it bespeaks an invitation to you to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet,
sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, in his kind attitude toward his wives. If you
claim to follow and love the Noble Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu 'alayhi
wa sallam, Sunnah, in keeping a beard, cleaning your teeth with a Siwaak
(tooth stick) and shortening your clothes to reach above the ankle, you are
likewise required to emulate him in the way he treated his spouses .
Moreover, the leniency, mercy and patience of the Prophet, sallallaahu
'alayhi wa sallam, with his wives is not merely his tradition, but an
obligation confirmed by many Quranic verses, among which is the one in which
Allaah The Almighty Says (what means):
And live with them in[Quran 4:20]
kindness.
Rasulullah sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "He is the best amongst you
who is the kindest towards his wives and I am the kindest amongst you
towards my wives."
Thus, racing was a compassionate gesture of the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi
wa sallam, in order to be friendly and open with his wives.
'Aa'ishah [Allah be pleased with her] narrates that as a young and thin
girl, she was once accompanying the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam,
on one of his journeys. He, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam asked his
Companions to move ahead of them, which they did. He, sallaallahu 'alayhi wa
sallam, then asked to race with her; she did and won. Some time later, after
she had forgotten about this, she was with the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi
wa sallam, on another of his journeys and he wanted to race her. She wanted
to excuse herself, by telling him she could not, since she had gained some
weight, but he, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, insisted. They raced and this
time he won; so the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, laughed and
said; "This [is] for that."
Some husbands contend that they do not race with their wives because they
are too busy and have many responsibilities. Our retort is that by no means
can they be busier than the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, who bore
the responsibility of conveying the Message of Islam to the entire world. He
also led the army in combat alongside running errands for his family and
doing household chores. Nevertheless, all this did not stop him from twice
racing with his wife 'Aa'ishah[RA] .
Other husbands might argue that the streets are not a suitable place for
racing; so, they can surely take their wives away from people, on a picnic.
Moreover, competition is not just in running. One can compete to win in a
permissible electronic game or general knowledge quiz, in which one can ask
each other questions and keep score.
A third group of husbands believes that such competitions may cause their
wives to become too bold and eventually challenge them. This is not true,
because the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, raced with his wife, so
this is an act to be followed, for copying his behaviour with his wives can
bring nothing but good. Also, modern research has established that being
kind and easygoing with one's wife makes it easier for her to be mindful of
you.
There are lessons to be learned from the aforementioned incident related by
'Aa'ishah concerning the Prophet's, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, kindness
toward his wives.
1- The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, was the one to ask for a
race both times. This teaches husbands that they should take the initiative
in such competitions. Wives may be too busy with housework or fear rejection
or, as is the generally innate nature of women, be too shy to propose such
an idea. However, on their part, they should try to urge their husbands when
they see they are free and in a good mood.
2- A husband should not incessantly brag of superiority over his wife. We
notice that the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, outran 'Aa'ishah
after she had already outran him the first time.
3- Alternately, a husband should neither always deliberately lose for the
sake of his wife or the competition would be meaningless. The factor that
decided the win of 'Aa'ishah the first time was her youth and fitness, and
when she put on some weight, the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam,
outran her.
4- A husband should remember that such competitions are just for
amiability and fun. Neither of the spouses should get worked up or a row
could ensue and the activity would lose its desired aim. This can be
understood from the reaction of the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam,
who only cheerfully referred to his win to counter that of 'Aa'ishah's .
Verily in the noble way of the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam is
there a recipe for happiness.
The lifestyle of Allah's Final Messenger Muhammad sallallaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam is indeed the Noblest of all examples!!!
E Islam (from CII)
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