The Novel of Sherry Jones and its many aspects
It is a novel that has become controversial around the globe. Reason? Intentional mingle of truth and reality, a threat to affect the reverence of most venerated Holy beings of the second largest faith in the world.While going through all the aspects of the author’s intentions, purposes and aims conveyed by her in different interviews and other statements for writing the book “The Jewel of Medina”. I really and truly regret to say that one finds lots of contradictions to ignore. Do not take it as a hurried conclusion. Please read further why?
She very extensively claimed that after 9/11 she wanted to write a book to form a bridge between Muslims and other communities, and remove the misconception about Islam. According to her at the same time this book elaborated the pious status and kind personality of the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) and honor his wife her Holiness Aisha (May God be pleased with her) as a wise and witty personality. But after reading it this is not proved. She rather posed her as an average woman who only followed her desires and had no respect or regards for the values that she was taught.
According to the author’s own statement in the initial stage she just wrote a book of facts about the lives of these Holy beings but later on she says she was advised (for commercial reason?) to put some ingredients of novel in it so that it became interesting and thrilling. Her greed for fame and money made her readily put at stake the forming of a bridge between two communities, (the main reason of writing this book)
She also deliberately ignored the consequences by forgetting the status of the Holy Prophet (peace and Blessing of God be upon him) and the status of respected and graceful personality of Aisha (may God be pleased with her) and the sentiments of Muslim all around the world and the image of Islam.
It is absolutely unbelievable an act by a person who claims to have a wish to remove hatred from among the people and that who asserts to have possessed best understanding and knowledge of Islam, as best as that it makes her write a book?. Unfortunately in spite of all the knowledge she claims to have, she is yet unaware of the intensity of reverence for these Holy beings in the heart of every Muslim.
She statured her self as an understanding and considerate person who cared for the betterment of humanity and peace but then deliberately mingle fiction in the reality, threatening the purity of characters of most revered personalities of a worldwide faith, just for the sake of mere thrill and commercial reason? But God intervened here, and she herself confessed she had mixed in the fiction to make the story interesting. Though after this confession there is no much need to say about this book. Everything becomes clear. But since it has tried to affect the reverence of our Beloved Prophet p.b.u.h and our most respected mother Aisha it is an obligation to us to convey the reality.
She absolutely ignored the fact that these two holy beings are venerated by billions around the world and deliberately brought restlessness in the society. Yet she has not realized its severity. It is our duty to convey the truth.
It is understood that she must have gone through a thorough study of the Islamic history she must have known that it is a part of faith for every Muslim to love the Holy Prophet p.b.u.h more then their lives, parents and every relative.
To Muslims his wives are like mothers. So if we weigh this common element of respect for a mother by a child, even on the average worldly scale, to hear something bad about a mother is intolerable for any individual even if it was true. But if it is a wrong accusation, anger and rage is imaginable. The blow of pain and hurting can be understood. Doer of such an act is answerable and owes an apology.
Now we come to the main story. She projects that the marriage of respected Aisha (may God be pleased with her) to the Holy Prophet p.b.u.h was not consented by her.
It is a very well known fact that respected Aisha (May God be pleased with her) came into the Holy Prophet’s wedlock at a very tender age. An age in which she was said to be playing when called to be prepared as a bride. She was like a blank paper and the very first image of man on it was that of the holy Prophet’s. His pious company, affection, kind character and image left an undeletable print thereafter on her. In return her constant care and love for him show that she had a very happy relation with her husband. The people who take pity on respected Aisha (May God be pleased with her) to have been chosen as the wife of Prophet Mohammad (peace and Blessings of God be upon him) should know that it was she who took pride in being his wife.
In fact all his wives tried to surpass one another when it came to show their love. It is related that before his demise prophet told his wives that who ever has longer hands amongst them will meet him first in paradise. His wives took it literally and began to measure the length of their hands. To see who would be that lucky one. The Holy Prophet p.b.u.h smiled and said that by long hands he meant the one who was more generous. This is something by which everyone can judge the standard of love, care and respect of his wives for him. It is amazing how his wives adored him so much that not only in this life did they want to be with him but also in the hereafter they wanted his holy companionship. Can we show such an example of love and understanding in today’s life?
Similar was the situation with the respected Aisha (may God be Pleased with her). In an incident after the demise of the Holy Prophet PBUH once a plain bread of finely grinded wheat flour was presented to her but instead of eating the bread and enjoying its softness she tearfully recalled that the holy prophet all his life ate very hard bread made out of hand mill crushed wheat. And that too was most of the time insufficient. Hence she could not eat it out of grief. This cannot be the face of a forced marriage?
In the case of the lost necklace of respected Aisha (may God be pleased with her), the incident has been exaggerated to the utmost level of ignorance in the novel, (God forbid) the author’s fabricating a plan of respected Aisha (may God be pleased with her) leaving the Holy Prophet and marry another man that came to her rescue in the wild and that the story of lost necklace and staying behind was a plot to accomplish the plan.
It may be a common talk in the west to be infidel or have relation outside the marriage or to cheat on one’s spouse or to have a secret relation or have an open access to other gender in the name of friendship or so called freedom. It maybe a thrill to some but human nature disapprove of it and abhor it as it brings shame, ruins the peace of families, promote infidelity, bring disgrace, thus it is regarded as lewd an act thus unacceptable. Such infidelity pollutes the societies with evil and mars the progenies to come.
At the same time an issue as serious as marriage which is a contract of lifetime, becomes a child’s play. With this attitude men and woman become irresponsible. A marriage is not a relation of two individuals but a whole generation’s fate relies upon it. Islam makes a man and woman realize it hence teaches them to possess a firm hold to a very high and prestigious standard of loyalty respect and deep affection towards their life partners. The one who adheres to it is given the tiding of great rewards in the world and hereafter. So purity of character and modesty are the hallmarks of Islamic world. Had she known Islam she would have refrained from this fabrication. To Muslims this is heart aching ignorance. One feels pity on such level of ignorance. As in the real incident it was nothing but a simple day to day accidental happening.
The truth is, once on the way back to home from a journey the caravan of the Holy Prophet p.b.u.h stopped to take a rest at a certain place. His wife respected Aisha (may God be pleased with her) was accompanying him. It so happened that respected Aisha (may God be pleased with her) had to go aside for the natures call hoping to be back in time. But there she lost her necklace and she started searching for it. It delayed her return. In her absence her howdah or litter was lifted by the people and put on the camel, as she was light weighted, no body noticed it was empty so the caravan left without her. On her return she was shocked to see what had happened. The misery and agony of being left alone in the wild for a young woman is imaginable, she sat under a tree in tears and there waited and prayed to be helped.
It was customary for the Holy Prophet p.b.u.h that he always appointed someone to come after the caravan to take care of the things that might have been left behind mistakenly. So a man named Safwan was given this task at that time. When this man came there he saw respected Aisha (may God be pleased) sleep sitting under a tree. He had seen her before the revelation of the verse for the veil. So recognizing her he quickly turned his face aside uttering the words of seeking the refuge of God, and made the sound of cough to make her aware of his presence. At this abruptly she woke up and seeing a man before her she covered her face. Then the person respectfully like a servant brought his camel to her on which she quietly mounted and they set off towards home. The man kept walking along at the back quietly like a humble servant. Until they reached their destination.
That was all. But the people who did not want to miss any opportunity to (God forbid) defame Holy Prophet and his family took advantage and started gossiping evil about them. And are trying to do so till today. But God, the Almighty, the Wise, The Most Beneficent and the Merciful cleared her from all the accusation by revealing her innocence in the Holy Quran. It darkened the faces of the accusers and disappointed them and wasted their efforts.
If there had been any truth in the accusation she was only eighteen years of age when the holy Prophet passed away she still was very young to act upon her plan if she had any. She lived almost sixty two years afterwards but there is not a single incident that indicate she ever wanted to remarry anyone at all. If someone says that she did not remarry because wives of holy Prophet were not allowed to do so then they should know that the same condition applied in his life. Then how could have she tried it then.
Touching the topic of the veil or hijab Sherry Jones very illusively gives the impression that the wives of The Holy Prophet pbuh did not like the command of veil hence they spoke of it as an undesired obligation or burden that had taken their freedom and confined them. She also tried to pose this revelation as the result of the constant influence and urge of his friend Abu Bakar (may God be pleased with him) making the revelation suspicious. As she has already admitted it, it is again the recipe of the brilliance of fiction that she talked about.
In reality on an occasion that demanded the need for veil the verse descended to the Holy Prophet by God through His Angel Gabriel. To this not only the wives of the Holy Prophet but also other Muslim women readily adopted. And they solemnly with contentment and ease practiced it. It is related that when Respected Aisha (May God be pleased with her) felt that her time was near she advised to her maid that her funeral should be very well covered and be taken out to bury only in the dark of the night so that she would not be seen lay by people in the streets. What can be said on the details of Sherry Jones that she has very painfully woven in here novel to take the sympathy of readers for her imaginary heroin in the novel. One can only but say this idiomatic phrase which means every brain thinks within its capacity.
The book also gives the illustration of the Holy Prophet’s many marriages (God forbid) as a result of being afflicted by the beauties of women. If this was the case then why did he not readily agree to the offers made by the Quraish tribe for the wealth as much as he wanted and his marriage to any beautiful girl that he may had admired of.
Had he been keen for this he had a golden chance to avail it in the prime of his youth. But instead he rejected these offers and at the ripe age of twenty five years at the apex of his youth married a pious rich lady her exalted Holiness the lady Kahdijah (may God be pleased with her) in spite she was fifteen years older to him. He remained loyal to her until her death when he was fifty years of age and she was sixty five. The span of their holy companionship expands on twenty five years. He spent an absolute happy life with her.
If someone thinks he married her because of her wealth they should lo and behold! All her wealth with her consent was given to the needy ones. Many a times she would also stay without food for days without any complain or without his love or respect being less in her heart. These are the talks of the pious that are unheard of by the worldly people. So why worry? Once we show these qualities on and off they will surely understand. These are best human qualities that have been lost from their treasure of nature since long; they are in dire need of them. Talk of chastity to them is the tale of the past, purity forgotten and lost. Such a misery has befallen on them that they have become insane thus do not even feel the need of it. But the chosen people or God loving souls are heavenly beings. They crave for these qualities. Thus there is no match of them with the worldly ones.
Holy Prophet Mohammad p.b.u.h always missed his first wife respected Kadijah (may God be pleased with her) on many occasions of his life saying words of praise for her so much that sometimes his other wives would envy her. After her demise the prophets peace be upon him did not remarry until almost two years. Then he married to a noble lady named Sauda (May God be pleased with her) of the same age of his, fifty two.
All his wives other then respected Aisha (May God be pleased with her) were either widows or divorced. His marriages to them were for the reason of making good relation to the tribes living around as this was the best way of spreading the word of God in these tribes. Hence all his marriages were mainly for the sake of preaching the word of God to the people. There was not any personal reason or need behind it. His two marriages were significantly proposed by God for him. One with respected Aisha (may God be pleased with her) and the second one was that to the lady Zainab (may God be pleased with her) for this marriage the Prophet was somewhat reluctant but God revealed to him that he should marry her.
Lady Zainab May God be pleased with her was the ex- wife of a boy that was raised in his home. The prophet p.b.u.h took him as a son. But God clearly revealed to him that a child must be known by the name of his real father. And an adopted child may be treated by good and given everything on mutual understanding but cannot be the heir. So every wife that he took was for the sake of spreading the word of God. There was a time when out of some reason which for the fear of length can not be explained here, God commanded him to refrain from his wives to which he responded obediently. He went aside in segregation and waited for a month or two until God allowed him to return to them. At first common people and even his wives and friends feared that he had divorced all his wives. But later they were told that it was for the will of God a temporary segregation. So it is very important that one should keep these aspects in mind before saying any thing about his marriages.
The western Nations do not only believe in the freedom of speech but also in equal rights of others. It is very much needed that especially these nations who are best known for their research works on every field of life in the world should be very careful while writing about something which has strong historical records. Sherry Jones being from these communities should have refrained from fabricating fiction in the reality. Had she really worked on the actual plan and built a bridge she would have been a real hero in the opinion of the entire peace lover around the world. It is the duty of every civilized Nation’s citizen to refrain from causing the situation of law and order by his/her works. Specifically the nations who call themselves the torch bearers of peace and order in the world.
Sherry Jones defends her self by saying I am a free person I have the freedom of speech. Why one should only emphasize on the freedom of speech? What about the rights? The right of respect for other’s around. It is a matter of common sense that the works that violates the rights of other’s should not be encouraged. We are living in the 21st century and are civilized enough to understand the rights and wrongs. These days mankind has reached the apex of every knowledge. Defines sophistication of manners, sets the rules for prevailing peace in the societies, and derived etiquettes for literate societies from their brain work. They advocate sanity and brotherhood as topics and issues robotically. Just as students learns his lessons in the class to pass the exam. All these knowledge’s are learned to teach further as a profession or to get a Degree of Masters or become a gold medalist. All worldly goals. But if it is done with passion to serve the mankind regardless of race color and creed and is applied with piety, the scheme definitely will work.
These are the topics of the time. More and more ways are being discovered to coup with restlessness, discriminations and terrorism that seem to have no boundaries no end. At this level the bridge of love is direly needed between every Nation. The societies and nations in fact are starving for it.
They are trying to reach further possible heights in every field chaotically. Just like wandering in the dark jungle without a torch in search of path. Piety and selfless compassion is the torch to show the way that they are missing.
Is it not the time we learnt appreciating each other’s sentiments as world has become a global village. The cities and countries are becoming cosmopolitans.
I do not hold any evil intention to this lady Sherry Jones. But I pray very earnestly that she and everyone who thinks to reform societies and has command over the pen, gets the inner vision and sees the things as they are when it comes to present a reality. And that they should realize that sentiments of people are not something that should
be taken for granted.
Especially when it comes to religious reverence, intermingle of truth and myth should not be practiced. It works like a poison to the societies. Ignoring the fact that defames someone’s Holy beings can indeed very much hurt people.
This author or any other one who tried such efforts in the past or plan to do so in the future should keep this in mind that the benefit they might want to take out of such an acts will be of no use to them. Not a single Blessing or favor of God can they achieve. Not even worldly benefit will be of any comfort to them. This is an absolute fact.
Being a true Muslim we are taught to be tolerant and practice patience. We are the people that are commanded to teach good and abhor evil by our practice. It is our duty to represent the truth and defend our faith in sophisticated and peaceful manners with lots of patience as there is no gain without pain. But at the same time we strongly recommend to our other counterparts that great care and a vast study should be observed while writing real biographies and the standard of respect should be very well maintained. There is a large space for them to study what Islam is all about.
Islam is about love respect, equality, peace, patience, modesty and harmony in the world. There is a couplet of a very famous poet in the east which says, “do not be afraid of the opposing furious winds O’ Eagle, they are here to make your fly even high”. We as Muslims should react peacefully to such instances as they are brought forth to provide us a platform to convey the real message of Islam. So we should not grieve and protest by arms but by the power of pen, prayers and patience. This can only be done by adhering to the golden principals of Islam. Only then we can win the hearts of even our bitterest foes. This is how we can show the right path to the people who are wandering in search of peace. Of course with the help of God if He pleased. May God accept our humble efforts. Amen.
T.Masood
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