Book of Tribulations and Portents of the Last Hour (Kitab al-Fitan)
Narrated by Abu Huraira (RA):
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“The Hour will not be established until you fight the Jews. The Jew will hide behind stones or trees, and the stone or the tree will say: ‘O Muslim, O servant of Allah! There is a Jew behind me; come and kill him’ — except the Gharqad tree, for it is one of the trees of the Jews.”
— (Sahih Muslim 2922 a)
Narrated Abdullah bin Mas‘ud:
"When the Prophet ﷺ entered Mecca on the day of the Conquest, there were 360 idols around the Ka‘bah. He started stabbing them with a stick he had in his hand, reciting: 'Truth has come and falsehood has vanished. Surely falsehood is ever bound to vanish.'"
— (Qur'an 17:81)
(Sahih al-Bukhari 4287)
"...There were 360 idols fixed around the Ka‘bah. The Prophet ﷺ started striking them with his stick and reciting: 'The truth has come and falsehood has perished.'"
Pre-Islamic Kaaba was a central shrine of pagan worship in Arabia.
The Quraysh and other tribes had placed 360 idols, representing their gods, inside and around the Kaaba.
Upon the conquest of Mecca (630 CE), Prophet Muhammad ﷺ entered the Kaaba and cleansed it of all idols, restoring it to the monotheistic worship of Allah alone, as originally intended by Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham).
Surah An-Nisa (4:11):
"Allah instructs you concerning your children: for the male, what is equal to the share of two females..."
Criticism: Women are granted only half the inheritance compared to men, which is seen as unequal treatment under a modern lens of gender equity.
Surah Al-Baqarah (2:282):
"...and bring to witness two witnesses from among your men. And if there are not two men [available], then a man and two women..."
Criticism: Suggests that a woman’s testimony is worth half that of a man’s, implying intellectual or moral inferiority.
Surah An-Nisa (4:34):
"Men are in charge of women... As to those women on whose part you fear disobedience — admonish them, refuse to share their beds, and [lastly] strike them [lightly]."
Criticism: Allows husbands to physically discipline their wives, raising concerns about sanctioning domestic violence.
Surah An-Nisa (4:3):
"…then marry those that please you of [other] women, two or three or four. But if you fear that you will not be just, then [marry only] one…"
Criticism: Permits men to have multiple wives while women cannot have multiple husbands, reinforcing patriarchal structures.
Surah An-Nisa (4:34):
"Righteous women are devoutly obedient, guarding in [the husband's] absence what Allah would have them guard…"
Criticism: Prescribes obedience from women to men, seen as promoting male authority and female subservience.
Surah Al-Baqarah (2:228):
"…And men have a degree over them [women]…"
Criticism: Establishes male superiority, interpreted as a foundational basis for gender hierarchy.
Surah At-Talaq (65:6):
"Lodge them [the divorced women] where you dwell, according to your means…"
Criticism: Assumes financial and housing control lies with men, reinforcing the idea of women’s dependency.
Surah Al-Baqarah (2:222):
"And they ask you about menstruation. Say, it is harm, so keep away from women during menstruation…"
Criticism: Frames menstruation as harmful or impure, which can perpetuate stigma against natural biological processes.
Surah At-Talaq (65:4):
"And those who no longer expect menstruation among your women – if you doubt, then their period is three months, and [also] for those who have not menstruated…"
Criticism: Suggests the legality of marriage and divorce procedures involving girls who have not yet begun menstruation, interpreted as supporting child marriage.
Sahih Muslim 1731a
Book: The Book of Jihad and Expedition (Kitab al-Jihad wa’l-Siyar)
Narrated by Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri:
"At the Battle of Awtas, some of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ were reluctant to have relations with the captive women because of their husbands among the polytheists. So Allah revealed the verse:
'And women already married, except those whom your right hands possess...'
— (Qur'an 4:24)This means they were lawful for them once they were taken as captives."
📝 Explanation:
This hadith refers to female captives taken during battles, and it clarifies that relations with them were permitted under Islamic law after due process, such as confirming their status as prisoners.
The phrase “whom your right hands possess” is a Qur’anic term referring to captives or slaves.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2542
Book: Military Expeditions
Narrated by Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari:
"The Prophet ﷺ sent me and Mu‘adh bin Jabal to Yemen. I asked him, 'O Allah’s Messenger! What about the spoils of war?' He replied, 'It is for Allah and His Messenger.' Then it will be distributed..."
📝 This implies that captives were part of the spoils of war and would be distributed according to set rules, including the possibility of ransom, release, or integration into Muslim households.
Qur'an 23:5-
“And they who guard their private parts – Except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they are not to be blamed.”
— This verse is commonly cited in both the Qur'an and hadiths to permit relations with legally acquired female slaves (ma malakat aymanukum) without it being considered fornication or adultery.
Narrated Abu Sa‘id Al-Khudri:
“We got female captives in the Battle of Hunayn and we desired them, but we refrained from sleeping with them because of their husbands among the polytheists. Then the verse was revealed: ‘Also (forbidden are) women already married, except those whom your right hands possess.’ (Qur'an 4:24)”
— This hadith indicates that after the appropriate legal and religious conditions were met (such as confirmation of captivity and waiting periods), relations were permitted.
Narrated Anas bin Malik:
“The Prophet had a female slave with whom he had relations. Aisha and Hafsa would constantly bother him about her...”
— This refers to Maria al-Qibtiyya, a slave gifted to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ from Egypt, with whom he had a son (Ibrahim). She was later freed, a common practice in Islam called “umm al-walad” (a slave mother of a child).
“A man will not be asked why he beat his wife or his slave.”
— This reflects the legal norms of the time but has been heavily critiqued and recontextualized by later scholars, particularly in light of modern ethics and women’s rights.
