Peace Miss_Noland
Look at the detail … it will help. Notice the prophet Muhammad (SAW) addresses the women in the group directly, but when explaining his statement he uses the general case for all women. The wisdom hence that is behind why Allah (SWT) prescribed 2 women witnesses or 1 man witness is altogether prevalent in the representation of womanhood in the group that was before RasoolAllah (SAW). What is that wisdom? I have said that it is or rather could be that women were not always involved in public affairs and tense situations may make them nervous, but this is only a guess it could be an array of things or something else. The fact is that the prophet Muhammad (SAW) knew something about the female group before him and as a result of his unmatched insight he made that statement. He used the word ‘intelligence’ to represent the specific issue of public legal testimony, it was not a sweeping statement. The evidence for this can be found in the statement … after he (SAW) sought affirmation from the women.
The same can be said of being unable to perform prayers and fasts at certain times, there must have been some insight that led RasoolAllah (SAW) to conclude that the female group before him represented them being ‘deficient in religion’ … here ‘religion’ is used in place of a specific injunction based on the female natural cycle. Not that they are deficient in religion, rather that they have a need to observe, which is representatory in the group before him. It would not make sense to say this to pregnant women as they do not menstruate nor would it make sense to say this to elderly women. Hence, it could be that these women were young.
The context of this hadith is that it was a time when charity was being collected and a campaign was on to encourage alms giving. As part of this hadith the prophet Muhammad (SAW) also said that hell would be dominated by women, without actually saying that it would be those women before him, according to my belief those were all Sahabiyya so that riwayah was meant for other women, however it was said to them and they took it personally. Muhammad (SAW) got a message across without being false about it.
Note in the first instance he (SAW) said that THOSE women were ‘most deficient in intelligence and religion’ but then quoted a general case to support his argument, remember intelligence and religion are really code words as explained in the hadith itself, and in the second instance when relating of how he (SAW) saw many women in hell, he never said THOSE women were any of them.
No, it won’t help… Don’t you see how twisted and wrong this is! What if men were called out for being deficient in intelligence and religion the same way Muhammad (pbuh) called out these women? I mean why go to this length to defend something that is so obviously very offensive! I understand that it’s hard to hear criticism about something that has become a part of your identity but seriously!!! It gives me just another reason to believe this could NOT be God’s religion. Wow, only a man will underestimate women like that…
Why don’t you for once post a hadith or verse of Qur’an that calls out men for lacking intelligence? Just once..