Chapter Nine: The Nasibi attack on the wives of the Prophet (s)

Nasibi attack on Ayesha’s dignity

Before analysing the text let us pose the following questions to those with rational minds:

1. If two of your relatives went to your home and asked your mother about how to perform Ghusl after sex how would you react?
2. Is it not an insult to ask such a question to your mother?
3. How would you feel if your mother then provided a practical demonstration by removing her clothes and taking a bath?

With this in mind we invite you to ponder over this hadith:

Abu Salama b. ‘Abd al-Rahman reported: I along with the foster brother of ‘A’isha went to her and he asked about the bath of the Apostle (may peace be upon him) because of sexual intercourse. She called for a vessel equal to a Sa’ and she took a bath, and there was a curtain between us and her. She poured water on her head thrice and he (Abu Salama) said: The wives of the Apostle (may peace be upon him) collected hair on their heads and these lopped up to ears (and did not go beyond that).
Sahih Muslim, Book 003, Number 0626

Perhaps the Nawasib would be so kind as to answer these questions:

1. As the query was with regards to Ghusl after intercourse, could the two men not have obtained the information from one of the male companions?
2. As the matter was linked to Sexual intercourse both men must have been married – so why couldn’t they send their respective wives to ask this most delicate question?
3. Why would A’isha find it necessary to ‘take a bath’ to demonstrate the point could she not have simply relayed actions verbally with her clothes on?
4. If there was a net between them that presumable acted as purdah does this not defeat the object of A’isha removing her clothes and demonstrating how Ghusl is performed?
5. The net clearly was NOT very thick, since they were able to observe that A’isha had placed her hair over her head – they could even SEE her ears through it.
6. Is such a hadith not an insult on the dignity of Hadhrath A’isha?

Alhamdolillah we the Shi’a do NOT believe such hadith that attack the dignity of A’isha, it is unfortunate that Nawasib regard such traditions as Sahih. If those that slander A’isha are kaffir what about those that regard this hadith to be Sahih?

Ayesha was accused of adultery by the Sahaba

The Nawasib have for centuries spread propaganda that Shias accuse Ayesha of committing adultery [naudobillah] that is a blanat lie on their part. Whilst the Shia do not count Ayesha as amongst the best of the wives of the Holy Prophet (s) on account of her actions recorded in the Quran and annals of history none of have cast aspersions upon her character. It seems that the sole motive of the Nawasib in pursuing this propaganda is to hide the names of those who had actually accused Ayesha of committing adultery because those individuals happened to be Sahaba. Ibn Kathir records in Al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, Volume 4 page 186:

“Then he (prophet) went to the people and addressed and then recited what Allah revealed in Quran, then he ordered that Mastah bin Uthatha, Hasaan bin Thabit, Hamna bint Jahsh be punished because they were among those who had spread the allegation of adultery”.

Ayesha was not sure if Holy Prophet (s) would tell truth

Imam of Ahl’ul Sunnah Abdul Hamid Ghazzali records the following in his classic Ihya Ulum-id-din:

“Once there was an altercation between the Prophet and Ayesha when they found Abu Bakr as judge. Ayesha said to the Prophet: ‘You speak but don’t speak except truth’. At once Abu Bakr gave her such a slap that blood began to ooze out from her mouth. Then he said: ‘O enemy, will he speak the truth?’”.
Ihya Ulum-id-din by Imam Ghazzali, Volume 2 page 36, Chapter “The secrets of marriage” – English translation by Maulana Fazlul Karim.

Ayesha and Hafsa tried to create rift between Prophet (s) and his wife Asma by attributing a lie to Prophet (s)

We read in Tabaqat Ibn Saad:

Hamza bin Abi Usaid narrated from his father that he said: ‘Allah’s messenger got married to Asma bin al-Numan al-Jaunia. He sent me to bring her to him, then Hafsa said to Ayesha or Ayesha said to Hafsa: ‘You color her hair while I will comb her hair’. Then they both did that, then one of them said to her (Asma): ‘The prophet (pbuh) likes a woman to say to him: ‘I seek refuge in the Lord of you’. When she entered on the prophet and he (prophet) closed the door and advanced his hand to her, she said: ‘I seek refuge in the Lord of you.”
Tabaqat Ibn Saad, Volume 8 page 145

Ayesha tried to incite Prophet’s wife Malika against Him (s)

We read in Tabaqat Ibn Saad:

Abu Masher said: ‘The prophet (pbuh) got married to Malika bint Kaab, she was very beautiful, thus Ayesha went to her and said: ‘Are you not ashamed of getting married to the killer of your father?’
Tabaqat Ibn Saad, Volume 8 page 148

Ayesha and Hafsa tried to create rift between Prophet (s) and his wife Zainab by attributing a lie to Him (s)

We read in Sahih Bukhari Volume 6, Book 60, Number 434:

“Narrated ‘Aisha: Allah’s Apostle used to drink honey in the house of Zainab, the daughter of Jahsh, and would stay there with her. So Hafsa and I agreed secretly that, if he come to either of us, she would say to him. “It seems you have eaten Maghafir (a kind of bad-smelling resin), for I smell in you the smell of Maghafir,” (We did so) and he replied. “No, but I was drinking honey in the house of Zainab, the daughter of Jahsh, and I shall never take it again. I have taken an oath as to that, and you should not tell anybody about it”.