The Quran mandates that there must be four witnesses to an adulterous act before anyone can be condemned for adultery:
The woman and the man guilty of illegal sexual intercourse, flog each of them with a hundred stripes. Let not pity withhold you in their case, in a punishment prescribed by Allah, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day. And let a party of the believers witness their punishment. (This punishment is for unmarried persons guilty of the above crime but if married persons commit it, the punishment is to stone them to death, according to Allah’s Law). The adulterer marries not but an adulteress or a Mushrikah and the adulteress none marries her except an adulterer or a Muskrik [and that means that the man who agrees to marry (have a sexual relation with) a Mushrikah (female polytheist, pagan or idolatress) or a prostitute, then surely he is either an adulterer, or a Mushrik (polytheist, pagan or idolater, etc.) And the woman who agrees to marry (have a sexual relation with) a Mushrik (polytheist, pagan or idolater) or an adulterer, then she is either a prostitute or a Mushrikah (female polytheist, pagan, or idolatress, etc.)]. Such a thing is forbidden to the believers (of Islamic Monotheism). And those who accuse chaste women, and produce not four witnesses, flog them with eighty stripes, and reject their testimony forever, they indeed are the Fasiqun (liars, rebellious, disobedient to Allah). Except those who repent thereafter and do righteous deeds, (for such) verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
And for those who accuse their wives, but have no witnesses except themselves, let the testimony of one of them be four testimonies (i.e. testifies four times) by Allah that he is one of those who speak the truth. And the fifth (testimony) (should be) the invoking of the Curse of Allah on him if he be of those who tell a lie (against her). But it shall avert the punishment (of stoning to death) from her, if she bears witness four times by Allah, that he (her husband) is telling a lie. And the fifth (testimony) should be that the Wrath of Allah be upon her if he (her husband) speaks the truth. And had it not been for the Grace of Allah and His Mercy on you (He would have hastened the punishment upon you)! And that Allah is the One Who accepts repentance, the All-Wise. Verily! Those who brought forth the slander (against ‘Aishah the wife of the Prophet) are a group among you. Consider it not a bad thing for you. Nay, it is good for you. Unto every man among them will be paid that which he had earned of the sin, and as for him among them who had the greater share therein, his will be a great torment. Why then, did not the believers, men and women, when you heard it (the slander) think good of their own people and say: “This (charge) is an obvious lie?” Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they (the slanderers) have not produced witnesses! Then with Allah they are the liars. S. 24:2-12
The ahadith record Muhammad specifically telling a man that if he catches his wife with someone else he must then immediately rush out to get four witnesses before he can do something or accuse his spouse of adultery!
19 The Book of Invoking Curses
Abu Huraira reported that Sa’d b. Ubada said:
Messenger of Allah, if I were to find with my wife a man, should I wait until I bring four witnesses? He said: Yes.
Reference: Sahih Muslim 1498b
In-book reference: Book 19, Hadith 20
USC-MSA web (English) reference (deprecated numbering scheme): Book 9, Hadith 3570 (sunnah.com https://sunnah.com/muslim:1498b; emphasis mine)
19 The Book of Invoking Curses
Abu Huraira reported that Sa’d b. Ubada said: Messenger of Allah, if I were to find with my wife a man, should I not touch him before bringing four witnesses? Allah’s Messenger said: Yes. He said: By no means. By Him Who has sent you with the Truth, I would hasten with my sword to him before that. Allah’s Messenger said: Listen to what your chief says. He is jealous of his honour, I am more jealous than he (is) and God is more jealous than I.
Reference: Sahih Muslim 1498c
In-book reference: Book 19, Hadith 21
USC-MSA web (English) reference (deprecated numbering scheme): Book 9, Hadith 3571 (sunnah.com https://sunnah.com/muslim:1498c; emphasis mine)
13 Marriage
(14a) Chapter: Invoking Curses – Section 1
Abu Huraira told that Sa’d b. ‘Ubada asked, “If I were to find a man with my wife, should I not touch him before bringing four witnesses?” Then when God’s Messenger replied that that was so, he said, “By no means. I swear by Him who has sent you with the truth that I would take my sword to him before that.” God’s Messenger said, “Listen to what your chief says. He is jealous of his honour, but I am more jealous than he is and God is more jealous than I am.”
Muslim transmitted it.
Reference: Mishkat al-Masabih 3308
In-book reference: Book 13, Hadith 222 (sunnah.com https://sunnah.com/mishkat:3308; emphasis mine)
41 Types of Blood-Wit (Kitab Al-Diyat)
(1655) Chapter: If A Man Finds A Man With His Wife, Should He Kill Him?
Narrated Abu Hurairah: That Sa’d b. ‘Ubadah said to the Messenger of Allah: What do you think if I find with my wife a man; should I give him some time until I bring four witnesses?” He said: “Yes“.
Grade: Sahih (Al-Albani)
Reference: Sunan Abi Dawud 4533
In-book reference: Book 41, Hadith 40
English translation: Book 40, Hadith 4518 (sunnah.com https://sunnah.com/abudawud:4533; emphasis mine)
Muwatta Malik
36 Judgements
Yahya related to me from Malik from Suhayl ibn Abi Salih as- Samman from his father from Abu Hurayra that Sad ibn Ubada said to the Messenger of Allah, “What do you think if I find a man with my wife? Shall I grant him a respite until I bring four witnesses?” The Messenger of Allah, “Yes.”
USC-MSA web (English) reference: Book 36, Hadith 17
Arabic reference: Book 36, Hadith 1421 (sunnah.com https://sunnah.com/urn/514200; emphasis mine)
Muwatta Malik
41 Hudud
Malik related to me from Suhayl ibn Abi Salih from his father from Abu Hurayra that Sad ibn Ubada said to the Messenger of Allah, “What do you think I should do if I were to find a man with my wife? Should I leave him there until I had brought four witnesses?” The Messenger of Allah, said, “Yes.”
USC-MSA web (English) reference: Book 41, Hadith 7
Arabic reference: Book 41, Hadith 1509 (sunnah.com https://sunnah.com/urn/515080; emphasis mine)
To add insult to injury, Islamic jurisprudence demands that all four witnesses must actually see the man’s penis entering or penetrating the woman’s vagina!
Witnessing of illicit sex acts
Fatwa No: 89034
Fatwa Date:9-12-2004 – Shawwaal 27, 1425
Question
I read that for proving a case of fornication or adultery, at least four witnesses should have seen the very act of sexual intercourse. Is it true? Is that practically possible for 4 people to watch the sexual intercourse? Is the stoning to death still practiced in Saudi Arabia?
Answer…
Since fornication and adultery are of the greatest matters and abominable acts, Islam has legislated a deterring punishment for whoever is convicted to have committed these sins. Since Islam is keen on preserving peace in the society and protecting the honour and dignity of the individual, it set some conditions to prove fornication and adultery so that innocent people would not be falsely accused of what they had not committed. For instance, for fornication and adultery to be proven, four witnesses have to have witnessed the act and their testimony would not be accepted unless each one testified that he had seen the male sexual organ inside the vagina of the woman, because it could be that he shared the bed with her without having committed any sex act with her. There is no doubt that it is very difficult to prove fornication and adultery in this way, but it is not impossible. The purpose of this condition is, as we have stated, to protect the honour and dignity of the Muslims.
Allaah knows best. (Islamweb.net https://www.islamweb.net/en/fatwa/89034/witnessing-of-illicit-sex-acts; emphasis mine)
WHAT ABOUT FEMALE WITNESSES?
A problem immediately arises when we keep in mind that the Quran states that a woman’s testimony is only half that of a man’s, which is why two females are required to equal the testimony of one male:
“… And get two witnesses out of your own men. And if there are not two men (available), then a man and two women, such as you agree for witnesses, so that if one of them (two women) errs, the other can remind her. And the witnesses should not refuse when they are called on (for evidence)…” S. 2:282 Hilali-Khan
Muhammad explained why the witness of two women is equal to that of a single male:
Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri:
The Prophet said, “Isn’t the witness of a woman equal to half of that of a man?” The women said, “Yes.” He said, “THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE DEFICIENCY OF A WOMAN’S MIND.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 48, Number 826 http://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=48&translator=1&start=0&number=826)
This teaching of women being stupid and less intelligent than men is found all throughout the Islamic corpus:
According to Yunus – Ibn Wahb – Ibn Zayd (commenting on God’s word: “And he whispered”): Satan whispered to Eve about the tree and succeeded in taking her to it; then he made it seem good to Adam. He continued. When Adam felt a need for her and called her, she said: No! unless you go there. When he went, she said again: No! unless you eat from this tree. He continued. They both ate from it, and their secret parts became apparent to them. He continued. Adam then went about in Paradise in flight. His Lord called out to him: Adam, is it from Me that you are fleeing? Adam replied: No, my Lord, but I feel shame before You. When God asked what had caused his trouble, he replied: Eve, my Lord. Whereupon God said: Now it is My obligation to make her bleed once every month, as she made this tree bleed. I ALSO MAKE HER STUPID, although I had created her intelligent (halimah), and must make her suffer pregnancy and birth with difficulty, although I made it easy for her to be pregnant and give birth. Ibn Zayd said: Were it not for the affliction that affected Eve, the women of this world would not menstruate, AND THEY WOULD BE INTELLIGENT and, when pregnant, give birth easily. (The History of Al-Tabari: General Introduction and From the Creation to the Flood, translated by Franz Rosenthal [State University of New York Press (SUNY), Albany 1989], Volume 1, pp. 280-281; bold and capital emphasis mine)
“… And summon to bear witness, the debt, two witnesses, men, mature Muslim free men; or if the two, witnesses, be not men, then one man and two women, to bear witness, such witnesses as you approve of, on account of their piety and probity; the number of women is because of the fact, so that if one of the two women errs, forgets the testimony, GIVEN THEIR LESSER ASTUTENESS AND ACCURACY; the other, the one remembering, will remind her (read fa-tudhakkira or fa-tudhkira), the one that has forgotten — the ‘reminding’ clause is the reason [for the choice of two women], that is to say, so that she may be reminded if she errs or strays into error, because this [forgetfulness] is the cause of it (a variant reading [for an, ‘that’] has the conditional in, ‘if’, with [the verb inflected as] tudhakkiru, ‘she will remind’, making it a new sentence, the response to which [follows])…” (Tafsir al-Jalalayn, Q. 2:282 http://altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=2&tAyahNo=282&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2; bold and capital emphasis mine)
Men are in charge of, they have authority over, women, disciplining them and keeping them in check, because of that with which God has preferred the one over the other, that is, because God has given them the advantage over women, IN KNOWLEDGE, REASON, authority and otherwise, and because of what they expend, on them [the women], of their property…” (Ibid., Q. 4:34 http://altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=4&tAyahNo=34&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2; bold and capital emphasis mine)
(And if there are not two men (available), then a man and two women) this requirement is only for contracts that directly or indirectly involve money. Allah requires that two women take the place of one man as witness, because of the woman’s shortcomings, as the Prophet described. Muslim recorded in his Sahih that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said…
<<O women! Give away charity and ask for forgiveness, for I saw that you comprise the majority of the people of the Fire.>>
One eloquent woman said, “O Messenger of Allah! Why do we comprise the majority of the people of the Fire?” He said…
<<You curse a lot and you do not appreciate your mate. I have never seen those who have shortcoming in mind and religion controlling those who have sound minds, other than you.>> She said, “O Messenger of Allah! What is this shortcoming in mind and religion?” He said…
<<As for the shortcoming in her mind, the testimony of two women equals the testimony of one man, and this is the shortcoming in the mind. As for the shortcoming in the religion, woman remains for nights at a time when she does not pray and breaks the fast in Ramadan.>>
Allah’s statement…
(such as you agree for witnesses) requires competency in the witnesses. Further, Allah’s statement…
(so that if one of them errs) refers to the two women witnesses; whenever one of them forgets a part of the testimony…
(the other can remind her) meaning, the other woman’s testimony mends the shortcoming of forgetfulness in the first woman.
Allah’s statement…
(And the witnesses should not refuse when they are called) means, when people are called to be witnesses, they should agree, as Qatadah and Ar-Rabi` bin Anas stated. Similarly, Allah said…
(Let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah has taught him)…
<<As for the shortcoming in her mind, the testimony of two women equals the testimony of one man, and this is the shortcoming in the mind. As for the shortcoming in the religion, woman remains for nights at a time when she does not pray and breaks the fast in Ramadan.>> (Tafsir Ibn Kathir https://www.alim.org/quran/tafsir/ibn-kathir/surah/2/282/; emphasis mine)
THE DILEMMA
The foregoing indicates that, in the case of female witnesses, it would take twice the number of men to confirm that adultery has taken place, and only in the case of their literally seeing the penis actually disappearing into the vagina!
Note all the possible scenarios if women are included in the list of witnesses:
- Eight females in case there are no males.
- One male and six females.
- Two males and four females.
- Three males and two females.
It goes without saying that this is utterly degrading and dishonoring to women.
THE REASON WHY MUHAMMAD DEMANDED FOUR WITNESSES
What the readers may not realize is that the demand for four male witnesses was “sent down” to vindicate Muhammad’s childbride from the charge of adultery.
The Islamic sources claim that Aisha was accused of committing adultery with a Muslim man named Safwan bin al-Mu`attal. When Muhammad was unable to prove her innocence (since he too had doubts about her fidelity) and his followers almost came to blows over this issue, he then conveniently came up with the stipulations found in Surah 24.
Here is what Ibn Kathir wrote:
Al-Ifk (the Slander)
The next ten Ayat were all revealed concerning `A’ishah, the mother of the believers when the people of slander and falsehood among the hypocrites made their accusations against her and spread lies about her. Allah became jealous on her behalf and on behalf of His Prophet, and revealed her innocence to protect the honor of the Messenger of Allah. He said…
(Verily, those who brought forth the slander are a group among you) meaning they were not one or two, but a group. Foremost among this group was `Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul, the leader of the hypocrites, who fabricated the lie and whispered it to others, until some of the Muslims started to believe it, and others thought it might be possible and began to talk about it. This is how matters remained for almost a month, until Qur’an was revealed. This is reported in Sahih Hadiths. Imam Ahmad recorded that Az-Zuhri said: Sa`id bin Al-Musayyib, `Urwah bin Az-Zubayr, `Alqamah bin Waqqas and `Ubaydullah bin `Abdullah bin `Utbah bin Mas`ud told me about the story of `A’ishah, the wife of the Prophet, when the people of the slander said what they said about her, and Allah declared her innocence. Each of them told something about the story, and some of them knew more details than others or had memorized more than others. I learned the story from each of them, who had heard it from `A’ishah herself, and what one told me confirmed what the others said. They mentioned that `A’ishah the wife of the Prophet, said: “When the Messenger of Allah wanted to go on a journey, he would cast lots among his wives, and the one whose lot was drawn would go with him.”
`A’ishah said: “So he drew lots among us with regard to a campaign he was going out on, and mine was drawn, so I went out with the Messenger of Allah. This was after the commandment of Hijab had been revealed, so I traveled in my howdah and stayed in it when we camped. We traveled until the Messenger of Allah completed his campaign, then we returned. As we were approaching Al-Madinah, we paused for a while, then they announced that the journey was to be resumed. When I heard this, I walked quickly away from the army to answer the call of nature, then I came back to my howdah. Then I put my hand to my chest and noticed that a necklace of mine that was made of onyx and cornelian had broken, so I went back and looked for it, and was delayed because of that. In the meantime, the people who used to lift my howdah onto my camel came along and put it on the camel, thinking that I was inside. In those times women were more slender and not so heavy, they only ate mouthfuls of food. So the people did not think anything of the howdah being so light when they lifted it up, as I was a young woman. They set off, and I found my necklace after the army had moved on.
“Then I came back to the place where we had stopped, and I saw no one to call or answer. So I went to the place where I had been, thinking that the people would miss me and come back for me. While I was sitting there, I fell asleep. Safwan bin Al-Mu`attal As-Sulami Adh-Dhakwani had rested during the night behind the army. Then he set out just before daybreak and reached the place where I was in the morning, where he saw the outline of a person sleeping. He came to me and recognized me when he saw me, as he had seen me before Hijab was made obligatory for me. When he saw me and said `Truly, to Allah we belong, and truly, to Him we shall return.’ I woke up, and covered my face with my Jilbab (outer garment). By Allah, he did not speak a word to me and I did not hear him say anything except, `Truly, to Allah we belong, and truly, to Him we shall return,’ until he brought his camel and made it kneel so that I could ride upon it, then he set out leading the camel until we caught up with the army at Zuhr time.
“There are people who are doomed because of what happened to me, and the one who had the greater share therein was `Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul. When we came back to Al-Madinah, I was ill for a month, and the people were talking about what the people of the slander were saying, and I knew nothing about it. What upset me when I was ill was that I did not see the kindness I used to see on the part of the Messenger of Allah. When I was ill; he would just come in and say…
<<How is that (lady?>> That is what upset me. I did not feel that there was anything wrong until I went out after I felt better, and Umm Mistah went out with me, walking towards Al-Manasi`, which is where we used to go to relieve ourselves, and we would not go out for that purpose except at night. This was before we had lavatories close to our houses; our habit was similar to that of the early Arabs in that we went out into the deserts to relieve ourselves, because we considered it troublesome and harmful to have lavatories in our houses. So I went out with Umm Mistah, who was the daughter of Abu Ruhm bin Al-Muttalib bin `Abd Manaf, and her mother was the daughter of Sakhr bin `Amir, the paternal aunt of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq. Her son was Mistah bin Uthathah bin `Abbad bin Al-Muttalib. When we finished what we had to do, the daughter of Abu Ruhm Umm Mistah and I came back towards my house. Umm Mistah stumbled over her apron and said, `May Mistah be ruined!’ I said to her, `What a bad thing you have said! Are you abusing a man who was present at Badr?’ She said, `Good grief, have you not heard what he said?’ I said, `What did he say?’ So she told me what the people of the slander were saying, which made me even more ill. When I returned home, the Messenger of Allah came in to me and greeted me, then he said…
<<How is that (lady?>> I said to him, `Will you give me permission to go to my parents?’ At that time I wanted to confirm the news by hearing it from them. The Messenger of Allah gave me permission, so I went to my parents and asked my mother, `O my mother, what are the people talking about?’ My mother said, `Calm down, for by Allah, there is no beautiful woman who is loved by her husband and has co-wives but those co-wives would find fault with her.’ I said, `Subhan Allah! Are the people really talking about that?’ I wept throughout the whole night until morning. My tears never ceased and I did not sleep at all, and morning came while I was still weeping. Because the revelation had ceased, the Messenger of Allah called `Ali bin Abi Talib and Usamah bin Zayd, and consulted with them about divorcing his wife. As for Usamah bin Zayd, he told the Messenger of Allah about what he knew of his wife’s innocence and his fondness for her. He said, `O Messenger of Allah, she is your wife, and we do not know anything about her but good.’ But `Ali bin Abi Talib said, `O Messenger of Allah, Allah has not imposed restrictions on you, and there are plenty of other women besides her. If you ask her servant girl, she will tell you the truth.’ So the Messenger of Allah called Barirah and said…
<<O Barirah, have you ever seen anything that might make you suspicious about `A’ishah?>> Barirah said to him, `By the One Who sent you with the truth, I have never seen anything for which I could blame her, apart from the fact that she is a young girl who sometimes falls asleep and leaves her family’s dough unprotected so that the domestic goats come and eat it.’ So then the Messenger of Allah got up and (addressed the people) and asked who could sort out `Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul for him. While he was standing on the Minbar, the Messenger of Allah said…
<<O Muslims, who will help me against a man who has hurt me by slandering my family? By Allah, I know nothing about my family but good, and the people are blaming a man of whom I know nothing except good, and he has never entered upon my family except with me.>>
“Sa`d bin Mu`adh Al-Ansari stood up and said, `O Messenger of Allah, by Allah I will deal with him for you. If he is from (the tribe of) Al-Aws, then I will cut off his head, and if he is from our brothers of (the tribe of) Al-Khazraj, tell us what to do and we will do it.’ Then Sa`d bin `Ubadah stood up. He was the leader of Al-Khazraj, and he was a righteous man, but he was overwhelmed with tribal chauvinism. He said to Sa`d bin Mu`adh, `By Allah, you will not kill him and you will never be able to kill him.’ Then Usayd bin Hudayr, who was the cousin of Sa`d bin Mu`adh, stood up and said to Sa`d bin `Ubadah, `You are lying! By Allah, we will kill him, and you are a hypocrite arguing on behalf of the hypocrites!’ Then the two groups, Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj, started to get angry and were about to come to blows, with the Messenger of Allah standing there on the Minbar, trying to calm them down until they became quiet, then the Messenger of Allah also fell silent. On that day I kept on weeping so much, my tears never ceased and I did not sleep at all.
“My parents thought that my liver would burst from all that weeping. While they were sitting with me and I was weeping, a woman of the Ansar asked for permission to see me. I let her in, and she sat and wept with me. While we were in that state, the Messenger of Allah came in, greeted us and sat down. He had never sat with me since the rumors began, and a month had passed by without any revelation coming to him concerning my case. The Messenger of Allah recited the Tashahhud when he sat down, then he said…
<<Thereafter, O `A’ishah, I have been told such and such a thing about you, and if you are innocent, then Allah will reveal your innocence, but if you have committed a sin, then seek Allah’s forgiveness and turn in repentance to Him, for when a servant confesses his sin and repents to Allah, He accepts his repentance.>>
“When the Messenger of Allah finished what he had to say, my tears stopped completely and I not longer felt even one drop. Then I said to my father, `Answer the Messenger of Allah on my behalf.’ He said, `I do not know what I should say to the Messenger of Allah.’ So I said to my mother, `Answer the Messenger of Allah on my behalf.’ She said, `I do not know what I should say to the Messenger of Allah.’ So even though I was just a young girl who had not memorized much of the Qur’an, I said: `By Allah, I know that you have heard so much of this story that it has become planted in your minds and you believe it. So now if I tell you that I am innocent — and Allah knows that I am innocent — you will not believe me; but if I admit something to you — and Allah knows that I am innocent — you will believe me. By Allah, I cannot find any example to give you except for that which the Prophet Yusuf’s father said…
(So (for me) patience is most fitting. And it is Allah Whose help can be sought against that (lie) which you describe) (12:18). Then I turned my face away and lay down on my bed. By Allah, at that point I knew I was innocent and that Allah would prove my innocence because I was innocent, but by Allah, I did not think that Allah would reveal Qur’an that would be forever recited concerning my situation, because I thought of myself as too insignificant for Allah to reveal anything concerning me. But I hoped that the Messenger of Allah would see a dream in which Allah would prove my innocence. By Allah, the Messenger of Allah did not move from where he was sitting and no one left the house before Allah sent down revelation to His Prophet, and he was overtaken by the state that always overtook him when the revelation came upon him, until drops of sweat like pearls would run down him, even on a winter’s day; this was because of the heaviness of the words which were being revealed to him. When that state passed — and the Messenger of Allah was smiling — the first thing he said was…
<<Be glad O `A’ishah, Allah has declared your innocence.>> My mother said to me, `Get up and go to him.’ I said, `By Allah, I will not go to him and I will not give praise to anyone except Allah, may He be glorified, for He is the One Who has proven my innocence.’ So Allah revealed:
(Verily, those who brought forth the slander are a group among you.), until the ten Ayat. Allah revealed these Ayat concerning my innocence. Abu Bakr who used to spend on Mistah bin Uthathah because he was a close relative and because he was poor, said, `By Allah, I will never spend anything on him again after what he has said about `A’ishah.’ Then Allah revealed…
(And let not those among you who are blessed with graces and wealth swear not to give to their kinsmen.) until His saying…
(Do you not love that Allah should forgive you And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful) (24:22). So Abu Bakr said, `By Allah, certainly I love that Allah should forgive me.’ So he resumed spending on Mistah as he had spent on him before, and he said, `By Allah, I shall never stop spending on him.’ The Messenger of Allah asked Zaynab bint Jahsh about my situation, and said…
<<O Zaynab, what do you know and what have you seen?>> She said, `O Messenger of Allah, may Allah protect my hearing and my sight. By Allah, I know nothing but good.’ She is the one who used to compete with me among the wives of the Prophet, but Allah protected her (from telling lies) because of her piety. But her sister Hamnah bint Jahsh kept on fighting on her behalf, so she was doomed along with those who were doomed.”
Ibn Shihab said, “This is as much as we know about this group of people.” It was also by Al-Bukhari and Muslim in their Sahihs from the Hadith of Az-Zuhri, and by Ibn Ishaq also from Az-Zuhri. He also said: “Yahya bin `Abbad bin `Abdullah bin Az-Zubayr told me from his father, from `A’ishah and `Abdullah bin Abi Bakr bin Muhammad bin `Amr bin Hazm Al-Ansari told me from `Amrah, from `A’ishah, (a report) similar to that quoted above. And Allah knows best. Allah’s saying…
(Verily, those who brought forth the slander) means, the lies, falsehood and fabrications…
(are a group) means, a gang among you…
(Consider it not a bad thing for you.) O family of Abu Bakr…
(Nay, it is good for you.) means, in this world and the Hereafter, honorable mention in this world and raised status in the Hereafter. Allah demonstrated the esteem with which He regarded the family of Abu Bakr when He defended `A’ishah the Mother of the believers by revealing her innocence in the Qur’an…
(Falsehood cannot come to it from before it or behind it. ..) (41:42). Ibn `Abbas entered upon her when she was dying, he said to her, “Rejoice, for you are the wife of the Messenger of Allah and he used to love you; he did not marry any virgin other than you, and your innocence was revealed from heaven.”
(Unto every man among them will be paid that which he had earned of the sin,) means, each of those who spoke about this matter and accused the Mother of the believers `A’ishah of any immoral action, will have a great share of punishment…
(and as for him among them who had the greater share therein,) It was said that this referred to the one who initiated the rumors, or that it was the one who collected rumors and spread them among the people…
(his will be a great torment.) means, for that. He was `Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul, may Allah disfigure him and curse him. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Q. 24:11 https://www.alim.org/quran/tafsir/ibn-kathir/surah/24/11/; capital emphasis mine)
We, thus, have another example of convenient “revelation” that Muhammad concocted to bail out his premature, prepubescent spouse from the charge of adultery. As a result, Muslims must now suffer the injustice of needing four male witnesses to confirm whether their partners have been unfaithful to them by committing adultery.
NOT ALL ADULTERY IS PROHIBITED
As if Islam’s immorality and perversion of justice couldn’t get any worse, Muhammad’s deity permitted certain types of adultery by allowing his jihadis to rape married women whom they had taken as war booty!
Also (forbidden are) women already married, except those (captives and slaves) whom your right hands possess. Thus has Allah ordained for you. All others are lawful, provided you seek (them in marriage) with Mahr (bridal money given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage) from your property, desiring chastity, not committing illegal sexual intercourse, so with those of whom you have enjoyed sexual relations, give them their Mahr as prescribed; but if after a Mahr is prescribed, you agree mutually (to give more), there is no sin on you. Surely, Allah is Ever All-Knowing, All-Wise. S. 4:24 Hilali-Khan
Note the reason given in the hadiths and commentators or the “revelation” of this verse:
Abu Said al-Khudri said: The apostle of Allah sent a military expedition to Awtas on the occasion of the battle of Hunain. They met their enemy and fought with them. They defeated them and took them captives. Some of the Companions of the Apostle of Allah were reluctant to have intercourse with the female captives in the presence of their husbands who were unbelievers. So Allah, the Exalted, sent down the Quranic verse, ‘And all married women (are forbidden) unto you save those (captives) whom your right hands possess’. That is to say, they are lawful for them when they complete their waiting period.
Grade: SAHIH (Al-Albani) (Sunan Abu Dawud, Volume 2, Number 2150 https://sunnah.com/abudawud/12/110; emphasis mine)
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri that he said: We got female captives from Awtas who had husbands. It seemed that some of the companions of the Messenger of Allah felt it difficult upon themselves to have sexual relations with them on account of their husbands are from the infidels. We asked The Messenger of Allah about that thereupon Aallah revealed (what means): {Also (forbidden for marriage) are the married women, except those whom your right hand possess}. By this, they became lawful for us (once the term of their ‘iddah elapsed). [Abu Dawud; At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa’i]
It is narrated on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas that he said: When it was the day of Hunayn (battle) and Allah Almighty helped the Muslims conquer Hunayn, the Muslims got female captives from the people of the Scripture. If a man liked to have sexual intercourse with any woman (of them whom his right hand possessed) SHE WOULD SAY TO HIM: “I HAVE A HUSBAND”. The Messenger of Allah was asked about that, thereupon Allah revealed this Qur’anic Verse. [Al-Tabarani] (Jalal Al-Din Al-Suyuti, Reasons and Occasions of Revelation of the Holy Qur’an (Lubab An-Nuqul Fi Asbab An-Nuzul), translated by Dr. Muhammad Mahdi Al-Sharif [Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut 2015], pp. 101-102; capital emphasis mine)
And forbidden to you are wedded women those with spouses that you should marry them before they have left their spouses be they Muslim free women or not; save what your right hands own of captured slave girls whom you may have sexual intercourse with even if they should have spouses among the enemy camp but only after they have been absolved of the possibility of pregnancy after the completion of one menstrual cycle… (Tafsir al-Jalalayn https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=4&tAyahNo=24&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2; bold emphasis mine)
Instead of telling his murdering thugs that they were right for feeling uncomfortable about having sex with captives whose husbands were still alive, Muhammad and his suck puppet god encouraged this grossly immoral and perverted act by permitting Muslim men to rape any and all married women whom they had enslaved.
These evil commands truly originate from the pit of hell, being inspired by Satan himself, since they could never be from an all pure, all holy, and perfectly just God.
FURTHER READING
Did Muhammad Teach that Women are Stupid and Inferior to Men?
JALAL PROVES THAT MUHAMMAD WAS A PROSTITUTING ADULTERER!
Muhammad the Sinful Transgressor Revisited
The Prophet of Sensuality and Inconsistency
MARY THE COPT: MUHAMMAD’S SEX SLAVE
Allah Abdul-Muhammad (“Slave of Muhammad”) Pt. 2
Muhammad’s Inconsistency (in making laws binding upon the Muslim community but granting exceptions to himself)
Answering Islam Blog 