THE STORY OF A MAN WHO WANTED TO BE A PROPHET.

Its a story told not so long ago in human history. It is for everyone but is very important for Indians to know it. It affects their growth, peace and development.

BACKGROUND

It was the year 595 AD, in Mecca, the hottest inhabited city on the planet, that a 25 years old young man marries his wealthy 40 years old employer, a rich widow, daughter of a merchant. That man remained monogamously married to her for 25 years till her death. It was 15 years into this marriage that he had visions of visitation of the Archangel Jibreel. This claim was strongly supported by his wife and her cousin, the first person, a Christian to confirm his prophethood.

This religion which was to become the most ruthless organ of suppression of women on the planet could have died in infancy if it was not for the financial & intellectual support of a woman who died at 65, leaving him a widower at age 50.

The death of his rich and influential wife made his prophetic journey difficult and he fled the city of his birth for the safe pastures of Medina after over 10 years of unsuccessfully claiming to be a prophet. That is the life of Muhammad.

LIFE AS A REFUGEE IN MEDINA

The personal life of the prophet of Islam is stranger than fiction. After fighting 26 battles and marrying 13 wives, his death at 63 made 9 women widows, including a 19-year-old Aisha who was left to fight wars of succession with her late husband’s most revered cousin, Ali. He married only widows, divorcées or captives, except one whom he married as 6 years old “doll playing child” and waited for 3 years to consummate the marriage. She was the daughter of his friend Abu Bakar, the first Caliph after him.

THE CHILD BRIDE AS PER HADITH

“The Prophet married Aisha when she was six years old and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old.” – The Sahih al-Bukhari, 5134; Book 67, Hadith 70 tells us.

MARRIAGEABLE AGE FOR WOMEN IN ISLAM

Quran ordains and regulates even very minuscule matters of human life & behaviour from eating to sleeping. It permits polygamy but curiously enough does not make any mention of the marriageable age.

This is the lacuna of the scripture which is today used from Afghanistan to Yemen and Pakistan to Syria by the faithful to justify child marriages and any legislation against it as interference in religion!

WHY THIS STORY IS IMPORTANT EVEN TODAY?

This is the story of a human being because 1.8 Billion minds on earth believe that he was the most perfect human who ever walked on earth and whose life is beyond any scrutiny, doubt, criticism and is worth emulating by every faithful!!

Can you see the whole problem here and the root cause of militancy and the irrationality in Islam?

STORIES GOVERN LIVES AND HISTORY

Stories are fiction to be enjoyed and to teach us life’s lessons. But some stories change the course of history. As the story of Abraham, being the idol-smasher laid the foundation of animosity and bloodshed between Monotheistic faiths and Polytheism, the story of Aisha & Muhammad has become the cause of thousands of child rapes every day.

Worldwide, more than 650 million women alive today were married as children. Every year, at least 12 million girls are married before they reach the age of 18. This is 28 girls every minute. UNICEF says, “in the least developed countries”, 40% of girls are married before age 18, and 12% of girls are married before age 15.

THE ROLE OF FAITH IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

We all know which are the least developed countries. I am not saying that these child marriages are all religiously motivated; of course not. Economics, wars, famines, poverty, law & order, education along with faith play a big role to make a “doll-playing girl” end up in the lap of a 50 years man as a “child bride”.

But, does not our belief, faith and religion dictate our thoughts and actions (karma) which have a direct correlation with everything including our prosperity, well-being and economics?

Do you think it is a chance that most of “the least developed nations” predominantly are from one faith? Why do the Muslims in India as a community lag behind others, economically, when access to education, business and other opportunities is the same? Why they are more similar to their brethren across the borders? This lag did not happen after the partition. It has been the same during the Raj.

MORAL OF THE STORY – CHANGE THE NARRATIVE

Dear Muslims, there is no witness to the age of Aisha and Muhammad. Quran and Hadith are all hearsay. Quran was written, compiled and arranged some 60 years after the first (claimed) word of Jibreel. Hadiths were compiled after 350 years of the actual event. Imam Bukhari writes in his book that he collected over 300,000 hadith and included only 2,602 traditions in his book. That is a rejection rate of over 99.13%. Still, you call it the truest book after Quran!

I think if the Islamic world changes their stories, their lessons and therefore fate would change as well. Our thinking affects our actions and future.

We have to accept that the lessons learned from Quran and Hadith & Gita and Mahabharata dictate different actions and future.

The message of Hindu scriptures makes a Dharmic Hindu a seeker of Knowledge and peace. The message of Quran makes a fundamental Muslim what the world has seen in Wahabism, Talibanisation, ISIS etc.

That’s for the Islamic world and the believers to ponder & decide.

Popular AI generated image sourced from internet.

Article curated from the author’s Facebook Post