According to Muslims, Muhammad is the most perfect human to ever walk the face of the earth. That should be reflected in his private life. That is why this website takes a closer look at his married life and his wives. Does his image also hold up when we read the stories of his wives and concubines? Can Muhammad stand the test of criticism? You can make your own judgment about that.
Central to some biographies is the concept of ‘The Right Hand Possess’, which appears several times in the Quran. This term refers to female slaves and the female as possession. When Muhammad’s warriors asked what they could do with the booty, the Quran said: Forbidden are married women except the right hand possess. In other words, the unmarried women from the spoils of war were free and did not have to give consent for sexual intercourse. Muhammad himself also exercised this right.
These are the concubines among his wives. Muhammad also arranged marriages to protect widows and divorcees. This was already a custom in pre-Islamic times. However, the widows of Muhammad himself were not allowed to remarry. Muhammad still ruled over his wives after his death. A successor in the male line did not result from these marriages. The boys died early in life.
After Mohammed’s death, the battle for his succession broke out. A battle that is still raging between Shiites and Sunnis. Aisha was one of the main players in this battle.
According to the Quran, women are entirely under the authority of their husbands. A man is intellectually and physically superior to a woman and this also applies to the women in these biographies. Man and woman are not equal in Islam. They both have their own tasks and roles, but there is definite domestic hierarchy. And in that house Mohammed had privileges. He could marry as many women as he wanted. At one point in his life he was married to at least four wives. The Quran gives him the freedom to do that. At the same time, he required his new converts to reduce the number of wives they kept to four. Which is contrary to the rules of Islam.
Best of luck forming your new opinions.