40.

The Book on Faith

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كتاب الإيمان عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم

Abu Hurairah (رضي الله تعالى عنه) narrated that the Apostle of Allah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) delivered a Khtubah in which he exhorted them, then he said, ‘O women, give charity for you are the majority of the people of the Fire.’ A woman among them said, ‘and why is that O Apostle of Allah ( صلى هللا عليه و آلهوسلم)?’ He said, ‘because of your cursing so much, - meaning your ungratefulness towards your husbands. He said, and I have not seen any among those lacking in intellect and religion who are more difficult upon people possessing reason and insight than you.’ A woman among them said, ‘and what is the deficiency of her intellect and religion?’ He said, ‘the testimony of two women among you is like the testimony of a man, and the deficiency in your religion is menstruation, because one of you will go three or four days without performing Salat.’ There are narrations on this topic from Abu Sa’eed and Ibn 'Umar (رضي الله تعالى عنهما). Imam Tirmidhi said this Hadith is Hasan Sahih from this route. Explanation The above Hadith should be understood in its proper perspective. The Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) is cautioning women about the nature of some of them who tend to overcome with anger soon and remain ungrateful for the services of others, like their husbands. Some women have the tendency to bound themselves in petty issues and form their opinions based on some unimportant aspects. This is the reason the testimony of two women is required in some issues. It is to avoid injustice to the person under investigation. The menstruation is a natural process and women become physically weak and irritated during this time. This is the reason they have been given leave from Salah till they get cleaned. As a matter of fact, the status of women is exceedingly high in Islam. Imam Tirmidhi said this Hadith is Hasan Sahih from this route.