Introduction
The Americans bestow respect upon their president, and one way they do this is by extending this respect to his wife, whom they refer to as the First Lady of America. Historically, the British have bestowed respect on the wife of their king. Surely, the respect bestowed upon the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) by the Muslims should far surpass the respect the Americans give to the President, or the British have given to the King.
If the Americans have the decency to respect the First Lady of America, and if the British have the decency to respect the Queen of England, then surely the Muslims should have the decency to respect Aisha (رضّى الله عنها), the First Lady of Islam. All government officials address the First Lady of America with respect; but do we see the Ayatollahs (the officials of the Shia religion) addressing the First Lady of Islam with respect? Instead, they call her a Kaffir [the Imam of Kufr], Fasiq, Munafiqh, Nasibi, and an enemy of Islam.
Insulting or harming the Prophet’s wife (رضّى الله عنها) is insulting and harming the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) himself. Even the man with the least amount of chivalry and self-respect would not allow people to insult his wife, and this includes the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم).
Sunni Imam and Shia Ayatollah
There is the story of a Sunni Imam who gave a speech in front of a Shia mosque. He began the speech by praising the Ayatollah of the Shia mosque and declaring his undying love for him. After this, the Sunni Imam began insulting the Ayatollah’s wife and declared her to be a Kaffir, Fasiq, Munafiqh, Nasibi, and an enemy of Islam.
The Ayatollah rushed outside and began yelling at the Sunni Imam. The Sunni Imam responded, “but I love you, dear Ayatollah!”
To which the Shia Ayatollah responded with, “then why do you insult my wife?”
The Sunni Imam calmly replied: “I love you, but I am against your wife who is an imprudent, inappropriate, and hateful woman.”
The Shia Ayatollah raised his fist in the air and said: “By Allah, if you hate my wife, then you hate me! My wife is my beloved!”
The Sunni Imam said: “She is my enemy. May Allah curse her!”
The Shia Ayatollah was rightfully incensed: “By Allah, I cannot stand for such slander. May Allah curse you! An enemy of my wife is an enemy of me! By Allah, I wish to kill you!”
The Sunni Imam then said: “O Shia, you reject the love of those who hate your wife. So then, why do you think the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) will accept your love for him when you hate his wife and insult her, calling her a Kaffir, Fasiq, Munafiqh, Nasibi, and an enemy of Islam?”
To this, the Shia Ayatollah was left speechless.
Indeed, no man allows others to slander his wife, and the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) is the one with the most Gheerah (protective “jealousy”) in regards to his wives. If the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) heard the things which the Shia say about Aisha (رضّى الله عنها), no doubt the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) would be furious.
Hurting the feelings of the Prophet’s wives (رضّى الله عنهم) is hurting the feelings of the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم). In fact, this methdology of targetting the Prophet’s wives (رضّى الله عنهم) was used by the Munafiqoon (hypocrites) to hurt the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) in the incident of al-Ifk: they insulted Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) in order to insult the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) by extension.
The Quran
The Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) was actually extremely sensitive about his wives, and Allah thus warned the believers about hurting them. His wives were considered so precious that Allah instructed the believers to talk to them from behind a screen and He also forbade anyone from marrying them after the Prophet’s death: “When you ask his wives for something, ask them from behind a screen. That is purer for your hearts and for their hearts. It is not for you to cause injury to the Messenger of Allah, or ever marry his wives after him. To do that would be something dreadful in the sight of Allah.” (Quran 33:53) If the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) was so sensitive about his wives, then we can only guess at what his response would be towards those Ayatollahs alive today who malign them.
A rule of thumb in Islam is that we should treat our brothers like we want ourselves to be treated. Thus, before anyone insults the Prophet’s wife, one should first allow others to insult one’s own wife. If he does not allow others to insult his own wife, then we wonder why he feels so comfortable insulting the wife of the greatest man ever born.
The Quran itself serves as a testament to the fact that Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) and the rest of the Prophet’s wives are righteous Muslims. In fact, the Shariah as expounded through the Quran declares that Muslims are forbidden to marry people who are not righteous. Allah demands in the Quran: “Marry those among you who are single and the righteous ones among yourselves, male or female.” (Quran 24:32) This is a command, in the imperative form of Arabic; even the Shia Ulema forbid their followers from marrying unrighteous women. To say that the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) would go against his own laws and marry a bad and unrighteous woman is undoubtedly Kufr! Ayatollah Khomeini said: “It is forbidden in Islam to marry the Fasiqoon (sinners).” So we ask this Ayatollah: is he accusing the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) of sinning by marrying one of the Fasiqoon?
Allah further declares: “Bad women are for bad men and bad men are for bad women. Good women are for good men and good men are for good women.” (Quran, 24:26) So if the Shia Ayatollahs say that Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) is bad, then this means that the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) is also bad! The Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) is good, so he can only marry those who are good. And the most interesting thing about this verse, 24:26, is that it was revealed in the incident of al-Ifk which was about Aisha (رضّى الله عنها). Hence, there should be absolutely no confusion on the matter of Aisha’s noble character (رضّى الله عنها).
The Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) said: “A man may marry [a woman] for four reasons: for her property, for her rank, for her beauty, or for her religion (and character). So marry the one who is best in the religion and character and [you will] prosper, or else you will be a loser.” If the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) did not even fulfill his own advice and if he married a woman of bad religion and bad character, then by his own words he would be a loser! We seek Allah’s Mercy from such slander. Surely the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) only married righteous women, and Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) was righteous.
Allah further says: “They (wives) are like garments for you, and you are like garments for them.” (Quran, 2:187) In the Tafseer, both Sunni and Shia Ulema say that this means that husbands should hide the faults of their wives, and vice/versa. Hence, the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) was a covering for Aisha (رضّى الله عنها), protecting her from slander and insults. Indeed, if the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) were alive today, he would defend Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) and refute the malicious lies levied against her. In fact, Allah commands the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) to be a protector and maintainer of his wives: “Men are the protectors and maintainers of women.” (Quran, 3:34)
The Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) loved his wife Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) dearly. How can the Shia deny this when Allah declares in the Quran: “And of His Signs is this: He created for you mates from yourself that you might find rest in them, and He ordained between you love and mercy.” (Quran 30:21) Every Muslim man is commanded to love his wife, and even the disbelievers love their wives! How can we face the Islam-haters and defend our Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) in front of them if they say that the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) did not even love his own wife? What kind of a man except a cold-blooded wretch does not love his own wife? By Allah, the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) loved Aisha (رضّى الله عنها), and if he loved her, then we should love her too.
Aisha (رضّى الله عنها) is of the Ahlel Bayt; she is the First Lady of Islam, the Queen of our hearts, the Mother of the Believers, and the beloved of Allah’s Beloved.
Article Written By: Ibn al-Hashimi, www.ahlelbayt.com
