Date: 15 Jan 1999.
Location: Xian Sheng’s house, Taman Melawati
Table of Contents
(A) Who was Prophet Muhammad’s favourite wife?
Xian Sheng asked the followers whether they knew the name of Nabi (Prophet) Muhammad’s favourite wife and her ordinal position in listings.
Brother Lim Leo Chee mentioned Aisha, and Brother Woo Kwai Moon mentioned No. 6. (Aisha bint Abi Bakr is actually third in almost all listings.)
He then inquired about the total number of wives. Some sources suggested there were thirteen wives. (The status of Rayhana bint Zayd and Maria al-Qibtiyya is debated, as they are sometimes regarded as concubines.)
Xian Sheng asked why, if Aisha was Prophet Muhammad’s favourite wife, he had subsequent wives. He considered this an interesting topic for discussion.
Since they were already familiar with the name of Prophet Muhammad’s favourite wife, he asked for their reasons why they believed Aisha became his favourite.
Xian Sheng asked them to guess why Aisha was the favourite wife. Their guesses included:
Aisha was more beautiful,
She was a spinster,
She understood him better than the others,
She got along well with him,
She was the youngest of the lot.
Regarding the guess that Aisha understood Prophet Muhammad better, Xian Sheng quoted, “It takes a woman to understand a man.”
Xian Sheng stated that Prophet Muhammad had twelve wives. He expressed satisfaction that some individuals present knew all their names.
Despite this, he wanted more opinions on why Aisha was regarded as the favourite wife and requested further suggestions. Subsequent guesses included:
Aisha’s obedience,
Her faithfulness,
Her skill in entertaining him.
One person guessed that Aisha was a good cook, leading Xian Sheng to remark, “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
(B) Can Xian Sheng have more than two wives?
Xian Sheng mentioned that he found it interesting to read about a Prophet of GOD. He then referred to Chapter 31 of Muhammad H. Haykal’s book, The Life of Muhammad.
Xian Sheng clarified that in Islam, a man is permitted to have up to four wives at once, provided he treats them all with equal fairness and justice.
However, Prophet Muhammad could have more than four wives. In fact, he had twelve.
Based on this understanding, Xian Sheng joked, “So, I can also have more.”
However, the male followers could only have two. (This is based on the 9th Spiritual Guidelines on Sexual Relationships, which states that monogamy is the best, but permits one mistress.) Since the male followers could have two, he joked that he could have more than two.
He reasoned that because Prophet Muhammad permitted Muslims four wives while allowing himself more, Xian Sheng’s allowance of two for Baitiangong followers naturally implied a similar privilege for himself to have more.
Xian Sheng then read aloud Chapter 31: The Prophet’s Burial.
“Muslim Shock at the News of Death.“
“It was therefore in ‘A’ishah’s quarters, while his head lay in her lap, that the Prophet – may GOD’s peace and blessing be upon him – chose the company of GOD on high.”
“When this happened, A’ishah laid his head down on a pillow and joined the other women of the house who rushed to her upon hearing the news and began to cry in bereavement and sorrow.”
“The Muslims at the mosque were taken by surprise by the sudden noise.”
“In the morning, they had seen the prophet and were convinced his health was improving so much that Abu Bakr, it will be remembered, sought permission to go and visit his wife at a place at al Sunh.”
Xian Sheng spelt the location: A-L-S-U-N-H.
He explained that Abu Bakr took leave from Prophet Muhammad because he was convinced that Prophet Muhammad was getting well.
He then asked, “So what happened?”
Instead of getting well, Prophet Muhammad died in the lap of Aisha.
Xian Sheng posited that Prophet Muhammad died on Aisha’s lap was probably the reason for the speculation that Aisha was his favourite wife.
He went on to explain that Aisha removed the Prophet’s head from her lap and placed it on a pillow. He restated that this action was probably the actual reason that fueled the speculation.
Xian Sheng explained that in Islam, Muslim husbands have to treat all their wives equally and fairly. Therefore, Prophet Muhammad could ill afford to have a favourite wife, as favouritism is forbidden.
He reemphasised that since Prophet Muhammad died on Aisha’s lap, that was the only reason the Islamic writers could think of to make that speculation. Additionally, she was his primary caregiver during his illness. (The Prophet had requested to stop the rotating schedule among his wives, spending his final days permanently in Aisha’s house.)
(C) You must never swear in GOD’s name.
Xian Sheng questioned whether the early Muslims could believe that their Prophet had passed away. He urged the followers to explore, listen, and learn about this subject.
He read the next section, entitled “‘Umar Denies the News”:
“Upon hearing the news and hardly believing it, ‘Umar returned quickly to the Prophet’s quarters.” Xian Sheng emphasised that ‘Umar could hardly believe Prophet Muhammad had passed away.
“Upon arrival, he went straight to Muhammad’s bed, uncovered it, and looked at his face for a while. He perceived its motionlessness and deathlike appearance as a coma from which he believed Muhammad would soon emerge.”
“Al Mughirah tried in vain to convince ‘Umar of the painful fact. ‘Umar, however, continued to believe firmly that Muhammad did not die. When al Mughirah insisted, ‘Umar said to him in anger, “You lie.”
Xian Sheng explained that Al Mughirah—a prominent companion of Prophet Muhammad and a shrewd politician—attempted to convince ‘Umar of Muhammad’s death. ‘Umar, however, cautioned him against proclaiming it.
“The two went to the mosque together while ‘Umar was proclaiming at the top of his voice, “Some hypocrites are pretending that the Prophet of GOD—May GOD’s peace and blessing be upon him—has died.”
Umar stated, “By GOD, I swear.” Xian Sheng paused in his reading and instructed the followers to remember his words: “You must never swear in GOD’s name.”
“By GOD I swear that he did not die; that he has gone to join his Lord, just as Moses went before. Moses absented himself from his people fourteen consecutive nights and returned to them after they had declared him dead. By GOD, the Prophet of GOD will return just as Moses returned.”
“Any man who dares to perpetrate a false rumour such as Muhammad’s death shall have his arms and legs cut off by this hand.”
Following ‘Umar’s threats to cut off the arms and legs of anyone proclaiming Muhammad’s death, Xian Sheng stated that no one would dare voice such a claim.
“At the mosque, the Muslims heard these proclamations from ‘Umar—they were shocked and stupefied. If Muhammad truly died, woe unto all those who saw him and heard him, who believed in him and in the GOD WHO sent him a conveyor of true guidance and religion.”
“Their bereavement would be so great that their hearts and minds would break asunder. If, on the other hand, it were true that Muhammad had not died but had gone to join his Lord, as ‘Umar claimed, that was reason for an even greater shock. The Muslims should then await his return which, like that of Moses, would be all the more reason for wonder.”
“The Muslim crowds sat around ‘Umar and listened to him, inclined as they were to agree with him that the Prophet of GOD did not die. At any rate, they could not associate death with the man whom they had beheld in person only a few hours before and whose clear and resonant voice they had heard pray and invoke GOD’s mercy and blessing.”
“Moreover, they could not convince themselves that the friend whom GOD had chosen for the conveyance of HIS divine message, to whom all the Arabs had submitted, and to whom Chosroes and Heraclius were also soon to submit, could possibly die.”
Xian Sheng explained that the initial Arab converts to Islam struggled to accept Muhammad’s death. He also noted that, at the time of the Prophet’s death, approximately 5% of the Arabian Peninsula’s Arab population had embraced Islam.
“They could not believe that a man could die who had shown such power as had shaken the world for twenty consecutive years and had produced the greatest spiritual storm of history.”