Wednesday 4 April 2018

"Treat women kindly"

Meaning of Hadith "Treat women kindly"

Q: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:  "Treat women kindly, for verily women were created from a rib and the most bent part of the rib is its uppermost" What is the meaning of this Hadith?

A: This Hadith is Sahih (authentic) and it was related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim in their Two Sahih Books of Hadith.

It was narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Treat women kindly, for verily women were created from a rib and the most bent part of the rib is its uppermost. So treat women kindly.


This is a command to husbands, fathers, brothers, etc. To treat women kindly and not to oppress them; to give them their rights and to guide them to do good.

This is everyone's duty for the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Treat women kindly. This is not altered by the fact that a woman may sometimes mistreat her husband or relatives because she was created from a rib as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,

"...The most bent part of the rib is its uppermost." It is well known that the top of the rib is the part where it is attached, so the rib will have some crookedness at that point.

The meaning is that she will inevitably have some crookedness or shortcomings in her character. That it why it was related in another Hadith in the Two Sahih that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

I have not seen anyone more deficient in acumen and Deen (religion) than you. A cautious, sensible man can be led astray by some of you.

This is the judgment of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Hadith was narrated in the Two Sahih on the authority of Abu Sa`id Al-Khudry (may Allah be pleased with him).

Deficiency in acumen - as stated by the Prophet (peace be upon him) - means that the testimony of two women is equivalent to the testimony of one man, while deficiency in Deen refers to the fact that women are not able to offer Salah (Prayer) during menstruation or post-partum period.

This is what Allah has decreed for them and for which they shall not be blamed.

Women should understand this in the way that the Prophet (peace be upon him) meant it, even if a woman is knowledgeable and pious, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not speak of his own whims and desires, rather it was Wahy (Revelation) that was revealed to him, which he conveyed to the Ummah (nation based on one creed).

Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says: By the star when it goes down (or vanishes). Your companion (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) has neither gone astray nor has erred.  Nor does he speak of (his own) desire.  It is only a Revelation revealed.

http://www.alifta.net/fatawa/fatawaDetails.aspx?languagename=en&BookID=14&View=Page&PageNo=2&PageID=4998

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