The Life of the Prophet Muhammad by Ibn Kathir - Volume 3 of 4

216 THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD
(SAAS) on the expedition to Banti d-Mustaliq. We took many of the bedouin
captive and we lusted after the women; celibacy was very hard on us. We lied
to practise al-'ad, but wondered whether we should do this without asking the
Messenger of God (SAAS), since he was there with us. So we did ask him about
it, and he replied, 'You might well not do that; for any soul that is going to exist
till Judgement Day will so exist.'"
He (Muslim) also related this hadith.
Ihn Ishaq continued, "One of those taken captive that day was Juwayriyya,
daughter of al-Harith h. Aha Dirar. Muhammad h. Jacfar b. al-Zubayr related to
me, from Wrwa, who quoted 'A'isha as saying, 'When the Messenger of God
(SAAS) distributed the captives taken from Bana al-Mustaliq, Juwayriyya,
daughter of al-HGth, was awarded to Thahit h. Qays b. Shammas, or to a cousin
of his and she wrote a muq&bala5' deed giving herself to him. She was a very sweet
and attractive woman; every man who saw her fell for her. She came to the
Messenger of God (SAAS) to ask his help in preparing the document. And,
I swear, as soon as I saw her at the door of my room, I disliked her and
recognized that he would see in her what I did. When she went in to him, she
said, "Messenger of God, I am Juwayriyya, daughter of d-Hzrith b. Aba Dirar,
the leader of his people. You can see what my plight is now; I have fallen to
the lot of Thabit h. Qays h. Shammas" - or to his cousin - "and I've prepared
a deed awarding myself to him. I've come to ask your help in writing it."
"'He then asked her, "Would you prefer better?" "What would that he,
Messenger of God?" she asked. "I will take responsibility for your deed myself
and marry you," he replied. "Yes, Messenger of God," she commented, "I agree."
"'The news spread that the Messenger of God (SAAS) had married
Juwayriyya, daughter of d-Harith. And so people said, "Then they (i.e. our
captives) are relatives of the Messenger of God (SAAS)!" And so they released
their captives.
"'And so by his marriage to her, he released 100 of her relatives from Bann
al-Mustaliq. I know no woman who brought greater blessings to her people
than she."'
Thereafter Ihn Ishaq reported the incident of al-t$k in its entirety as part of
his narration of this expedition. Al-Bukhw and several other scholars did the
same. I have laid out the various lines of transmission in my Tafsir (Exegesis) of
surat al-Niir (XXIV) and this could he joined to what was mentioned here. And
God is the source of help.
Al-Waqidi stated, "Haram related to us, from Hisham b. Wrwa, from his
father, who said, 'Juwayriyya, daughter of al-Hiwith, stated, "For three nights
before the arrival of the Prophet (SAAS), I seemed to see the moon travel from
Yathrih and fall into my lap. I did not like to tell anyone of this prior to the
54 A contract between slave and master wherein the former agrees to pay the Latter a certain
sum for emanci~ation