The Meaning of Mirt and Thawb

Since Muslim dawagandist Jalal Abularub has taken issue (*) with our claim (*) that his prophet wore women’s clothing, and since other dawagandists are under the mistaken assumption that Jalal has actually refuted our points:

 

September 6th 2007:

We also publish sheikh Jalal Abualrubs [sic] excellent rebuttal against missionary Sam Shamoun concerning his distorted perverted argument that the prophet Muhammad wore Aisha's clothes: Thaub and Mirt, Jalal completly [sic] crushes Shamoun down as well as refuting this argument which is being propagated by other perveted [sic] minded sick indiviuals [sic] as Sam Shamoun. (Source)

 

We have decided to address some of his blatant distortions and smokescreens in order to show that there is absolutely no substance behind any of his assertions. We admit that this will be a daunting task, not so much because Abualrub has raised any good arguments which are hard to refute, but because of his inability to write in a coherent and concise manner. As a quick perusal of his materials shows, Jalal writes long-winded articles that do not follow any logical pattern whatsoever. He often repeats the same point over and over again, seemingly to give the impression that he is actually addressing the point.    

 

His “response” to our article concerning Muhammad’s cross-dressing is no different, being another example of his shoddy style of writing and inability to communicate his point in a logically coherent manner. As a result, it was tedious work to sift through his smokescreens in order to get to the meat of his argument.

 

What makes his “rebuttal” rather amusing is that, despite his rants and raves against our assertions concerning Muhammad wearing women’s garments, Abularub had to admit that the words used in the hadith do refer to clothing. Note, for instance, what he writes concerning the terms thawb and kisaa:  

 

g.      Words like ‘Thaub’ and ‘Kisaa’, used to describe both REGULAR CLOTHES and un-sewn garments such as those used as blankets, are defined by the Context. (Emphasis ours)

 

It is interesting that Abualrub admits that these specific words can mean clothes as well as un-sewn garments, since an un-sewn doesn’t have to necessarily mean a blanket but can in fact refer to a woman’s garment much like a dress.

 

Moreover, the plural form of thawb appears in the following Quranic texts:

 

Lo! now they fold up their breasts that they may hide (their thoughts) from Him. At the very moment when they cover themselves with their clothing (thiyabahum), Allah knoweth that which they keep hidden and that which they proclaim. Lo! He is Aware of what is in the breasts (of men). S. 11:5 Pickthall

For them will be Gardens of Eternity; beneath them rivers will flow; they will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold, and they will wear green garments (thiyabin) of fine silk and heavy brocade: They will recline therein on raised thrones. How good the recompense! How beautiful a couch to recline on! 18:31 Y. Ali

Their garments (thiyabu) will be of fine green silk, and gold embroidery. They will be adorned with bracelets of silver, and their Lord will give them a pure drink. S. 76:21 Hilali-Khan 

These two opponents (believers and disbelievers) dispute with each other about their Lord; then as for those who disbelieve, garments (thiyabun) of fire will be cut out for them, boiling water will be poured down over their heads. S. 22:19 Hilali-Khan

O ye who believe! let those whom your right hands possess, and the (children) among you who have not come of age ask your permission (before they come to your presence), on three occasions: before morning prayer; the while ye doff your clothes (thiyabakum) for the noonday heat; and after the late-night prayer: these are your three times of undress: outside those times it is not wrong for you or for them to move about attending to each other: Thus does God make clear the Signs to you: for God is full of knowledge and wisdom… Such elderly women as are past the prospect of marriage, - there is no blame on them if they lay aside their (outer) garments (thiyabahunna), provided they make not a wanton display of their beauty: but it is best for them to be modest: and God is One Who sees and knows all things. S. 24:58, 60 Y. Ali

And verily! Every time I called unto them that You might forgive them, they thrust their fingers into their ears, covered themselves up with their garments (thiyabahum), and persisted (in their refusal), and magnified themselves in pride. S. 71:7 Hilali-Khan

And your garments (thiyabaka) purify! S. 74:4 Hilali-Khan

 

In all of the foregoing examples thawb clearly refers to clothing oneself with something, whether actual garments one wears or wearing something in a metaphorical sense such as being clothed in fire. 

 

Moreover, here is the definition of mirt according to Al-Mu’jam Al-Waseet (The Intercessory Dictionary), second edition, 1972, part 2, p. 864:

 

(Mirt)a dress from wool or cotton that is used as an Izar or a cover by a woman.

 

In light of the foregoing one would expect that Abularub would provide some kind of evidence from the context of the particular hadiths which we sourced to prove that these terms do not denote the fact that Muhammad was dressed in Aisha’s clothes. Yet, unfortunately for him, he failed to produce anything from the context which would indicate that Muhammad wasn’t wearing clothes but was simply covering himself with Aisha’s blankets.      

 

It gets worse for Abualrub. We now produce statements from Muslim authorities that not only admit that mirt and thawb do indeed refer to women’s clothing, but also acknowledge that the use of these very words in the specific hadiths which we cited definitely prove that Muhammad was in fact wearing women’s garments.

All parts that are in yellow, red, bold, capitalized and/or underlined will be from us.  

 

 

From Sahih Muslim, Hadith Number 4415

Volume Title, “From the virtues of the Companions.”

Chapter Title, “From the Virtues of Uthman Ibn Affan, May Allah be please with him.”

 

Narrated by Abdel Malik ibn Shu’aib ibn Laith Ibn Sa’ad, narrated by his father, narrated by his grandfather, narrated by Ukail ibn Khalid, narrated by ibn Shihab, narrated by Yahya ibn Sa’id ibn al-Aas who narrated that Aisha, the wife of the prophet, and Uthman related to him that Abu Bakr requested permission from the prophet to enter when the prophet was lying down on Aisha’s bed WEARING HER GARMENT (mirt). So the prophet gave permission to Abu Bakr to enter while he (Muhammad) was in that state and Abu Bakr finished what he needed and left. Later, Umar came and requested permission to enter and the prophet gave him permission to enter while he (Muhammad) was in that state. So Umar finished what he needed and left. Later, Uthman requested permission to enter to the prophet, so Muhammad sat up and told Aisha, “TAKE ALL THE CLOTHING THAT BELONGS TO YOU.”

 

So Aisha did as the prophet requested and left. Afterwards, Aisha asked the prophet, “O prophet! Why is it that I didn’t see you anxious when Abu Bakr or Umar came like you were when Uthman came in?”

 

The prophet replied, “Uthman is a bashful man, and I feared that if I gave him permission to enter in the state that I was in, he would not have finished what he came for.”

 

The Explanation of Sahih Muslim by Al-Nawawi

 

His saying “wearing HER garment (mirt).

 

It is pronounced as “mirt” with a diacritical mark underneath that “m”. It is a cloak made out of wool. Al-Khalil said that it is A ROBE made out of wool or cotton or the like. Ibn al-A’raby and Abu Zaid said that it is A LOINCLOTH, a waist wrap (izar).

 

Source- http://hadith.al-islam.com/Display/Display.asp?hnum=4415&doc=1

 

 

‏حدثنا ‏ ‏عبد الملك بن شعيب بن الليث بن سعد ‏ ‏حدثني ‏ ‏أبي ‏ ‏عن ‏ ‏جدي ‏ ‏حدثني ‏ ‏عقيل بن خالد ‏ ‏عن ‏ ‏ابن شهاب ‏ ‏عن ‏ ‏يحيى بن سعيد بن العاص ‏ ‏أن ‏ ‏سعيد بن العاص ‏ ‏أخبره ‏ ‏أن ‏ ‏عائشة زوج النبي ‏ ‏صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ ‏وعثمان ‏ ‏حدثاه ‏‏أن ‏ ‏أبا بكر ‏ ‏استأذن على رسول الله ‏ ‏صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏وهو مضطجع على فراشه لابس ‏ ‏مرط ‏ ‏عائشة ‏ ‏فأذن ‏ ‏لأبي بكر ‏ ‏وهو كذلك فقضى إليه حاجته ثم انصرف ثم استأذن ‏ ‏عمر ‏ ‏فأذن له وهو على تلك الحال فقضى إليه حاجته ثم انصرف قال ‏ ‏عثمان ‏ ‏ثم استأذنت عليه فجلس وقال ‏ ‏لعائشة ‏ ‏اجمعي عليك ثيابك فقضيت إليه حاجتي ثم انصرفت فقالت ‏ ‏عائشة ‏ ‏يا رسول الله مالي لم أرك ‏ ‏فزعت ‏ ‏لأبي بكر ‏ ‏وعمر ‏ ‏رضي الله عنهما ‏ ‏كما ‏ ‏فزعت ‏ ‏لعثمان ‏ ‏قال رسول الله ‏ ‏صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ ‏إن ‏ ‏عثمان ‏ ‏رجل حيي وإني خشيت إن أذنت له على تلك الحال أن لا يبلغ إلي في حاجته.

صحيح مسلم .. كتاب فضائل الصحابة .. باب من فضائل عثمان بن عفان رضي الله عنه

 

 

Note: In his haste to “refute” me Abualrub once more ends up confirming my point. In response to this same narration Abualrub again admits that thaub means clothing: 

 

f. There are numerous Hadeeths in Bukhari (such as Hadeeth No. 352) and Muslim (such as Hadeeth No. 538) wherein different people are reported to have ‘Jama`a `Alaihi Thiyabah’, i.e., ‘wrapped himself well with his CLOTHES’, or, ‘straightened his CLOTHES to look more formal in appearance’.  In, `Aun al-Ma`bud, there is this definition for ‘Akhadhta bi-Talbibi Fulan’: when you wrap (‘Ijma`’ or hold) the Thaub that one is wearing [in your hands] and pull him by the Thaub (in today’s expressions ‘pull him by THE COLLAR towards you’).’  Similarly, saying that one has ‘Jama`a `Alaihi Thiyabah’ does not mean that one is collecting his clothes, but rather, one is wrapping himself well with his CLOTHES.  In his explanation on Sunan an-Nasaii, as-Sindi said that ‘Jumi`at’ [means] ‘wrapped well’, so that one’s body is not exposed. (Bold emphasis ours)

 

Thanks to Abualrub we can safely assume that Muhammad was indeed wrapping himself with Aisha’s clothes!

 

 

 

All of the following references were taken from www.muhaddith.org, specifically http://www.muhaddith.org/cgi-bin/a_Optns.exe?. It should be stated that this is a tremendous Islamic resource tool for both Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

 

From Sahih Muslim, Volume One, The Book of Prayer, V

Chapter of the Objection between the hands of Praying

Narrated by Abu Bakir ibn Abi Shebah and Zuhair ibn Jarb, Zuhair said: it was narrated by Waki’, narrated by Talha ibn Yahya, narrated by Ubaid Allah ibn Abdallah who said that he heard Aisha say:

The Prophet used to pray at night while I was beside him and I had my period. I had a mirt on me, a part of which was also on him, on his side.

Commentary: (mirt) Mirt ARE WOMEN’S COVERINGS (aksia’). The plural is muroot. Ibn al-Athir said: It is made out of wool or perhaps silk or something else.

 

صحيح مسلم. - للإمام مسلم
الجزء الأول >> 4 - كتاب الصلاة >> (51) باب الاعتراض بين يدي المصلي


274 - (514) حدثنا أبو بكر بن أبي شيبة وزهير بن جرب. قال زهير: حدثنا وكيع. حدثنا طلحة بن يحيى عن عبيدالله بن عبدالله. قال: سمعته عن عائشة؛ قالت:
كان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يصلي من الليل وأنا إلى جنبه. وأنا حائض. وعلى
مرط. وعليه بعضه إلى جنبه.
[ش (
مرط) المرط من أكسية النساء. والجمع مروط. قال ابن الأثير: ويكون من صوف، وربما كان من حز أو غيره].  

 

 

From Fateh Al-Bari, Explanation of Sahih al-Bukhari by Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani

Volume Two, The Book of Prayer Times, Chapter of Dawn Prayer

 

The hadith: Narrated by Yahya bin Bukir, narrated by al-Laith, narrated by Ukail ibn Shihab, narrated by Urwah ibn Zubair narrated by Aisha who said: There were believing women who used to attend with the prophet the dawn (fajr) prayer, covered (multafi’at) in their muroot. Then they used to return to their houses after concluding their prayer, unrecognized by anyone. His saying multafi’at has previously been explained. Murooot is plural of mirt with a diacritical mark below the ‘mim’ letter. It is a striped garment made of silk or wool or something else. It was said that the name mirt applies only if it is green AND WORN BY WOMEN ONLY, but this is answered by saying a mirt made of black hair.

 

 

فتح الباري، شرح صحيح البخاري، الإصدار 2.05 - للإمام ابن حجر العسقلاني
المجلد الثاني >> كتاب مواقيت الصلاة >> باب وَقْتِ الْفَجْرِ


الحديث: حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ بُكَيْرٍ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا اللَّيْثُ عَنْ عُقَيْلٍ عَنْ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي عُرْوَةُ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ أَخْبَرَتْهُ قَالَتْ كُنَّ نِسَاءُ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَشْهَدْنَ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ صَلَاةَ الْفَجْرِ مُتَلَفِّعَاتٍ بِمُرُوطِهِنَّ ثُمَّ يَنْقَلِبْنَ إِلَى بُيُوتِهِنَّ حِينَ يَقْضِينَ الصَّلَاةَ لَا يَعْرِفُهُنَّ أَحَدٌ مِنْ الْغَلَسِ
الشرح:.
قوله: (متلفعات) تقدم شرحه، (والمروط) جمع
مرط بكسر الميم وهو كساء معلم من خز أو صوف أو غير ذلك، وقيل لا يسمى مرطا إلا إذا كان أخضر ولا يلبسه إلا النساء، وهو مردود بقوله مرط من شعر أسود.

 

 

From Sahih Muslim

Volume Three, Book of Clothing and Adornment,

Chapter of Modesty in Clothing

 

Narrated by Aisha who said:

The Prophet went out on a certain day at noon and ON HIM was a mirt that was murahal made of black hair.

 

Commentary: Mirt is a kisa’ which is a garment that is sometimes made out of wool and sometimes out of hair or cotton or silk. Al-Khatabi said: It is a covering (kisa’) that is girded with.

Al-Nudair said: It is only a cloak, WORN BY WOMEN ONLY and is green in color. This hadith is responded to.

Murhal means it has the image of walking camels. Al-Khatabi said: the murhal is something that is striped.

 

 

صحيح مسلم. - للإمام مسلم
الجزء الثالث >> 37 - كتاب اللباس والزينة >> 6 - باب: التواضع في اللباس، والاقتصار على الغليظ منه واليسير، في اللباس والفراش وغيرهما، وجواز لبس الثوب الشعر، وما فيه أعلام

--مزيد-- عن عائشة. قالت:
خرج النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ذات غداة، وعليه
مرط مرحل من شعر أسود.
[ش (
مرط) المرط كساء)  كِسَاء: رِدَاء، لِبَاس، ثَوْب(  يكون تارة من صوف وتارة من شعر أو كتان أو خز. قال الخطابي: هو كساء يؤتزر به. وقال النضر: لا يكون المرط إلا درعا، ولا يلبسه إلا النساء، ولا يكون إلا أخضر. وهذا الحديث يرد عليه.
(مرحل) معناه عليه صورة رحال الإبل. قال الخطابي: المرحل الذي فيه خطوط].
\

 

 

 

 

From the Musnad of Imam Shafi’i – Arranged by al-Sindi

Volume One, Chapter One – The time of Prayer

 

It was narrated by Malik ibn Uns, narrated by Yahya ibn Sa’id al-Ansari, narrated by Umra bint Abdul-Rahman, narrated by Aisha who said:

 

When the Prophet was about to pray the morning prayer, the women would depart covered (multafi’at) IN THEIR MUROOT. Muroot is plural of mirt with a diacritical mark below the “Mim” letter. IT IS A WOMAN’S COVERING that is made out of wool or perhaps silk or something else. Multafi’at in their muroot means that they were covered and lifa’ with a diacritical mark below (the first letter) which is a garment that covers the entire body.

 

سند الإمام الشافعي. - ترتيب السندي
الجزء الأول. >> الباب الأول في مواقيت الصلاة


1
46 - (أخبرنا) : مالك بن أنس، عن يَحْيَ بن سَعِيدٍ الانصاري، عن عُمْرة بنتِ عبد الرحمن، عن عائشة رضي اللَّه عنها قالت:
كان رسول اللَّه صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم لَيُصلي الصبح فَيَنْصرفْنَ النساء مُتَلفِّعات بِمُرُوطهن (المروط جمع
مرط بكسر الميم كساء المرأة يكون من صوف وربما كان من خز وغيره وكن متلفعات بمروطهن أي باكستيهن واللفاع بالكسر ثوب يغطى به الجسد كله كساء كان أو غيره وتلفع بالثوب اشتمل به والغلس: ظلمة آخر الليل إذا اختلطت بضوء الصباح والنساء بيان أو بدل من ضمير النسوة في كن والمراد من الحديث وقت صلاة الرسول الصبح) لا يُعْرَفْن من الغَلَس.

 

 

From the Musnad of Imam Shafi’i – Arranged by al-Sindi

Volume One, Chapter One – The time of Prayer

 

It was narrated by Sufyan, narrated by Abi Is`haq, narrated by Abdallah ibn Shadad, narrated by Maymuna the wife of the prophet who said:

The Prophet USED TO PRAY IN A MIRT, part of which was on him AND PART WAS ON ME when I was menstruating’. Mirt, with a diacritical mark (kasra) below the first letter then a sukoon below the second letter is a covering made of wool or silk or cotton that is girded with AND A WOMAN WRAPS HERSELF WITH IT. In the (Arabic) tongue Mirt is any garment that is not sown. In the end, the prophet, peace be upon him, used to pray IN HIS WOMEN’S MUROOT meaning their wraps … what is understood from these texts is that a mirt is a garment that is not sown THAT A WOMAN WRAPS HERSELF IN and it can be girded with. Since it is wrapped, the fact that one end of it is on one person and the other end is on another person is possible if it is long enough. The type (of mirt) in the hadith is of this type, that is why it is possible to cover both of them

 

 

مسند الإمام الشافعي. - ترتيب السندي
الجزء الأول. >> الباب الثالث في شروط الصلاة


188- (أخبرنا) : سفيان، عن أبي اسحاق، عن عبد اللّه بن شداد، عن ميمونة زوج النبي صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم، قالت:
كانَ رَسُولُ النبي اللَّه عليه وسلم يُصَلِّي في مِرْطٍ بَعْضُهُ عَلَيْه وَعَلَيَّ بَعْضُهُ وأنا حَائضٌ (المرط بكسر فسكون: كساء من صوف أو خز أو كتان يؤتزر به وتتلفع به المرأة اه مصباح بأضافة من اللسان وفي اللسان أيضا المرط كل ثوب غير مخيط وفي النهاية أنه النبي صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم كان يصلي في مروط نسائه أي
أكسيتهن وانه صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم كان يغاس بال  فينصرف النساء متلفعات بمروطهن ما يعرفن من الغلس اهـ والذي يفهم من هذه النصوص أن المرط ثوب غير مخيط تتلفع به المرأة ويؤتزر به وان في الأماكن مادام غير مخيط ومن جنس ما يتلفع به أن يكون طرفه على شخص وطرفه الثاني على شخص آخر إذا كان طويلا والذي في الحديث من هذا النوع الطويل ولهذا أمكن أن يشملهما وكونها حائضا لا يمنع صحة الصلاة فيه مادام لم يصله دم الحيض ومعلوم أن مدار صحة الصلاة على ستر العورة وطهارة الثوب وهما متحققان في الحديث) ".

 

 

From the Tongue of the Arabs (Lisan al-Arab) by Ibn Al-Manthour al-Ifriki

Volume Seven, The letter ‘Ta’, Section of the Letter ‘Mim’

 

In the Hadith (the prophet used to pray in his women’s muroot) meaning their coverings. The singular is mirt made of wool, or perhaps silk or something else and it can be girded with… Mirt is any garment that is not sown.

 

 

لسان العرب، الإصدار 2.02 - لابن المنظور الإفريقي.
المجلد السابع >> (ط) >> حرف الطاء المهملة >> فصل الميم

وفي الحديث: ((أَنه -صلّى اللّه عليه وسلّم- كان يصلي في مرُوط نسائه)).
أَي: أَكْسِيَتِهنّ؛ الواحد مِرْط يكون من صوف، وربما كان من خز أَو غيره يؤتَزر به.
وفي الحديث: ((أَن النبي -صلّى اللّه عليه وسلّم- كان يُغَلِّس بالفجر فينصرف النساء مُتَلَفِّعات بمرُوطهنّ ما يُعرفْن من الغَلَس)).
(ج/ص: 7/402)
وقال الحكم الخُضْري:
تَساهَمَ ثَوْباها ففي الدِّرْعِ رَأْدةٌ، * وفي المِرْطِ لَفّاوانِ، رِدْفُهما عَبْلُ
قوله: تساهم أَي: تَقارَعَ.
والمِرْط: كل
ثوب غير مَخِيط

 

 

 

From Fateh al-Bari, Explanation of Sahih al-Bukhari by Imam Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani

Volume One, The Book of Prayer, Chapter of Women Prayer Clothing

 

The hadith: Narrated by Abu Al-Yamam, narrated by Shuayb, narrated by Al-Zuhri, narrated by Urwah, narrated by Aisha who said: The prophet, peace be upon him, used to pray the dawn (fajr) prayer and there were women from among the believers who used to attend, covered (multafi’at) in their muroot. Then they used to return to their houses, unrecognized by anyone.

 

Commentary: … (Multafi’at) Al-Asma’i said that talafu’ is to cover one’s entire body with a garment. In the commentary of Maut’i by Ibn Habib talafu’ is only done when the head is covered but talafuf is done with the head exposed. Muroot is plural of mirt with a diacritical mark (kasra) below the first letter. It is a garment made of silk or wool or something else.

 

Al-Nudair ibn Shamil narrated that it (mirt) IS SPECIFIC TO WOMEN’S CLOTHING.

 

 

فتح الباري، شرح صحيح البخاري، الإصدار 2.05 - للإمام ابن حجر العسقلاني
المجلد الأول >> كِتَاب الصَّلَاةِ >> باب فِي كَمْ تُصَلِّي الْمَرْأَةُ فِي الثِّيَابِ


الحديث: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْيَمَانِ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا شُعَيْبٌ عَنْ الزُّهْرِيِّ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي عُرْوَةُ أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ لَقَدْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُصَلِّي الْفَجْرَ فَيَشْهَدُ مَعَهُ نِسَاءٌ مِنْ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ مُتَلَفِّعَاتٍ فِي مُرُوطِهِنَّ ثُمَّ يَرْجِعْنَ إِلَى بُيُوتِهِنَّ مَا يَعْرِفُهُنَّ أَحَدٌ
الشرح: قوله: (أن عائشة قالت: لقد) اللام في لقد جواب قسم محذوف.
قوله: (متلفعات) قال الأصمعي: التلفع أن تشتمل بالثوب حتى تجلل به جسدك، وفي شرح الموطأ لابن حبيب: التلفع لا يكون إلا بتغطية الرأس، والتلفف يكون بتغطية الرأس وكشفه، و (المروط) جمع
مرط بكسر أوله، كساء من خز أو صوف أو غيره.
وعن النضر بن شميل ما يقتضى أنه خاص بلبس النساء.
وقد اعترض على استدلال المصنف به على جواز صلاة المرأة في الثوب الواحد بأن الالتفاع المذكور يحتمل أن يكون فوق ثياب أخرى.
والجواب عنه أنه تمسك بأن الأصل عدم الزيادة على ما ذكر، على أنه لم يصرح بشيء إلا أن اختياره يؤخذ في العادة من الآثار التي يودعها في الترجمة.

قوله: (ما يعرفهن أحد) زاد في المواقيت " من الغلس " وهو يعين أحد الاحتمالين: هل عدم المعرفة بهن لبقاء الظلمة أو لمبالغتهن في التغطية؟ وسيأتي الكلام على بقية مباحثه في المواقيت إن شاء الله

تعالى.

 

 

 

It is clear from the foregoing Muslim authorities that Muhammad did in fact wear women’s clothing.

 

In the appendix we will provide additional Islamic references concerning the meaning of the terms thawb and mirt.

 

With this in the background we now proceed to address some of Abualrub’s false analogies as well as his accusations that we somehow mistranslated the Arabic.

 

 

 

 

Addressing Abualrub’s False Analogies

Teaching a Muslim Shaykh a valuable lesson in translation and meaning of words 

 

In order to avoid having to admit that his prophet dressed in women’s garments Abualrub decides to reference some narratives which he somehow thinks disproves our case. He states: 

 

f.        The Arabs also use ‘Kisaa’, ‘Qateefah’ and ‘Shamlah’ to mean blanket.  Here is an example where ‘Kisaa’ is used to mean ‘Li`haf (or, blanket)’.  Imam A`hmad collected a Hadeeth (2441), graded by Shaikh A`hmad Shakir as authentic from the grade Hasan, wherein is reported that Abdullah Ibn Abbas said that he visited his maternal aunt, Maimunah, the Prophet’s Wife, and she took a Kisaa, which she folded, and threw a Namruqah (a pillow) on it, then threw another Kisaa on top of it and went Fee it (i.e. under the upper Kisaa, which she used as a blanket while using the other Kisaa as a mat).  When the Prophet, peace be upon him, came, he covered himself with an Izar (i.e., waste garment), took off his Thaub (here it means ‘long shirt’) and went into bed with her in her Li`haf (i.e., Kisaa).

 

One quick point here. Abualrub again agrees that words such as izar and thawb refer to apparel, specifically to a person’s waist garment and long shirt.

 

Abualrub then challenges me to show him where fee means wearing:

 

Note: Shamoun translated ‘Fee’ as ‘wearing’…

1.      Note: The various narrations for this Hadeeth stated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, was Fee (which Shamoun translated as ‘wearing’) the Thaub, Li`haf, or Mirt of Aishah; this is the same Hadeeth, but with different descriptions of the same term.

 

2.      None of the narrations for this Hadeeth said that the Prophet was ‘wearing’ his wife’s ‘clothes’, i.e. as one wears a dress or a shirt; no Muslim scholar ever uttered this ludicrous notion or understood from this Hadeeth that the Prophet wore women’s clothing.  I challenge Shamoun to prove otherwise.

 

Once again:

 

a.      Shamoun, who translated ‘Fee’ as ‘wearing’, is hereby challenged to bring any proof that in this Hadeeth, ‘Fee’ means ‘wearing’.  ‘Fee’ has a host of meanings, such as ‘in; under; on; above; inside, within, etc.’ Read the rest of the article for evidence.  I should note here, though, that had ‘Fee’ in the Hadeeth Shamoun corrupted meant ‘wearing’, then, the narration of the same Hadeeth by Imam Muslim (4427) would mean that both the Prophet and Aishah were wearing her Thaub.  That would be one huge Thaub!

 

It is rather apparent that Abualrub is getting rather desperate at this point. He is correct that fee does mean “in” but fails to see how his admission serves to refute his slanders and false accusations against us.

 

It never dawned on Abualrub that to say that Muhammad was fee the thawb basically means that he was wearing the thawb. After all, if one happens to be IN his/her clothes then s/he must actually be wearing his/her clothes! Or does Abualrub really believe that you can be in your clothes without actually wearing them?  

 

Moreover, didn’t he himself admit that,

 

7.      Arabic is far more sophisticated and complex than any other language.  Arabs use various words to mean the same thing AND HAVE VARIOUS MEANINGS FOR THE SAME WORD. This is a good example to the depth of this wonderful language, and here is the unequivocal proof: (Emphasis ours)

 

And also said that words can be used in a figurative sense?

 

b.      Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, author of the explanation of Sahih al-Bukhari entitled, Fat`h-ul-Bari, wrote that, “’Min Tuli ma Lubisat’, indicates that sitting on something is called ‘Lubs (i.e., wearing [as a figure of speech])’. This Hadeeth was used as evidence that mere sitting on silk garments [for men] is disallowed, because of the general implication of [the Prophet’s Hadeeth] forbidding wearing silk [for men].’”

 

And:

 

 

a.          Ahmad’s narration for the same Hadeeth by Muslim that Shamoun corrupted contains these words: “I was with him ‘Fee Mirt-in Wa`hid (under one blanket)’ and explains Muslim’s narration ‘Labisun Mirta Aishah (‘wearing’ Aishah’s Mirt)’.  The Prophet, peace be upon him, was with his wife, Aishah, under her blanket.  The two narrations for this Hadeeth collected here report the very same incident.  ‘Labisun’ in the first narration by Muslim IS A FIGURE OF SPEECH as clearly explained by the second narration by Ahmad. (Emphasis ours)