Aisha’s Thawb: Missionary Deception Unveiled [Part 2]

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In this second part on Thawb, we are going to look at a Hadith report that is mistranslated/misrepresented by missionaries, they do this in order to spread lies against Prophet Muhammed’s character. In previous piece we showed from Arabic-English Lexicons and other historical reports, that the Hadith that was misrepresented was actually speaking about a “blanket” or “sheet” that the Prophet covered himself with.

In this second article on the word thawb, the report Christian missionaries mistranslated is the following:

From Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith Number 2393
Volume Title, “Grace and its Virtues.”
Chapter Title, “What was Granted to the Companions and the Wives.”
Narrated by Ismail, narrated by his brother, narrated by Sulaiman, narrated by Hisham ibn Urwah, narrated by his father, narrated by Aisha who related that the wives of the prophet were divided into two groups. One group consisted of Aisha, Hafsa, Safiya and Sawdah while the other group consisted of Um Salamah and the rest of the women that belonged to the prophet. The Muslims had learned of the great love that the prophet had for Aisha so that if one of them had a gift he desired to give to the prophet, he would delay giving it until the prophet came to Aisha’s house.

Then the group who sided with Um Salamah came to Um Salamah and asked her to tell the prophet that he should command the people that if any of them had a gift to give to the prophet, they should give it him in whatever house of his wives the prophet was in at the time.

So Um Salamah went and talked with the prophet but he did not respond to her. When the group asked her what the prophet said she told them that he did not respond. So they asked her to go talk to him again until he responds… then the prophet said to her, “Do not hurt me with Aisha, for the inspiration did not come upon me when I was IN (fee) A WOMAN’S GARMENT (Thawb) EXCEPT THAT OF AISHA.” Source- http://hadith.al-islam.com/Display/Display.asp?hnum=2393&doc=0

Now, when we consult actual scholars who have translated this very report, you will notice that what is in bold/capitalised is a lie, and is not represented in the Hadith report itself. This is what is actually said:

“2581. Narrated Urwa that Aishah said: The wives of Allah’s Messenger were in two groups. “Urwa added: One group consisted of Aishah, Hafsa, Safiyya and Sauda; and the other group consisted of Umm Salama and the other wives of Allah’s Messenger. The Muslims knew that Allah’s Messenger loved Aishah, so if any of them had a gift and wished to give to Allah’s Messenger, he would delay it till Allah’s Messenger had come to Aishah’s home and then he would send his gift to Allah’s Messenger in her home.
The group of Umm Salama discussed the matter together and decided that Umm Salama should request Allah’s Messenger to tell the people to send their gifts to him in whatever wife’s house he was.
Umm Salama told Allah’s Messenger of what they had said, but he did not reply. Then they (those wives) asked Umm Salama about it. She said, ‘He did not anything to me.’ They asked her to talk to him again. She talked to him again when she met him on her day, but he gave no reply. When they asked her, she replied that he had given no reply. They said to her, ‘Talk to him till he gives you a reply.’
When it was her turn, she talked to him again. He then said to her, ‘DO NOT HURT ME REGARDING AISHAH, AS THE DIVINE REVELATIONS DO NOT COME TO ME ON ANY OF THE BEDS EXCEPT THAT OF AISHAH.’ On that Umm Salama said, ‘I repent to Allah for hurting you.’ Then the group of Umm Salama called Fatima, the daughter of Allah’s Messenger and sent her to Allah’s Messenger to say to him, ‘ Your wives request to treat them and the daughter of Abu Bakr on equal terms.’
Then Fatima conveyed the message to him. The Prophet said, ‘O my daughter! Don’t you love whom I love?’ She replied in the affirmative and returned and told them of the situation. They requested her to go to him again, but she refused. They then sent Zainab bint Jahsh who went to him and used harsh words saying, ‘Your wives request you to treat them and the daughter of Ibn Abu Quhafa on equal terms.’ On that she raised her voice and turned to Aishah who was sitting and insulted her so much so that Allah’s Messenger looked at Aishah to see whether she would retort. Aishah started replying to Zainab till she silenced her. The Prophet then looked at Aishah and said, ‘She is really the daughter of Abu Bakr.’” (The Translation Of the Meanings Of Sahih Al-Bukhari, Arabic English, Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan (Formerly Director, University Hospital, Islamic University, Al-Madina Al-Munawwara) [Darussalam Publishers and Distributors, Riyadh – Saudi Arabia, Maktaba Dar-us-Salam, 1997], volume 3, page 434 – 436 (Book 51 – The Book Of Gifts, No. 2581))

And here is a picture for the Hadith from the actual Book:

You can access the full book here.

One can clearly see that missionaries deceptively translated the first Hadith to demean and attack Prophet Muhammed’s character. The second Hadith which was translated by a renowned Islamic scholar, Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan shows that what the missionaries have written is a lie. Furthermore, for missionaries to claim that thawb is a dress that women wear and has no other meaning, actually doesn’t stand when we look in the Bible (Van Dyke Arabic Bible Translation) itself:

“6and shall put thereon a covering of sealskin, and shall spread over it a CLOTH all of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof.
6ويجعلون عليه غطاء من جلد تخس ويبسطون من فوق ثوبا كله اسمانجوني ويضعون عصيّه.
7And upon the table of showbread they shall spread a CLOTH of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls and the cups wherewith to pour out; and the continual bread shall be thereon:
7وعلى مائدة الوجوه يبسطون ثوب اسمانجون ويضعون عليه الصحاف والصحون والاقداح وكاسات السكيب. ويكون الخبز الدائم عليه.
8and they shall spread upon them a CLOTH of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of sealskin, and shall put in the staves thereof.
8ويبسطون عليها ثوب قرمز ويغطونه بغطاء من جلد تخس ويضعون عصّيه.
9And they shall take a CLOTH of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and its lamps, and its snuffers, and its snuffdishes, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it:
9وياخذون ثوب اسمانجون ويغطون منارة الضوء وسرجها وملاقطها ومنافضها وجميع آنية زيتها التي يخدمونها بها.
10and they shall put it and all the vessels thereof within a covering of sealskin, and shall put it upon the frame.
10ويجعلونها وجميع آنيتها في غطاء من جلد تخس ويجعلونه على العتلة.
11And upon the golden altar they shall spread a CLOTH of blue, and cover it with a covering of sealskin, and shall put in the staves thereof:
11وعلى مذبح الذهب يبسطون ثوب اسمانجون ويغطونه بغطاء من جلد تخس ويضعون عصيه.
12and they shall take all the vessels of ministry, wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a CLOTH of blue, and cover them with a covering of sealskin, and shall put them on the frame.
12ويأخذون جميع امتعة الخدمة التي يخدمون بها في القدس ويجعلونها في ثوب اسمانجون ويغطونها بغطاء من جلد تخس ويجعلونها على العتلة.
13And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple CLOTH thereon:
13ويرفعون رماد المذبح ويبسطون عليه ثوب ارجوان
14and they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about it, the firepans, the flesh-hooks, and the shovels, and the basins, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of sealskin, and put in the staves thereof.
14ويجعلون عليه جميع امتعته التي يخدمون عليه بها المجامر والمناشل والرفوش والمناضح كل امتعة المذبح ويبسطون عليه غطاء من جلد تخس ويضعون عصيه.“ (الكتاب المقدس (Van Dyke Arabic Bible Translation) ASV, Numbers 4:6:14)

Here is a screenshot for Numbers 4:4-14 (Van Dyke Arabic Bible Translation), where I highlighted the word thawb which means a piece of cloth:

We see from Numbers 4:6-14 that the word thawb here also means a piece of cloth that covers something. So for missionaries to insist that the thawb he covered himself with was his wife’s clothes is very disingenuous. Furthermore, the following Hadith reports buries this lie once and for all when it clearly tells us that the Prophet took from his wife Aisha, a “blanket”:

“It was narrated that ‘Aishah said: “The Messenger of Allah said: ‘O Umm Salamah, do not bother me about ‘Aishah, for by Allah, the Revelation has never come to me under the BLANKET of any of you apart from her.'” (Sunan an-Nasa’i volume 4, Book 36, Hadith 3401, Sahih Darussalam)

“It was narrated from Umm Salamah that the wives of the Prophet asked her to speak to the Prophet and tell him, that the people were trying to bring their gifts to him when it was ‘Aishah’s day, and to say to him: “We love good things as much as ‘Aishah does.” So she spoke to him, but he did not reply her. When her turn came again, she spoke to him again, but he did not reply her. They said to her: “How did he respond?” She said: “He did not answer me.” They said: “Do not leave him alone until he answers you or you comprehend what he says.” When her turn came again, she spoke to him and he said: ‘Do not bother me about ‘Aishah, for the Revelation has never come to me under the BLANKET of any of you apart from the blanket of ‘Aishah.'” (Sunan an-Nasa’i volume 4, Book 36, Hadith 3402, Sahih Darussalam)

And:

“Narrated ‘Aishah: “The people used to give their gifts [to the Prophet on ‘Aishah’s day.” She said: “So my companions gathered with Umm Salamah and they said ‘O Umm Salamah! The people give their gifts on ‘Aishah’s day, and we desire good as ‘Aishah desires, so tell the Messenger of Allah to order the people to give (their gifts to) him no matter where he is.’ So Umm Salamah said that, and he turned away from her. Then he turned back to her and she repeated the words saying: ‘O Messenger of Allah! My companions have mentioned that the people give their gifts on ‘Aishah’s day, so order the people to give them no matter where you are.’ So upon the third time she said that, he said: ‘O Umm Salamah! Do not bother me about ‘Aishah! For Revelation has not been sent down upon me while I was under the BLANKETS (lihaaf) of a woman among you other than her.'”. (English Translation of Jami At-Tirmidhi, compiled by: Imam Hafiz Abu Eisa Mohammad Ibn Eisa At-Tirmidhi [Translated by: Abu Khaliyl (USA), Ahadith edited and referenced by: Hafiz Abu Tahir Zubair Ali Za’I, Final review by: Islamic Research Section Darussalam, Maktaba Dar-us-salam, 2007], volume 6, page 492 – 493 ( Book 46. Chapters on Al-Manaqib [Chapters On Virtues] Chapter 62. About The Virtue of Aishah. Hadith No. 3879)) 

Here is a screenshot for the above quote from Jami at-Tirmidhi book:

Those missionaries who would still continue to claim that thawb is a woman’s clothes and could not mean blanket or a sheet, then I say you have a very big problem, and this is, Jesus according to the Gospels is recorded to have thawb on:

“19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and [so did] his disciples.
20 And behold, a woman, who had an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the border of his GARMENT:
21 for she said within herself, If I do but touch his GARMENT, I shall be made whole.
Arabic:
19فقام يسوع وتبعه هو وتلاميذه.
20واذا امرأة نازفة دم منذ اثنتي عشرة سنة قد جاءت من ورائه ومسّت هدب ثوبه.
21لانها قالت في نفسها ان مسست ثوبه فقط شفيت. “ (Van Dyke Arabic Bible Translation) ASV, Matthew 9:19-21)

And John 19:2 (Van Dyke Arabic Bible Translation):

“2And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and arrayed him in a purple GARMENT;
2وضفر العسكر اكليلا من شوك ووضعوه على راسه وألبسوه ثوب ارجوان.“ ((Van Dyke Arabic Bible Translation) ASV, John 19:2)

Are Christian missionaries going to be consistent, and label their Jesus, god in flesh as a “cross dresser”, for covering himself with a thawb?

Related article:

Christian missionaries have for years spread lies, misrepresented our scriptures and deliberately mistranslated our texts to spread propaganda, see the following article shows a number of examples where they have done so: “Why Do Muslims Insist On Referring To The Arabic Literary Sources?“

Tagged as: BLANKET, CROSS DRESS, DRESS, Muhammed, SHEET, THAUB, THAWB