So who was Umme Kalthum wife of Umar?
An analysis of the Ahl'ul Sunnah traditions makes it clear that the Umme Kalthum being described was a child (Sagheera) so young that she was still milk fed (Sabeeya) - this Umme Kalthum could not have been more than five years of age, at the time of marriage in 17 Hijri. Umme Kalthum binte Fatima (as) as we have already discussed was 11 / 12 years of age in 17 Hijri and hence was baligh - and according to Afriki's own admission was of marriageable age - she could not be described as Sabeeya or Sagheera - as was the status of Umar's wife in 17 Hijri.
Umar had several wives called Umme Kalthum
History establishes that Umar had several wives called Umme Kalthum:
- Umme Kalthum Jameela binte Asim bin Thabit - the mother of Asim bin
Umar.
(Tareekh Khamees Volume 2 page 251).
- Umme Kalthum binte Jarweela Khuzeema - Her actual name was Maleeka. She was
the mother of Zaid bin Umar.
(Tareekh Kamil Volume 3 page 22).
- Umme Kalthum binte Ukba bin Abi Mayyath - Zuhri narrates that during the
period of jahiliyya she was the wife of Amr bin Aas. She left him and embraced
Islam. Her relatives approached Rasulullah (s) and asked that she be returned.
Rasulullah (s) replied 'Any woman that embraces Islam cannot be returned, Amr
bin Aas was a kaffir at the time, she was not returned and Umar married
her.
(Sharh Bukhari, by Qasthalani Volume 4 page 349).
- Umme Kalthum binte Rahab.
(Sunan Abu Daud and Ibn Majah)
- Umme Kalthum binte Abu Bakr - Born to Asma binte Umais. She was also the
mother of Muhammad bin Abu Bakr. (Alam al Nisa Volume 4 page 250). She was born
in 12 Hijri, after the death of Abu Bakr (Tabari Volume 2 page 50; Tareekh Kamil
Volume 2 page 161; Tareekh Khamees Volume 2 page 267; al Isaba page 286) Asma
married Imam 'Ali (as) and the young Umme Kalthum joined her mother in the house
of Imam 'Ali (as).
Sunni research scholar Malik Daulath Abadi in "Hidayaath al Saud" page 359 states:
"Asma binte Amees was initially the wife of Ja'far bin Tayyar then she married Abu Bakr from this relationship two children were born a boy and a girl called Umme Kalthum. After that she married Hadhrath 'Ali and Umme Kalthum came into his house. This is the Umme Kalthum that Umar married�she died at a young age, whilst residing in the house of Umar. She left no children".
Worthy of note is the fact that die-hard Deobandi and enemy of the Shi'a Allamah Doust Muhammad Quraishi in his article 'WHO WAS HADHRAT ALI RADHIALLAHU-ANHU)?' also admitted that:
"89. For the upbringing of the orphan Muhammad bin Abu Bakr (RA), Hadrath Ali (RA) married his mother Asma binte Umais (RA)".
Here is the link:
Jamiat.org.za/isinfo/aliwho.htmlWe shall Inshallah expand on this whole matter in greater depth in the next chapter. Suffice it to say for the moment, Asma married Imam 'Ali and the young Umme Kalthum (as) was in the home of Imam 'Ali (as) she was viewed as Umme Kalthum binte 'Ali. In 17 Hijri she would have been 5 years of age and would was indeed Sagheera (a child) and could also have been deemed Sabeeya (milk fed) since it was common to breast feed a child until they were infants. It was this five-year-old child that Umar chose to marry when he was in his mid fifties.
Let us now look deeper into this matter, and pose some questions for Afriki�
The marriage of fifty five year old Umar ibn al Khattab to five year old Umme Kalthum binte Abu Bakr
We read in Kanz al Ummal Volume 7 page 98:
"Umar proposed to marry Umme Kalthum binte Abu Bakr, and made the proposal to Ayesha. Ayesha replied 'She is too young, but where we will she go without you? Umme Kalthum approached Ayesha and said 'I have heard that you want to marry me to Umar. He will give me a tough life; I am in need of a young man, who loves this world. If you marry me to Umar then I shall complain before Rasulullah. Ayesha then summoned Amr bin Aas who said 'I shall deal with the matter'. Amr spoke to Umar, after a general conversation he said 'I hear that you intend on marrying'. Umar replied 'Yes'. Amr bin Aas asked 'Who?' Umar replied 'Umme Kalthum binte Abu Bakr'. Amr then said 'She is a child that shall cry for her father every day'. Umar then said 'Did Ayesha send you?'
This tradition raises some questions that we challenge Afriki and his fellow defenders of the Sahaba to answer:
- Umme Kalthum was under age so why did Ayesha accept Umar's invitation?
- If she was underage then why did the 55 year old khalifa want to marry
her?
- When Ayesha was happy with the matter, why was Umme Kalthum complaining
about the second khalifa?
- Abu Bakr's daughter clearly had no interest in religion, why was the
Khalifa's daughter inclined in this way?
- We read in Sahih al Bukhari Bab ul Nikah, Volume 7, Book 62, Number 27 that
Rasulullah (s) said ' you should marry the religious woman (otherwise) you will
be a losers' - this being the case why did Umar want to marry an individual who
clearly had no interest with the Deen?
- Why was the Khalifa's daughter desirous to marry a wealthy young man?
- Why did Umme Kalthum threaten to complain before Rasulullah (s) if she was married to Umar?
Worthy of note is the fact that she:
- Complains of Umar's nomadic lifestyle
- Threatens to complain before Rasulullah (s) if the marriage takes place
- Initiates a desire to marry a rich man
Would a five-year old girl really make such comments? Are these not the comments of an adolescent / mature female? Clearly embarrassed by Umar's marriage with a five-year-old the scrupulous narrators sought to cover up her age by portraying her as older.
Let us also cite al Bidaya wa al Nihaya Volume 7 page 139:
"Umar asked Ayesha for permission to marry Umme Kalthum binte Abu Bakr, who was underage. Ayesha spoke to Umme Kalthum who said . 'No as he leads a tough lifestyle'. Ayesha then said 'You don't wish to marry Ameerul Momineen?' Umme Kalthum said 'No as his life is tough'. Ayesha then spoke with Amr bin Aas who forced Umar to withdraw his proposal".
Our questions here are as follows:
- When Abu Bakr's daughter was underage, what dawned on Umar to ask for her
hand, by seeking the consent of her elder sister Ayesha?
- Ayesha was clearly aware of the young age of her sister, why did she not
simply reject the offer outright?
- Can you really convince a five-year-old girl to get married?
- Would a five-year-old girl give this type of reply?
Yet again the embarrassed Ahl'ul Sunnah narrators have sought to portray Umme Kalthum binte Abu Bakr as older than she actually was, so as to cover up Umar's actions.
Let us now turn to Tareekh Kamil Volume 3 page 27 Dhikr Zawaaj Umar:
"Umar approached Ayesha with a proposal to marry Umme Kalthum. Umme Kalthum replied 'I don't want him, he leads a tough life, and is stern towards women'. Ayesha then asked for the assistance of Amr bin Aas in the matter. Amr said 'I shall deal with it'. Amr said to Umar 'I ask for Allah's forgiveness'. Umar asked 'In relation to what?' Amr said 'I have received information that you have asked for the hand of Umme Kalthum'. Umar replied 'Yes am I not deserving of this?' Amr replied 'Brother it is not that, she is a mere child brought up under the guardianship of Ameerul Momineen (Commander of the Faithful). You are a stern mannered individual, we fear you, and do not wish to clash with you, if this child opposes you, you shall become angry, then what will happen to the child? You will have failed to look after the daughter of Abu Bakr, in a manner that was incumbent on you'. Umar then said 'But I have already spoken to Ayesha'. Amr replied 'I have responsibility with regards to Ayesha'.
We would like to ask Afriki:
- Why did Amr bin Aas deem Umar's intention to be a serious matter from which
he sought Allah (swt)'s forgiveness?
- Why did Umar want to marry this underage orphan girl?
Two points from the text are also worthy of note here:
- Who was Ameerul Momineen here? It could not have been Abu Bakr since he was
not known by this title, and Ahl'ul Sunnah themselves believe Umar gave himself
this title.
- If we accept that Ameerul Momineen here refers to Abu Bakr, then again this makes no sense since Umme Kalthum never saw her father, he died whilst she was still in her mother's womb.
Let us now analyse the matter, as recorded by Tareekh Tabari Volume 5 page 2734, Dhikr Zawaj Umar:
"Umar proposed to marry Umme Kalthum binte Abu Bakr, she was an underage child. He discussed the matter with Ayesha, she said the decision is in her hands. Umme Kalthum said 'I am not happy with regards to Umar. Ayesha said 'You don't want Ameer'ul Momineen [Commander of the Faithful]? She replied he leads a frugal existence and is tough towards women" Ayesha then sent a message to Amr bin Aas telling him. Amr replied 'Let me handle it'. He [Amr] approached Umar and said 'Commander of the faithful, I have heard some news from which I invoke God's name to protect you!". Umar asked 'What is the matter?' Amr said 'You are seeking the hand if Umme Kalthum binte 'Abu Bakr. Umar replied 'Do you not think I am worthy of her or she for me? [Amr] said, 'Neither but she was brought up with kindness and gentleness under the protection of the Mother of the Believers. You are rough and ready. But we are in awe of you and cannot turn you away from something that is natural to you. What will happen if she [Umme Kalthum] disobeys you on a matter and punish her physically? You will taken 'Abu Bakr's place as his child [protector] in a way that does not befit you'. Umar replied 'But what about Ayesha, I have already told her [that I will marry Umme Kalthum]? Amr said 'I shall deal with it on your behalf. Also I shall show someone better, Umme Kalthum binte 'Ali, through who you shall acquire a relationship with the Messenger of God"
If we are to accept this account, then it suggests that initially Umar proposed to marry Umme Kalthum binte 'Abu Bakr and then Umme Kalthum binte 'Ali (as). The alleged marriage to Umme Kalthum (as) took place in 17 Hijri, from Tabari we can deduce that Umar's proposal to Umme Kalthum binte Abu Bakr occurred in the same year, when she was just an infant of five. This reference puts to rest any Nasibi attempts to try and suggest that Umar made the proposal when she was baligh.
Again we ask some questions:
- Why was Umar seeking to use his influence over Ayesha so that he could marry
her under age sister?
- Is it really believable that an underage girl would be able to decide on
such a matter, particularly via such a comprehensive rebuttal?
- Can a woman really advise a five-year-old girl on the merits of marrying
such an individual?
- If the daughter of Abu Bakr was under age why did the 55-year-old khalifa
want to marry her?
- If the girl was underage why did Ayesha not point this out to Umar?
- Why did Umme Kalthum reject Umar the great khalifa by highlighting such
defects in his character?
- If the concern of Amr bin Aas was that Umar's use of physical force would
pain Abu Bakr, then why did he not share the same concerns with regard to the
daughter of Sayyida Fatima (as)?
- In the eyes of Rasulullah (s) who's pain is more significant that of Abu Bakr or that of Sayyida Fatima (as)?
Let us now move on to another authentic Sunni text Tareekh Khamees Volume 2 page 239 Dhikr Zawaaj Umar:
"Umme Kalthum was the daughter of Abu Bakr, she was a young girl. Her mother was a Christian, when Abu Bakr died she was pregnant - she was hence born after Abu Bakr's death. When she grew older Umar ibn al Khattab proposed to marry her, Ayesha accepted the proposal, but Umme Kalthum binte 'Ali rejected the proposal, Ayesha therefore made some excuses and the matter was discontinued"
We would like to raise some questions:
- The daughter of Abu Bakr was born AFTER he died in 13 Hijri. This marriage
occurred in 17 Hijri, how mature could this girl have become in a space of five
years? Would she really have been physically capable of marrying 55 year old
Umar?
- If the girl was born after her father's death, then why did Umar contemplate
plans to marry this five-year-old girl?
- Would any responsible adult marry her five-year-old sister to a 55-year-old man?
Worthy of note is the fact that at one point the narrator makes reference to Umme Kalthum binte Abu Bakr, and yet the same text later on refers to Umme Kalthum binte 'Ali. This is clear evidence that these dishonest narrators have sought to switch names to divert attention away from Umar's desire to marry an underage girl. Tareekh Khamees is a classical Ahl'ul Sunnah text, not the hand of Ibn Saba, and here it is clearly that Nasibi hands had sought to change facts by making this tactical name change.
Let us analyse the way that Ibn Qutaybah recorded this event in al Maarif page 76, Dhikr Aulad 'Abu Bakr:
"Umar approached Ayesha with a proposal to marry Umme Kalthum binte Abu Bakr. Ayesha accepted the proposal. Umme Kalthum did not like the proposal, so Ayesha made an excuse and the matter was brought to a close".
Here we shall just raise one question:
- When Ayesha was fully aware of the young tender child age of her sister how did she still accept Umar's marriage proposal?
Let us now cite the final reference in this section, that from Ahl'ul Sunnah's esteemed work Riyadh al Nadira Volume 1 page 303, Dhikr Aulad Abu Bakr:
Umme Kalthum was the underage (Sagheera) daughter of Abu Bakr, she was born after Abu Bakr died. When she grew older Umar approached Ayesha with a proposal to marry her. Ayesha accepted the proposal, but Umme Kalthum did not like the idea, Ayesha made an excuse and Umar withdrew his proposal".
The reference has portrayed Abu Bakr's as underage so why did it dawn on 55 year old to marry her?
Overall summary and analysis of the texts
In summary these texts share the following common themes:
- 55 year old Khalifa Umar proposed to marry Umme Kalthum binte 'Abu Bakr
- The proposal was accepted by Ayesha
- Umme Kalthum rejected the proposal on account of Umar's frugal lifestyle and
his attitude towards women.
- As a result of this opposition the marriage did not come into fruition.
When (1) & (2) are established then point (3) remains the only thing that prevented this proposal from blossoming into marriage (if we are indeed to accept these Sunni accounts) - namely the rejection of Umar by Umme Kalthum binte 'Abu Bakr. This rejection is simply not possible, is it really believable that a five year old girl would be competent enough to:
- Understand the concept of marriage?
- Reject the proposal, expressing her assessment of Umar, namely his lifestyle and attitude towards women?
Think rationally, can a five-year-old girl really have the intelligence to make such a coherent rejection? Clearly not, the fact is the Salaf scholars that recorded this wonderful event had sought their utmost to protect Umar's character and hence tried to make Abu Bakr's daughter sound older than her true age, and that it was this mature conscious rejection brought this matter to a close. The reality is this was simply not possible, no five-year-old girl can make such an eloquent rejection.
One of the key books of fatwa on women related issues by contemporary Salafi scholars is "Islamic Fatwa Regarding Women" compiled by Muhammed al-Musnad and translated by Jamal Zarabozo. In Chapter 9, questions related to marriage under the sub heading 'The Young Lady is not to be Forced to Marry a Man She Does Not Want to Marry', Imam of the Salafi Nasibi Shaykh bin Baz stated:
"�The father must seek her permission if she is nine years of age or above. Similarly, her other guardians may not marry her off except by her permission. This is obligatory upon all of them. If one is married without permission, then the marriage is not valid. This is because one of the conditions of the marriage is that both partners accept the marriage. If she is married without her permission, by threat or coercion, then the marriage is not valid. The only exception is in the case of the father and his daughter who is less than nine years of age. There is no harm if he gets her married while she is less than nine years old, according to the correct opinion. This is based on the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) marrying Ayesha without her consent when she was less than nine years old, as is stated in authentic Hadith".
This reference makes it clear that in the eyes of the Salafi, marriage with an underage girl is permissible and her consent is not required. Ayesha's sister Umm Kalthum was just five years of age when Umar made the proposal, Ayesha accepted, and according to bin Baz, her sister's consent would not be required under the Shari'a. Clearly bin Baz passed this fatwa with an awareness that a pre pubescent girl is not in the position to make a decision on such a matter. When Ayesha gave her consent, then it is not logical that she would then seek to ascertain the views of her five-year-old sister.
When Ayesha despite the young age of her sister made that decision on her behalf by accepting the proposal, then the marriage did indeed occur, since Umme Kalthum was not mature enough to decide on the matter. Once the offer and acceptance had taken place there existed no bar on this marriage occurring.
Despite the concerns of Amr bin Aas and the bride to be, the happy marriage was finally agreed. The texts of Ahl'ul Sunnah state clearly that Umar approached Ayesha directly with the marriage proposal and she agreed.
1. Tareekh Kamil Volume 3 page 41;
2. Tareekh Khamees Volume 2 page 267;
3. al Istiab Volume 2 page 795
Still embarrassed by the fact that the elderly second khalifa had the urge to marry a five year old girl, Nasibi fabricators then felt the better approach would be to swap the names of underage Umme Kalthum binte Abu Bakr with that of Umme Kalthum binte 'Ali, by doing so they had a three fold aim, they wanted to:
- Cover up Umar's unhealthy liking for an under age girl.
- Exalt the rank / status of Umar
- Paint a romantic image of cordial relations between Imam 'Ali (as) and Umar
Imam 'Ali (as) was not happy with the matter, but the real executors who had a say over Umme Kalthum's well being were the family of Abu Bakr. Since Hadhrath Ayesha was the head of the family, the matter was in her hands, and we read in the Hanafi madhabs esteemed book of Fiqh, Fatawa-i-'Alamgiri vol 1. Pg. 728 that when a mother does / remarries and a maternal grandmother is absent, then the sister is entitled to custody (Hizanah) of her infant child. The fact that the names were the same gave the Nasibi the opportunity to exploit the situation and present a version that did not concur with the actual facts, they changed the name binte Abu Bakr to Binte 'Ali, but through their own stupidity they failed to amend the rest of their texts. As such we were presented with narration's where the Umme Kalthum in question was so young that she was still being breast fed. Umar married only one Umme Kalthum in 17 Hijri and this was the daughter of Abu Bakr.
The aims behind marriage
Whilst Umar's desire to marry a five year old girl is despicable to any sane mind, for those die hard defenders of Umar, we would like to pose this question:
Marriage serves a number of key objectives:
- Every man has a natural instinct for a woman's companionship
- It is a means to produce offspring, and seek happiness from them
- Partners can reap the benefits of a comfortable life together
- It can have some type of worldly / materialistic benefit
- It can carry some religious benefit
When it is clear that not a single one of these aims would have been fulfilled by Umar's marriage to Umme Kalthum binte Abu Bakr, why did he deem it necessary marry this five year old child, particularly when he already had wives to fulfil the above aims?'
This is a question that the illegitimate descendants of Marwan and Mu'awiya will never be able to answer. They can present as many excuses as they like to explain Umar's innovations, but they will never be able to convince their own followers let alone the Shi'a that the elderly second khalifa was perfectly within his rights to consummate marriage with a five year old girl. Such a marriage was perfectly within the practices of the family of Abu Bakr which is why Ayesha had no qualms in rejecting it, for according to al Sunnah Ayesha was herself married to Rasulullah (s) at the age of six. If Ayesha could be married at the age of six, then her sister could likewise marry at the age of five. The family of Abu Bakr and Umar had always been close, in the same way that both individuals stuck closely to one another at Saqifa. Umar's marriage to Abu Bakr's daughter further cemented this friendship.
These traditions disrespect three personalities
- Hadhrath Ayesha - Having agreed to the proposal with Umar the Khalifa, she
then breaches the agreement by making up an excuse. This type of behaviour is
like those of hypocritical women, not becoming of a momin (believing) woman let
alone Umm'ul Momineen.
- Hadhrath Umar - the comments of Umme Kalthum completely destroy Umar's
character, for Umme Kalthum hated his lifestyle and rejected him on this
count.
- Umme Kalthum - Questions can be raised as to how a materialistic minded daughter of Khalifa Abu Bakr vented such hatred for the esteemed character - Umar and openly expressed a desire to marry a young man.
Umar's motive behind marrying Umme Kalthum binte Abu Bakr
Umar's proposal for the hand of Umme Kalthum binte Abu Bakr served a number of advantages. Umme Kalthum was the younger sister of Ayesha the wife of Rasulullah (s) hence this marriage would expand Umar's rank threefold:
- Ayesha would become his sister in law
- It would have further increased his relationship to Rasulullah (s)
- He would become the son in law of the deceased Abu Bakr. In this connection he owed Abu Bakr two favours:
- We learn in Sahih al Bukhari Bab ul Nikah that Rasulullah (s) married Hafsa
after Abu Bakr turned down the initial offer.
- Ignoring the concept of Shura / elections and the protestations of the Sahaba, Abu Bakr appointed Umar as his Khalifa.
An 'in law' relationship and station as Khalifa were positions that were attained thanks to Abu Bakr. Umar was forever indebted to Ibn Abu Quhafa and hence he wanted to repay this debt by marrying his daughter and exalting her to the status of the 'The first lady' over the Muslims.
Now that we have been able to determine the true identity of Umme Kalthum wife of Umar, we go into Chapter Five making use of this new found knowledge and hence a better understanding of the Shi'a traditions�
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