In the name of Allāh,
the Beneficent, the Merciful.
Peace and Blessings of Allāh on Mohammad.
DEDICATED TO
Allāh–the Glorious and the High,
Lord of the worlds
AND TO
Mohammad–who brought the world
to our feet and eternity to our arms.
*

MOHAMMAD & JUWAIRIYYAH

Juwairiyyah was of the Banu Mustaliq, a Jewish tribe.
WikiIslam opines: “This practice of raping war captives was implemented by Islam’s very own prophet Muhammad, in his life. On two occasions, he married (for the sake of marriage only) war captives and raped them.” And it named these two victims the Prophet is alleged to have “raped” as Safiyyah and Juwairiyyah.

   It is intriguing that Mohammad, who lived a life of celibacy for his first twenty-five years, then married a woman fifteen years his senior, and after his wife’s death married mostly women having children, would now “rape” or marry “for the sake of marriage only” captive women for “sex.”

   If the Prophet “raped” or allowed his followers to “rape” captive women then this was not novel. They were only doing what the Bible allowed thousands of years before them. The Biblical God (and as Christians say that Jesus is God then Jesus) declared that if the people will not make peace but war with you then:

“thou shalt besiege it; And when the Lord thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword: But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself”–(Deut. 20:12-14);

   “And they (Moses and the Israelites) warred against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses, and they slew ALL THE MALES…And Moses said unto them… Now therefore kill every MALE among the LITTLE ONES (of the captives), and kill EVERY WOMAN who hath known man by lying with him, but ALL THE WOMEN CHILDREN, that have not known a man by lying with him (virgin girls) KEEP ALIVE FOR YOUR-SELVES…And the BOOTY, being the rest of the prey which the men of war had caught was…of WOMEN that had not known man by lying with him (virgin girls), were 32,000. And the half, which was the portion of them that went out to war, was…16,000 persons (virgin girls). And of the congregation’s half portion of these 16.000 virgin girls, 320 were given to the Levite priests, as the Lord commanded Moses. And ….the men of war had taken SPOIL (BOOTY), EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF”–(Num. 31:1-53). (See Mohammad-Jews & raiding parties; Christianity-sex slaves & prepubescent girls).

Regarding Juwairiyyah. WikiIslam wrote: “Muhammad snatched Juwairiyya a beautiful woman of a tribe called Banu Mustaliq. Muhammad was attacking the tribe without warning and conquering them.”
The event on how the Prophet got Juwairyyah is noted in Bokhari Vol. 3, # 717. It states:

“Narrated Ibn ‘Aun: I wrote a letter to Nafi and Nafi wrote in reply to my letter that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) had suddenly attacked Bani Mustaliq without warning while they were heedless and their cattle were being watered at the places of water. Their fighting men were killed and their women and children were taken as captives; the Prophet got Juwairiyyah on that day. Nafi said that Ibn ‘Umar had told him the above narration and that Ibn ‘Umar was in that army.” (That the Prophet got Juwairiyya that day only means that she was taken captive that day; no that the Prophet took her for wife then).

As stated, Juwairiyyah was of the Banu Mustaliq, a Jewish tribe. There are various versions as to how the Prophet came to marry Juwairiyya. But one thing is remarkable. Upon her marriage to the Prophet a hundred of her families “were set at liberty without any ransom being paid.”¹

   WikiIslam’s statement that “Muhammad was attacking the tribe without warning and conquering them,” gives the impression that the Banu Mustaliq was a peaceful, law abiding tribe. Not so.
Here is the background to the war and Mohammad’s marriage to Juwairiyyah as noted by Muhammad Husayn Haykal in his The Life of Muhammad, (bearing in mind that from his advent Mohammad was persecuted, besieged, target of assassination attempt, forced into exile, pursued, and warred on and all Mohammad did was preach the Divine Message):

“The news reached Muhammad that the Banu Mustaliq, a clan of the Khuza’ah tribe, were mobilizing for war in the vicinity of Makkah and inciting the Arab tribes around them to assassinate Muhammad…Acting quickly in seizing the initiative, Muhammad hastened to strike and take them by surprise as was his custom. (Today modern nations fly thousands of miles from their lands to pre-empt “alleged” and suspected “enemies” contrasted to Mohammad who had avowed enemies on his own soil; see Mohammad-killed opponents).…After losing ten men, the Banu al Mustaliq realized that they had better surrender to the Muslim forces. They were all made captives and their cattle confiscated.

…Juwairiyyah, daughter of al Harith, was one of the captives of the Banu al Mustaliq. She was a noble and attractive woman and her lot fell to a man of al Ansar. She sought to ransom herself but her captor, knowing that she was the daughter of the leader of Banu al Mustaliq, demanded a very high price which he thought her people was capable of paying. Afraid of him and his ambition, Juwairiyyah sought the Prophet…she asked for the Prophet’s assistance in ransoming herself from captivity. After listening to her story, the Prophet thought of a better fate for her. He suggested that he ransom and marry her as well. Juwairiyyah accepted his proposal. When the news reached the people, everyone who held a captive of the Banu al Mustaliq granted that particular captive his or her freedom in deference to the new status the new captives had acquired as the in-laws of the Prophet. ‘Aishah had said of her: “I know of no woman who brought as much good to her people as Juwairiyyah.”

Such is the story according to one version. Another version tells that al Harith ibn Abu Dirar came to the Prophet to ransom his daughter, and that after talking to the Prophet, he believed in him and declared his conversion. The same version tells that Juwairiyyah followed her father and was converted to Islam, whereupon the Prophet asked for her hand and offered her a dowry of four hundred dirhams. A third version tells that her father was not agreeable to her marriage to the Prophet and that a relative of hers intervened and gave her to the Prophet against the will of her father. Muhammad did in fact marry Juwairiyyah and built for her a room adjoining his other quarters by the mosque. By this, Juwairiyyah, became one of the “Mothers of the Believers.”(pp. 328, 333-334).
Whichever version of Juwairiyyah’s marriage one believes the significant fact is no objection to the marriage by Juwairiyyah is noted).    

As with Safiyyah, Juwairiyyah not only found comfort in Mohammad’s arms, Mohammad liberated her and gave her rights that left her nothing for which to strive all the way to Jannah; and has immortalized her the coveted crown “Mother of the Believers” as decreed by His Eternal Majesty² –honored now by some one-and-a-half billion Muslims. And counting, as Islam, in the face of all the vociferous clamoring against it, spirits on. Inexorably. Invincibly. Impregnably. To its destiny as Divinely decreed:

“They desire to put out the light of Allāh with
their mouths, but Allāh will perfect His light,
though the disbelievers may be averse”
(Qur’an 61:8).

“He (Allāh) it is Who has sent His Messenger (Mohammad)
with the guidance and the
religion of Truth that He may make it prevail
over all religions.
And Allāh is enough for a witness”
(Qur’an 48:28; 9:33; 61:9).

Talk about Safiyyah and Juwairiyyah being the envy of women!
*

NOTES

1. Muhammad Ali, The Religion of Islam, p. 568.

2. Allāh reveals in His Qur’an 33:6: “The Prophet is closer to the faithful than their own selves, and his wives are (as) their mothers. And the possessors of relationship are closer one to another in the ordinance of Allåh than (other) believers, and those who fled (their homes), except that you do some good to your friends. This is written in the Book.”
And Muhammad Ali comments: “The Prophet was indeed much more than a father to the believers. He had raised them to the dignity of manhood from a state of savagery, consequently the tie of love which united them to him was stronger than the ordinary ties of love and friendship. The statement that his wives are their mothers has reference to the spiritual relationship, because they were helpful in bringing up the faithful spiritually; see 33a and 34a.”