Post by StudentOfTheDeen on Jul 23, 2024 9:54:10 GMT
Debunked: Attempts to Justify Ikhtilāṭ by Distorting Samrā’ bint Nahīk Narration
By Mufti Zameelur Rahman
The Claim
Attempting to justify ikhtilāṭ, an individual cited an alleged incident involving the female companion, Samrā’ bint Nahīk, claiming she mixed and spoke with men and exercised authority over them in the marketplace during ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb’s رضي الله عنه time. He claimed the account is “authentic” and shows that “close”/“intimate” interactions would take place between men and women in that era.
The Narration
But what is the reality of this claim?
Abū Bakr ibn Abī Khaythamah (ca. 199 – 279 AH) narrates in his al-Tārīkh al-Kabīr (al-Sifr al-Thānī, no. 3583) via Yaḥyā ibn Ma‘īn from Muḥammad ibn Yazīd al-Wāsiṭī from Abū Balj Jāriyah ibn Balj that he said:
“I saw Samrā’ bint Nahīk, a woman who had met the Prophet ﷺ, (carrying) a whip with her as she circled, striking people, commanding good and forbidding evil.”
“I saw Samrā’ bint Nahīk, who had met the Prophet ﷺ. She was wearing thick chemises and a thick khimār. In her hand was a whip (with which) she was disciplining people, commanding good and forbidding evil.”
Authenticity
As is clear from the two reports above, there is a discrepancy over the final narrator, stemming from a mix-up between Abū Balj Yaḥyā ibn Abī Sulaym (known as “Abū Balj al-Kabīr”) and Abū Balj Jāriyah ibn Balj (known as “Abū Balj al-Ṣaghīr”). The actual narrator is Abū Balj Jāriyah ibn Balj since Muḥammad ibn Yazīd al-Wāsiṭī, the narrator from him in this report, is known to narrate from Abū Balj Jāriyah ibn Balj and not from the more senior Abū Balj Yaḥyā ibn Abī Sulaym. Yahyā ibn Ma‘īn said:
“The Abū Balj that Muḥammad ibn Yazīd al-Wāsiṭī narrated from is named Jāriyah ibn Balj. Abu Balj al-Kabīr is Yaḥyā ibn Abī Sulaym.” (al-Mu’talif wa ‘l-Mukhtalif, 1:220; Tahdhīb al-Kamāl, 33:162-3)
When Did This Occur?
Based on the generation of his students, it is clear Abū Balj was from the junior tābi‘īn and would have seen very few ṣaḥābah, hence why he pointed out the two ṣaḥābah he saw: the first, Samrā’ bint Nahīk, as in the above narration, and the second, Lubayy ibn Labā. (Tārīkh Ibn Abī Khaythamah, no.2167)
He is speaking in the context of Iraq under Umayyad rule. Hence, this did not occur in the time of ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه, as the individual had claimed.
Elderly Ṣaḥābiyyah
To have been seen by Abū Balj al-Ṣaghīr and also have herself seen the Prophet ﷺ would mean Samrā’ bint Nahīk was very old at the time of this incident. This is why Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr stated she was advanced in age. (al-Istī‘āb, no. 3386)
Thus, Abū Balj (a narrator of unknown reliability) claims to have seen a (very elderly) female ṣaḥābiyyah holding a whip and disciplining people for misconduct. (There is no evidence outside of this narration that Samrā’ bint Nahīk even existed, which is why Ibn Ḥajar al-‘Asqalānī does not include a proper notice of her in al-Iṣābah.) Moreover, this narration does not mention any state sanction or authorisation for her activity. Nor does it specify that her activities were confined to the market, although Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr mentioned she would pass through the markets.
No one says women are not permitted to leave their homes for their needs. If an elderly woman emerges from her home for her needs and happens to scold or discipline some people for committing wrongs she witnesses along her path, there is nothing objectionable or strange about this.
Summary
In summary, a narrator of unknown reliability mentioned seeing a ṣaḥābiyyah, who must have been very elderly, striking people for misconduct, commanding good and forbidding evil. There was no state sanction or authorisation for her activities.
At most, the account shows a very senior woman disciplining people for wrongdoing. It does not specify whether this was with men or women, nor does it specify that she mixed with men or spoke to them, as the individual claimed. These are all baseless extrapolations.
Moreover, the point is moot to begin with given her advanced age and the questionable nature of the report.
The fact that promoters of ikhtilāṭ resort to such weak evidence, and that too while distorting and misrepresenting the evidence, shows the lack of substantial evidence supporting their position.
See also:
Was Shifā’ bint ‘Abdillāh (raḍiyAllāhu ‘anhā) in Charge of the Market Under ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (raḍiyAllāhu ‘anh)?
The Prohibition of Ikhtilāṭ (Unnecessary Mixing of Non-Elderly Men and Women)
No Difference Between Muslim and Non-Muslim Women in the Prohibition of Men Looking at Them