, they were allowed to speak to other women face to face. The curtain applied only in speaking to men. This was not to keep the wives of the prophet captive but, as the Qur'an specifically said, so as to keep purity in their hearts and the hearts of the men who spoke to them. They were not captives but teachers. Men had to continually come to learn from them about the prophet's example. The curtain rule was only to make sure that the wrong type of attraction did not develop between teacher and student.
Third, the fact that the wives of the prophet could not remarry after his death has to be understood in its fuller context. The Qur'an declared them to be the mothers of the believers. It was more of an honour to those women to have billions of spiritual children than to have temporary husbands.
Fourth, while the prophet (pbuh) was alive he offered them to opt for a separation so that they can go their separate ways. They had shown some discontent over the prophet's self-imposed poverty. But when the offer was made they refused to leave the prophet and his poverty. What would they choose after his death?
Fifth, a mother in Islam is more honourable than a wife. After they are already promoted to the respectable position as mother of all the believers why would they want to demote themselves to become wives of their spiritual sons? Dr. Shorrosh needs to look at this broader context in order to properly understand the honourable position of the wives of the prophet (pbuh).