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Hafsa Bint Umar: The Wife With a Hidden Voice


            The woman and life of Hafsa bint Umar encompasses some of the most challenged aspects of Islam, specifically in the assessment of the personhood of the Prophet Muhammad, as well as the authority of and content within the Qur' an. Hafsa bint Umar has been documented as a woman marked by her hot temper, intelligence and challenging personality. However, her significant influence and impact on the Islamic religion in its entirety has been often overlooked to this day. She was the daughter of the second caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab, a very trusted man of the Prophet Muhammad. Arguably it was the relationship between her father and the Prophet that lead to the very interesting marriage between the Prophet and Hafsa, a marriage which led to the even more controversial divorce that followed the affair between the Prophet and the slave woman, Maria. Hafsa's fiery personality, linage, marriage to the Prophet, and prominent role in the rise of Islam is an interesting case as it relates to the image and practices of modern day Islam. Hafsa, as a wife of the prophet and a prominent figure in the construction and rise of Islam, embodies some of the most controversial aspects of the Islamic tradition that modern day Muslim's resist exploring.
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             The marriage between Hafsa and the Prophet exposes much in regards to the purpose and function of marriage in Islam, revealing certain personality traits of the Prophet, and lastly, helping to shape certain gender roles within Islam and expectations placed on Muslim women. There is substantial documentation within various sources that implies that Hafsa and Muhammad's marriage was strictly for political gain. A source by Bint al Shanti conveys this suspicion, describing the marriage between Hafsa and Muhammad serving to "honor Umar and heal the wounds of his daughter-(103). It seems that the wounds that the author are referring to is the mourning of her first husband and her current state as a widow.


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