In one hadith, it is mentioned that the Prophet ﷺ married a woman from the tribe called Jooni, but then that relationship did not continue. What was the reason for this? And did the Prophet ﷺ actually marry her, or did he say something like "entrust your self to me"? Similarly, there are other objections such as contradictions in the name of this woman in the hadith (meaning there are different conflicting statements about her). Some people also object that in this hadith the woman used inappropriate words about the Prophet ﷺ. It is also questioned why Abu Usayd رضي الله عنه went to leave this woman without her mahram.
First Point
From the chain of narration, this story is authentic and is even found in Sahih Bukhari, the most authentic book of hadith, whose authenticity is agreed upon by the Muslim Ummah. This story is mentioned in various hadiths with different contexts, the details of which are presented below.
In Sahih Bukhari, it is mentioned in one place:
Imam Awza'i narrates that I asked Imam Zahri: Which wife of the Prophet ﷺ sought refuge from him? He said: I was told by Urwah, who narrates from Sayyida Aisha that when a woman from the tribe of Jun was called to the Prophet ﷺ and he approached her, she said: I seek refuge with Allah from you. The Prophet ﷺ said: "You have sought refuge by a great Being, so go to your family."
In the very next hadith in Sahih Bukhari, it is narrated from Abu Usayd, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
We set out with the Prophet ﷺ and while walking, we reached the Shoat garden, and there we sat down. We sat between its walls. The Prophet ﷺ said: "You all sit here." Then he ﷺ went inside, where a woman from the June tribe was brought. She was seated in the house of Umaymah bint Nu'man bin Sharjeel. A nurse was also there to take care of her. When the Prophet ﷺ went to her, he ﷺ said: "Entrust yourself to me." She replied: Can a princess entrust herself to an ordinary man? The Prophet ﷺ extended his hand and placed it on her head to give her comfort. She said: I seek refuge in Allah from you. The Prophet ﷺ said: "You have sought refuge in the One through whom refuge is sought." After that, the Prophet ﷺ came out to us and said: O Abu Usayd! "Dress her in two Razqiyah garments and deliver her to her family."
For further detail, the next hadith in Sahih Bukhari is also related to this. The narrators of this hadith are Sayyidina Sahl bin Sa'd and Abu Usayd:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ married Umaymah bint Shurayjil, and when she was brought to him ﷺ, he extended his hand towards her, which she disliked. Therefore, the Prophet ﷺ instructed Sayyidina Abu Usayd to prepare her with provisions and to give her two Razāq garments to wear.
In Sahih Bukhari itself, this hadith is narrated in one place as follows, where Sahl bin Sa'd states:
When an Arab woman was mentioned in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ, he ﷺ instructed Sayyiduna Abu Usayd Saidi رضي الله عنه to send her a message to come here. When he sent the message to her, she came and stayed in the houses of Banu Sa'idah. The Prophet ﷺ also came and went to her. He ﷺ saw that the woman was sitting with her head bowed down. When the Prophet ﷺ spoke to her, she said: I seek refuge with Allah from you. The Prophet ﷺ said: "I have given you refuge." People asked her: Do you know who this was? She said: No. They said: This was the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and he had come to marry you. She said: Then I was extremely unfortunate.
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 5673)
By combining all three narrations, many objections are resolved, the details of which will come in the following lines.
Second Point
Some people believe that this narration has been mentioned multiple times in Sahih Bukhari, and there is a contradiction in its different wordings. Below, we mention these objections in order and clarify their correct meaning ان شاء الله.
Objection: 1
In some narrations, it is mentioned that the Prophet ﷺ married her, while in others, it is mentioned that the Prophet ﷺ said to her, "Entrust your self to me."
Answer
In the Sahih Bukhari hadith mentioned above, it is explicitly stated that the Prophet ﷺ married her. However, the narration in which it is said, "Entrust your self to me," was not a marriage contract but rather words spoken by the Prophet ﷺ to comfort the woman and demonstrate good character. Ibn Abdul Barr has reported consensus on the fact that the Prophet ﷺ married her.
Reference: (Al-Isti'ab: 4/1785)
However, Hafiz Ibn Hajar has taken the view that these are two different incidents involving two different women; one concerns marriage and the other concerns a gift.
Reference: (See: Fath al-Bari: 9/359)
Whereas Ibn Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, considers it to be the same story. He states that this is one and the same story revolving around the narrations of Sayyida Aisha, Abu Ubaid, and Suhail, and each of them has narrated it, with their wording being quite similar. As for the issue of contradiction, where in one narration the Prophet ﷺ came with a marriage proposal, while in the other it is said that he entered upon her, the meaning of entering here is general entry, not specifically entering the wife’s presence. In this case, no contradiction remains, or else one of the words should be considered as a misunderstanding.
Reference: (Zad al-Ma'ad: 5/290)
Ibn Hazm also considers it to be the same story and takes the word "dukhool" (entry) in its general sense, saying that the Prophet ﷺ entering upon her means coming with the message of marriage proposal.
Reference: (Al-Muhalli: 9/440)
Objection: 2
What was the reason that this woman spoke inappropriate words about the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ?
Answer
Explaining why the woman from the Jooniyah tribe sought refuge from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, some scholars have answered that at that time the woman was unfamiliar with the personality of the Prophet ﷺ, as mentioned in the hadith where the companions asked: ’’أَتَدْرِينَ مَنْ هَذَا؟‘‘ Do you know who this person is? The woman replied: No. Then the companions, may Allah be pleased with them all, informed her that you were the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and they wanted to convey the proposal of marriage to you. The woman replied:
كُنْتُ أَنَا أَشْقَى مِنْ ذَلِكَ
Translation: Then I was indeed extremely unfortunate.
From these clear words of the hadith, it is understood that at the time of saying these words, the woman did not know about you ﷺ, and rather she was also regretful about it.
In some narrations, the reason given is that some of the Prophet’s ﷺ pure wives said that the Prophet ﷺ liked this phrase, so he said it out of a desire to be close to the Prophet ﷺ. He did not know that the result could be that he would be separated from the Prophet ﷺ.
Reference: (See: At-Tabaqat by Ibn Sa’d: 8/143-148, Al-Mustadrak by Hakim: 4/39, in its chain Muhammad bin Waqid is a weak narrator. Therefore, this narration is weak in its chain.)
Since the first reason is clear from the explicit narration in Sahih Bukhari, it seems better.
In any case, from all this detail, the noble character of the Prophet ﷺ becomes even more evident, so much so that no criticism can be raised. When a woman, out of ignorance, said something, the Prophet ﷺ showed forbearance. Numerous examples of this forbearance and patience can be found in the life of the Prophet ﷺ. Even when those who spoke ill insulted his noble status, he would respond by saying that they were addressing someone else with such insults; I am Muhammad ﷺ.
Objection: 3
Abu Usayd traveling alone with this woman is also objectionable.
Answer
The first point is that the hadith does not negate the presence of a mahram with this woman, nor does it mention that one was present. Therefore, it is not correct to conclude from the absence of mention that there was no mahram; rather, evidence of negation is required. The second point is that even if it is accepted that no mahram was present, there is still no issue because when the Prophet ﷺ married this woman, she became the mother of the entire Ummah, so no objection remains.
Reference: (Sharh Mushkil al-Athar: 2/102)
Objection: 4
It is narrated on the authority of Abdul Rahman bin Ghasil from Hamzah bin Abi Asid from Abi Asid, that a woman from the June tribe was brought to the house of Umaymah bint Shurahil, and it is also narrated in Sahih Bukhari with the chain of Sahl bin Sa’d and Abi Asid that the Prophet ﷺ married Umaymah bint Shurahil.
Answer
In the words of the hadith, similarly, the term "Umaymah" is related to the "house" (گھر), which means that the woman was brought to the house of Umaymah, while in many manuscripts Umaymah is read in the nominative case, making it a substitute or an appositive for Junayyah, and some commentators have understood it as a genitive construction. As Hafiz Ibn Hajar, Ayni, Karmani, etc., have mentioned "وَقَدْ أُتِيَ بِالْجَوْنِيَّةِ، فَأُنْزِلَتْ فِي بَيْتٍ فِي نَخْلٍ فِي بَيْتٍ أُمَيْمَةُ بِنْتُ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ شَرَاحِيل”.
That is: The woman Junayyah was brought to a house among the date palm trees; she was Umaymah bint Nu'man bin Shurhabil.
Then this was supported by the narration of the author Ibn Abi Shaybah.
Reference: (Irshad al-Sari: 8/131, Fath al-Bari: 9/358)
Then in some narrations, the name Asma is also mentioned, about which Hafiz Ibn Hajar explained that it is possible that Asma was her name and Umaymah was her title.
Objection: 5
Some people object that if the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ married this woman, then it was not correct because how can a marriage be conducted with a woman without her permission? And if it is said that there was no marriage, then the objection arises as to why there was seclusion with a strange woman?
Answer
The first point is that there is no evidence on this issue that she was not willing; rather, some narrations indicate that she had affection for the Prophet ﷺ, but she considered him to have the temperament of a king and rulers. As for the matter of whether there was a marriage or not, it has already been discussed that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ did marry her, and there is consensus of the Ummah on this.
