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Hafsa Bint Umar: The Wife With a Hidden Voice

 

However, a more controversial portrayal of the prophet is displayed in the instance of his affair with Maria. After Hafsa caught him in the sexual act with Maria, "Hafsa went to the Prophet and said I have seen her with you. By God, you have insulted me- you would not have insulted me by dealing with that woman in my house if you did not disdain me. She began to cry- (M 106-107). It is apparent in many of the sources that Muhammad felt shame for his affair and sought to make amends with Hafsa, but in mending his relationship with her, he asked that she keep the secret of his wrong doing between the two of them: "He calmed her by revealing to her that Maria was forbidden to him, so let Hafsa forget the whole affair- (M 107). However, when Hafsa revealed to A'isha about what happened between Muhammad and Maria, "When Hafsa broke her secret to A'isha, she could not have realized she was playing with fire for she was the one who revealed the secret which the Prophet asked her to keep. By doing so she unconsciously created this trouble- (107). Suddenly Hafsa is portrayed as the main perpetrator in this entire situation within many of the translations of the affair with Maria. There is the notion that Muhammad was more concerned with his reputation as the Prophet because the focus turns towards Hafsa's role in spreading the news of the affair rather than his desire to repent and make amends with his wife for having an affair with a slave in her home. It seems that during the controversy of the affair, very misogynistic ideals are displayed and that the situation represents an excellent example of hegemonic suspicion. All at once the sources turn and point towards Hafsa as the wrongdoer and Muhammad as the victim.
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             The sources are careful to note that Hafsa too felt the gravity of the trouble she has caused: "her feeling that she had done wrong to the prophet was graver that of the rest of the wives for being such a pious woman and the daughter of the faithful Umar, she should not have lightly revealed such a secret of the prophet who had treated her with honor and dignity, especially after he had asked her to keep it-.


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