The Lord Jesus, as the Son of God, never married during His earthly life and ministry, and He was sinless in every respect. Muhammad, however, had more wives than a Muslim is permitted to have according to the Qur’an. According to Sura 4:3, four is the maximum number of wives a Muslim man may have. For convenience, the Qur’an grants Muhammad special privileges regarding women that were not granted to other Muslims. Allah gives Muhammad special permission in Sura 33:50:
“O Prophet, We (Allah) have made lawful to you your wives to whom you have paid their dowers; and those whom your right hand possesses out of the prisoners of war whom Allah has assigned to you; and the daughters of your paternal uncles and aunts, and the daughters of your maternal uncles and aunts, who migrated (from Makkah) with you; and any believing woman who dedicates her soul to the Prophet if the Prophet wishes to wed her; this only for you, and not for the believers (at large). We (Allah) know what We have appointed for them as to their wives and the captives whom their right hand possess; in order that there should be no difficulty for you.“
Muhammad made full use of this privilege and took many wives, some of whom were still children when they became his wives. Muslim sources differ on the number of wives he had. Al-Bukhari mentions nine in one place and eleven in another – likely correct at different times. The following quotations from Al-Bukhari shed considerable light on Muhammad’s sexual appetite and activities:
Khan, 1987:268 Vol. 1 p. 165: “Anas bin Malik said, ‘The Prophet used to visit all his wives in a round, during the day and night and they were eleven in number.’ I asked Anas, ‘Had the Prophet the strength for it?’ Anas replied, ‘We used to say that the Prophet was given the strength of thirty (men).’“
According to Al-Bukhari (Khan, 1987:6 Vol. 7 p. 5), Anas also reported:
“The Prophet used to go round (have sexual relations with) all his wives in one night, and he had nine wives.“
The age of Muhammad’s wives was also not important to him. One of his wives was so young that, in modern terms – and without Allah’s special approval – Muhammad would be considered a paedophile. According to Al-Bukhari (Khan, 1987:64 Vol. 7 p. 65):
“The Prophet wrote the (marriage contract) with Aisha while she was six years old and consummated his marriage with her while she was nine years old and she remained with him for nine years (i.e. till his death).“
Karim, 1998:27:28 Vol. 2 p. 636, writes similarly about Aisha (Ayesha):
“Ayesha reported that the messenger of Allah married her while she was a girl of seven years. She was sent to him while she was nine years with her toys.“
Regarding Muhammad’s number of wives, Karim 1998 Vol. 4 p. 478, lists twelve names. Morey (1992:85–86) provides a list of twenty-two women compiled by Muslim scholar Ali Dashti — sixteen married to Muhammad, two slaves he kept as wives, and four devout Muslim women who offered themselves to Muhammad for his sexual gratification.
When Muhammad wanted to marry Zaynab, the wife of his adopted son Zaid, and they were reluctant, another convenient revelation from Allah appeared in the Qur’an:
Sura 33:36–37: “It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Apostle to have any option about the decision; if any one disobeys Allah and His Apostle, he is indeed on a clearly wrong path. Behold, you did say to one who had received the grace of Allah and your favour: ‘Retain (in wedlock) your wife, and fear Allah.’ But you did hide in your heart that which Allah was about to make manifest; you did fear the people but it is more fitting that you should fear Allah. Then when Zaid had dissolved (his marriage) with her, with the necessary (formality), We (Allah) joined her in marriage to you in order that (in future) there may be no difficulty to the Believers in (the matter of) marriage with the wives of their adopted sons, when the latter have dissolved with the necessary (formality) (their marriage) with them.“
The Lord Jesus offered Himself to reconcile humanity to God, but for Muhammad it was about power, honour, status, and pleasure. May the Lord open the eyes of any reader who has not yet chosen, so that he or she may discern between a false prophet and the true Redeemer.
But who is God?