๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ก ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ก๐ข๐ญ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐๐ ๐โ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ก ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ก๐๐ซ?
Mohamad Mostafa Nassar
Twitter@NassarMohamadMR
Question
In Sahih Muslim, in vol. 4, hadeeth no. 2127 it is narrated from the hadeeth of Muhammad ibn Qays that โAโishah (may Allah be pleased with her) stated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) gave her a painful shove on the chest, then he said, โDo you think that Allah and His Messenger would be unjust to you?โ
As far as I know, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) never raised his hand against anyone to hit him, so can you explain to me the reason why the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) hit โAโishah (may Allah be pleased with her), as mentioned in this hadeeth?
There are a lot of people who hate Islam and use this hadeeth to cast aspersions upon the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
Answer
Praise be to Allah.
First Please click on this link t have a read The Prophet never beat women, servants, or animals
The hadeeth mentioned in the question is that which was narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who said:
When it was my night when the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was with me, he came in and took off his cloak, took off his shoes and put them by his feet, spread the edge of his waist wrapper on his bed and lay down.
He waited until he thought that I had gone to sleep, then he picked up his cloak slowly, put on his shoes slowly, opened the door slowly, and went out, then he closed it slowly. I put my chemise over my head and veiled myself, and wrapped my waist wrapper around me, then I set out following him, until he reached al-Baqee where he stood for a long time, then he raised his hands three times.
Then he set off, so I set off, then he hastened, so I hastened, then he jogged, so I jogged, then he ran so I ran, then I reached home before him and went in. No sooner had I laid down, but he came in and said: โWhat is the matter, O โAโisha?
Why are you out of breath?โ I said: It is nothing. He said: โEither you tell me or the Subtle One, the All-Aware will tell me.โ I said: O Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you! And I told him.
He said: โSo you were the person that I saw in front of me?โ I said: Yes. He gave me a painful shove on the chest, then he said: โDid you think that Allah and His Messenger would be unjust to you?โ She said: Whatever the people conceal, Allah knows it; yes.
He said: โJibril came to me when you saw. He called me but he concealed it from you, and I answered him, but I concealed it from you. He would not enter upon you when you were not fully dressed. I thought that you had gone to sleep, and I did not want to wake you up, and I was afraid that you might be frightened.
He said: โYour Lord is commanding you to go to the people of al-Baqeeโ and pray for forgiveness for them.โ I said: What should I say to them, O Messenger of Allah? He said: โSay: Peace be upon the people of these abodes, believers and Muslims. May Allah have mercy on those of us who have gone on before and those who come later, and we will โ if Allah wills โ join you soon.โ
The issue mentioned in the question may be explained from several angles:
Firstly:
The words of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), โhe gave me a painful shove in the chestโ indicate that what the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did was merely a NUDGE, i.e., he applied LIGHT PRESSURE to her in the chest; this DOES NOT reach the level of real hitting that is intended to cause pain and to humiliate.
In fact it is stated in Lisaan al-โArab (3/393) that one of the meanings of the word lahd (translated here as shove) is poke. In Taaj al-โAroos (9/145) IT SAYS THAT ONE OF THE MEANINGS of the word Lahad is APPLY PRESSURE.
All these meanings indicate that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) DID NOT hit her in the sense meant by those who want to cast aspersions upon him; rather he NUDGED her or applied LIGHT PRESSSURE her in the chest in such a way that she felt LIGHT pain, but it was mild and UNINTENDED pain; rather the purpose behind it was to point out something and teach.
No reasonable Person would think that our beloved Prophet Muhammed peace be upon him will harm anyone rather his wife and they still have conversations with him, Love him and follow him even after his passing.
Our Mother Aisha may Allah be pleased with her lived after the Prophet for more than forty years teaching Islam to everyone.
Meaning of Lahad according to Edward William Lane, Arabic English Lexicon Page 2676
Secondly:
If the reader reflects on this hadith, he will realise that it is one of the proofs of the greatness of the Prophetโs attitude. A man may live with his wife for many years, and she may do many things because of the jealousy that is an inherent part of womenโs character, but he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is not known to have ever caused her harm in word or deed.
Except for what is mentioned in this hadeeth, despite the large number of narrators who transmitted all the details of his life (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). This is indicative of his perfect character (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
As for those haters who seek to cast aspersions upon him, they wish that they could find any suggestion that he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) hit his wife in such a way that it caused pain, or at least that he hit her in a way that hurt her, by way of rebuking and humiliation. But they failed to do so.
The most that is mentioned in this hadeeth is that Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: He gave me a LIGHT painful NUDGE in the chest. The one who wants to hit and humiliate someone will not limit it to a shove in the chest.
Rather he will focus his energies on the sides of the body or the face and have a humiliating impact on the mind of the one whom he hits. We do not see anything of that nature in the hadeeth of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her).
What was the Deal with the Nudge?
Some people mistakenly believe that the Prophet abused Aisha because of her statement:
He nudged me firmly on the chest.
They have mistranslated the word here to mean a beating or striking, but the word used in this tradition is lahaza which means a Nudge or a LIGHT PUSH. How can it mean the Prophet shoved or hit her when she herself testifies that he never hit anything except when defending himself in battle?
This type of light contact was a common teaching mechanism of the Prophet, to grab the attention of his companions before delivering a lesson.
After the Prophet nudged her chest, he taught her the following supplication:
May Allah have mercy on those who have gone ahead of us and those who will come later. If Allah wills, we will join them.
Source: Sunan al-Nasฤโฤซ 2307, Grade: Sahih=Authentic
This teaching mechanism is similar to how the Prophet would behave with his other companions.
Thirdly:
This hadeeth is indicative of the perfect character of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and of his compassion and tenderheartedness because he did not rebuke or strike or tell off; rather he chided her gently with the aim of teaching Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) and the ummah after her.
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, and His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) do not treat anyone unjustly, and it is not permissible for anyone to think negatively of Allah or His Messenger.
Rather what is required of others is to think positively of Allah and to accept whatever Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, decrees.
That โshove which as actually a LIGHT NUDGEโ was one of the means of teaching and highlighting a matter of great importance that it is not appropriate to forget or neglect, no matter how great her jealousy concerning the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and her love for him.
It is not appropriate for it to be thought that the Prophet of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would wrong any of his wives for the sake of another, Allah forbid.
Fourthly:
Another indication that this โshoveโ was not by way of beating and causing pain; rather it was by way of teaching and pointing out something, is the rest of the conversation between the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her).
It was a peaceful and beneficial discussion in which the compassion of the greatest teacher (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was manifested, as he explained to her the reason why he had gone out of the house at that late hour. He (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had opened the door quietly and left the house without a sound so as not to disturb her sleep.
Such an explanation could not stem from anger or the aim of causing pain; rather it came from a compassionate, kind, and noble husband who respected his wife and explained to her, telling her the details of what had happened with him, so as to share his story with her.
Thus, he instilled in her heart a sense of confidence and trust in her honest and sincere husband.
She said: Whatever the people conceal, Allah knows it; yes. He said: โJibril came to me when you saw. He called me but he concealed it from you, and I answered him, but I concealed it from you. He would not enter upon you when you were not fully dressed. I thought that you had gone to sleep, and I did not want to wake you up, and I was afraid that you might be frightened.
He said: โYour Lord is commanding you to go to the people of al-Baqeeโ and pray for forgiveness for them.โ
I said (Aisha RA asking AFTER the Nudge) : What should I say to them, O Messenger of Allah? He said: โSay: Peace be upon the people of these abodes, believers and Muslims.
May Allah have mercy on those of us who have gone on before and those who come later, and we will โ if Allah wills โ join you soon.โ
Let the one who honestly and sincerely seeks the truth reflect on the story of a husband to whom an important matter came when he was sleeping in his wifeโs bed at night. He wanted to go out and leave her, but he did not want to wake her up or disturb her sleep; he also did not want her to wake up and feel lonely, anxious, and afraid that she had suddenly lost her husband who had been by her side.
Fifthly:
If we were to quote all the hadeeths that highlight the forbearance of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) with his wives, it would take a long time. He was forbearing and compassionate in situations where an ordinary husband might lose his cool.
But the one who had this great character (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was patient and forbearing; indeed, he refrained from doing anything that could upset his wife.
Another example of that is seen in the report narrated by Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), which says that she brought some food in a dish of hers to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon her) and his companions, then Aisha came, wrapped up in a garment, with a stone pestle and broke the dish.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) gathered the broken pieces of the dish and said: โEat; your mother got jealous,โ twice. Then the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) took the dish of Aisha and sent it to Umm Salamah and he gave the dish of Umm Salamah to Aisha
Narrated by an-Nasaaโi in as-Sunan, 3956; classed as sahih by al-Albani in Sahih an-Nasaaโi
It was narrated that Nuโmaan ibn Basheer (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
Abu Bakr came and asked permission to enter upon the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and he heard Aisha raising her voice to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
He gave him permission to enter, so he entered and said: O daughter of Umm Roomaan! โ and he grabbed her โ do you raise your voice to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)?
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) separated them, and when Abu Bakr left, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) started saying to her, to make her feel happy: โDo you not see how I intervened between the man and you?โ
He said: Then Abu Bakr came and asked for permission to enter upon him, and he found him laughing with her.
Permission was given to him, and he entered, and Abu Bakr said to him: O Messenger of Allah, make me a partner in your peace as you made me a partner in your war.
Narrated by Ahmad in al-Musnad, 30/341-342. The commentators said: Its isnad=narration is sahih=correct according to the conditions of Muslim.
So let those haters reflect on how great the compassion of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was towards his wife Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), and how much he loved her.
Even in difficult circumstances in front of his guests before whom she broke the dish of food, and he looked for an excuse for her, saying: โyour mother got jealous.โ
Isnโt jealousy the same factor that motivated Aisha(may Allah be pleased with her) to go out following the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) that night, when she thought that he had gone out to see one of his other wives, but that DID NOT cause him (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to rebuke her by hitting her in a way so as to cause pain, as happens with many husbands.
Sixthly:
If this โshoveโ had been hitting in a real and violent sense, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) would have wept like young women do, and she would have expressed her pain and objection to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
But she did not do that; rather she continued the conversation with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and showed politeness by asking about the dhikr that is recommended when visiting graves.
This indicates that the โshoveโ was no more than a gesture aimed at alerting and teaching, and that Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) did not feel the slightest sense of hurt or offence that these haters are looking for to use against our noble Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
Seventhly:
Moreover, we say: if a husband hits his wife โ if it is gentle and not by way of humiliation, and there is an urgent reason for doing so โ this is something permissible that was permitted by the Holy Qurโan, in which Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
โMen are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has made one of them to excel the other, and because they spend (to support them) from their means. Therefore, the righteous women are devoutly obedient (to Allah and to their husbands).
And guard in the husbands absence what Allah orders them to guard (e.g. their chastity, their husbands property, etc.). As to those women on whose part you see ill conduct, admonish them (first), (next), refuse to share their beds, (and last) beat them (lightly, if it is useful), but if they return to obedience, seek not against them means (of annoyance). Surely, Allah is Ever Most High, Most Greatโ
Quran [an-Nisaโ 4:34].
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) made a mistake by going out of her house without the permission of her husband (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), but the reason why she did it was that she wanted to catch up with him, as she felt happy being close to him.
But โ whatever the case โ it was a mistake. Nevertheless, the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not use the means of striking lightly that is permitted by the Holy Qurโan, although if he had done that there would have been nothing wrong with it.
It would have been within his rights to punish for such a mistake, as the Prophet of Allah Moosa (peace be upon him) took hold of his brotherโs head and pulled him towards him.
Rather our noble Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used โpokingโ the chest accompanied by a reminder to fear Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. This is an example of his perfect character and attitude (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
The Prophet Apologies to his wife:
Our Beloved Prophet Apologised to Our Mother Aisha NOT for making any mistaek and just for NOT telling her that he is going out to visit the Graves based on Allah Exalted He instructions that were delivered By Angel Jabril peace be upon all of them. We need to know that The Prophet peace be upon did NOT tell his wife Lady Aisha may Allah be pleased with her because SHE WAS ASLEEP and He did not want to disturb her sleep.
The Following Hadiths shows how word Strike was used
First Hadith:
Abu Dharr reported:
The Prophet struck my chest with his hand and he sai
Allah’s Apostle did not screen himself from me since my embracing Islam, and whenever he saw me he would receive me with a smile. Once I told him that I could not sit firm on horses. He stroke me on the chest with his hand and said, “O Allah! Make him firm and make him a guiding and a rightly-guided man.”
Source: แนขaแธฅฤซแธฅ Muslim 1825, Grade: Sahih=Authentic
This โstrikingโ is not meant to cause pain but rather to grab their attention before teaching an important lesson
Second Hadith
Kindness is given a Special Reward from Allah
In all things, the Prophet recommended us to be kind and gentle to others, as kindness is given a special reward from Allah.
Aisha reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
Verily, Allah is gentle and He loves gentleness and he rewards for gentleness what is not granted for harshness. He does not reward anything else like it.
Source: แนขaแธฅฤซแธฅ Muslim 2593, Grade: Sahih=Authentic
Third Hadith
We should be especially kind and gentle with our spouses and family members, as it is a sign of Allahโs favor.
Aisha reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
If Allah the Exalted intends goodness for a household, he lets gentleness come over them.
Source: Musnad Aแธฅmad 23906, Grade: Sahih=Authentic
Fourth Hadith
The Prophet enjoined kindness and gentleness even for the animals and he warned us not to beat them.
Aisha reported: I was upon a camel which was misbehaving so I began to strike it. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
You must be gentle. Verily, gentleness is not in anything except that it beautifies it, and it is not removed from anything except that it disgraces it.
Source: Musnad Aแธฅmad 24417, Grade: Sahih=Authentic
Summary:
- Our Beloved Prophet Muhammed peace be upon him showed his care, kindnesses and leadership by asking his wife Lady Aisha RA Why is it, O โAisha, that you are out of breath?
- This question was for the purposes of Welfare check and make sure she well, safe and sound despite he heard her out of breath due to the fact she was walking fast before going to lay down in the bed.
- The Prophet peace be upon him applied Pressure that she felt which was For many reasons
- Ensure she is well, safe and sound by applying LIGHT pressure which she described to have LIGHT PAIN= Nudge in a LOVING WAY to remind her that she made a mistake by thinking that he might go to any of his other wives. That is why Our Beloved Prophet replied to teach her by asking her: Did you think that Allah and His Apostle would deal unjustly with you? She said: Whatsoever the people conceal, Allah will know it.
- That LIGHT Pressure was also to console her, comfort her and let her know that he did not anywhere and made a mistake by gout out of the house without his permission despite she was following him.
- Lady Aisha CONTINUED the Conversation because that LIGHT NUDGE was NOTHING to worry about and she even NARRATED the following Hadiths Describing That the Prophet never beat women, servants, or animals– make sure to click and read what Lady Aisha HERSELF has Narrated.
- Despite Lady Aisha RA was asleep and Prophet Muhammed peace be upon him did not want to wake her up. Though Prophet Muhammed peace be upon him did not owe anyone any apology, yet our Beloved Prophet Muhammed peace be upon him, apologised to his wife Aisha RA for not letting her know that he was going to the graveyard to make dua for the deceased Muslims.
- Lady Aisha Ra NEVER EVER COMPLAINED to ANYONE – And she Carried On the Message of Islam AFTER our beloved Prophet Muhammed peace be upon him passing for more than FORTY YEARS.
- Finally, enemies of Islam are ignoring the staggering Anti-Islam people ignore the enormous horrific domestic violence statistics that are occurring in the Judo-Christian countries that turning to Atheism and ignorantly focusing on Islam. Here Domestic violence statistics by country 2021
Therefore, we should do our best to emulate the example of the Prophet. He never hit a woman or a servant or an animal, and he never hit anything unless he was fighting in self-defense.
The Prophet would be gentle, patient, forbearing, and forgiving with his family, his wives, his servants, and even the people who abused him.
And Allah knows best.
The Prophet never beat women, servants, or animals
Is husband allowed to beat his wife?
Domestic Violence and Muslim Women FAQs
Domestic violence statistics by country 2021
Answer to allegation that wife-beating is approved By the Prophet in Bukhari