There have been a number of Muslims who claimed that the quotes in the book "The Place of Women in Pure Islam" are forged, but only Mr. Melhulan has been so audacious to post public articles with his charges and accusations in multiple newsgroups and has done so dozens of times.

Hence we see the need to expose his attacks publically for what they are. To keep to the principles of honesty and fairness, we extend the invitation, that we will link to a rebuttal by Mr. Melhulan if he wants to set up his own web page and answer to this documentation done here.

One of many similar reactions was:

The above email is displayed anonymously since we will not reveal the identity of private email communication. It is included here to show that Mr. Melhulan is not alone in his charges he only added the element to go public with his false accusations based on ignorance.

Exposing the false accusations

On several dozens of newsgroups like alt.religion.islam, soc.culture.pakistan.religion, and many others, Mr. Barzeen Melhulan has slandered and insulted Mr. Newton [the author of the book "The Place of Women in Pure Islam" as well as Mr. Katz who had posted an excerpt of it to the newsgroups in an ongoing discussion under the header "polygamy in Islam" header, where he accused them of dishonesty and forged quotations of Qur'an verses and especially quotes from the Ihya' of Imam Ghazali.

This will be full proof of the falsehood of his claims and hopefully it will also be fool-proof and we can lay this topic of forgery accusations to rest once and for all.

There are many good and wise sayings in Islam. Let everybody take heed of this one:

"Never abandon the truth, even if it is against you."    -- Imam Ali

May this article help to deter the ignorant from charging and accusing others publically before the facts are established. Mr. Melhulan has all evidence he needs to see the accuracy of all quotations. I asked if he would be willing to apologise publically on the newsgroups he filled with his the accusation for several weeks and so spare me the time and effort to write out this long article fully exposing his charges as false. He refused to even answer to this offer. Therefore this and maybe subsequent public charges from his side or from others will be exposed on this web page for what they are.

But now that I have verified it and since they are indeed correct you will surely give your permission that they should stay on this web site, right? [As if you are the one to be asked for any permission.] In fact, since your motivation was to defend Imam Ghazali's teaching from being corrupted you should be delighted that his true teachings are given a prominent place on this web site.

I again invite you to apologize publically for accusing us of fabrication.

Below the relevant part of the newgroup posting and clicking here will create a second browser where the pages of Ghazali relating to the charges are displayed.


Subject:      Re: polygamy in Islam
From:         melhulan@ix.netcom.com(Melhulan)
Date:         1996/10/15
Message-Id:   <53v8s7$n9l@dfw-ixnews5.ix.netcom.com>
Newsgroups:   soc.culture.pakistan,soc.culture.bangladesh,soc.culture.indian,alt.religion.islam,soc.culture.pakistan.religion

...


)This is a small part of the book "The Place of Women in Pure Islam" 
)which can be read in full at the address:

  http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt6125c/women.html

We studied the obscurantist book and do not find it fit for reference.
IT does NOT have authentic quotes, and the commentaries are inaccurate 
and out of place.

)2.  MEN MAY MARRY UP TO FOUR FREE WOMEN AND
)HAVE  SEX WITH AN UNLIMITED NUMBER OF SLAVE
)GIRLS

This heading is OF COURSE INACCURATE and
incorrect

)A  provision is made for men to marry  more
)than one woman as follows:

 )"If  you  fear  you can not treat  orphans
 ()girls) with fairness, then you may  marry
 )other  women  who seem good to  you:  two,
 )three  or  four of them. But if  you  fear
 )that  you can not maintain equality  among
 )them,  marry  only one or any slave  girls
 )you  may own. This will make it easier for
 )you to avoid injustice."[72]

THERE IS A SUBTLE INACCURACY IN THE QUOTE
THE SUBTLE inaccuracy treis to obfuscate the holy book
which I will point out in this writing
....here is the actual quote
and I have quoted the verse BEFORE IT

This is out of Surat Nisa (Women). Marmaduke Pickthall
says the following about this surah.

The period of revelation is the months following the Uhad or as
Noldeke a careful critic puts it “between the end of the third
and the end of the fifth year of the prophets reign in Medinah...
Many Muslims were killed at the battle of Uhud, hence the concern
for orphans and widows in the opening verses which lead on to a
declaration of some rights of women of which they were deprived
among the pagan Arabs

1) O mankind be careful of your duty to
your lord who created you form a single soul
and from it created its mate and from them
twain hath spread abroad a multitude of men
and women. Be careful of your duty toward
Allah in Whom ye claim (your rights) of one
another, and toward the wombs (that bare you).
Lo! Allah hath been a watcher over you

2) Give unto orphans their wealth. Exchange not
the good for the bad (in your management thereof)
nor absorb their wealth ito your own wealth. Lo!
That would be a great sin.

3) And if ye fear hat ye will not deal fairly by the
orphans, marry of the women, who seem good to
you, two or three or four; and if ye fear that ye
cannot do justice (to so many) then one (only)
or (the captives) that your right hand possess.
Thus it is more likely that ye will not do
injustice.

This quote from the Holy Quran CLEARLY
tells Muslims that they CAN marry UPTO
four wives from free women or slaves. The
following phrase clearly explains this.

25) And those whoso is not able toafford to
marry free, beleiving women, let them marry
from the beleiving maids whom your right
hand posses. Allah knowth best 9concerning)
your faith. Ye (proceed) from one another;
so wed them by permission of their folk, and
give unto them their portions in kindness, they
being honest, not debauched nor of loose
conduct.

The above AUTHENTIC translations of the Quran
by Marmaduke Pickthal clear up all misgivings.
ONLY FOUR wives are allowed.

)Some   however  have  argued   that   since
)maintaining  equality is  impossible,  then
)marrying   more  than  one  wife   is   not
)permissible using the following verse:

) "Try  as  you  may, you cannot  treat  all
 )your   wives  impartially.  Do   not   set
)yourself altogether against any of them."[73]

)But the majority of the commentators agreed )that )The equality in Q 4:3 is concerned with )apportioning time and money, while the )equality mentioned in Q 3:129 is )concerned with the affection and love of )the man towards his wives.[74] THIS COMMENTARY by Mr. Katz is TOTALLY unfounded and incorrect. The prpphet was just and unbiased.

)They further argued that Mohammad himself )was not impartial in his affections towards )his wives, for he loved 'A'isha more than )any of his wives.[75] So as long as the )husband can be fair in apportioning his )time and money he can marry up to four. This commentary is inaccurate. ONE HAS TO BE FAIR and the prophet was to ALL

)Others believe the number is limited to )nine wives, as two and three and four make )nine, and Mohammad himself when he passed )away had nine wives, and to follow his )tradition is the commended way of living.[76] This again has subtle but important inaccuracies. The prophet did NOT have nine wives AT ONE TIME. he had FOUR wives at a time. Some of the wives were old and passed away and Muhamamd took others in shelter. Throughout his life Muhamamd had nine wives but never MORE THAN FOUR Muhamamd married women to allow them shelter and to assist them NOT for debauchery.

)Others believe that the above verse is the )proof for an unlimited number of wives, )because the verse does not say two or three )or four but literally says two and three )and four, meaning two and three and four )etc[77]. The majority believe the number of )wives the man may marry to be limited to )four, because of the reported Hadith about )a man who had ten wives. When he became a )Muslim, Mohammad said to him : 'Keep four, )and leave the rest.'[78] There is NO AMBIGUITY on the number. This again is INACCURATE.. The Quran is very VERY clear on the number of wives. IT is FOUR.

)The reason for marrying more than one woman )is given by Ghazali the great Muslim )scholar:

) "Some men have such a compelling sexual )desire that one woman is not sufficient )to protect them [from adultery]. Such men )therefore preferably marry more than one )woman and may have up to four wives."[79]
Without offending Mr. Katz let me state that this QUOTE IS PURE garbage. I have been unable to find this quote in Ihya Ulum Ud Din. I have ALL FOUR volumes. I REALLY looked. This leads e to believe that some fo the other quotes attributed to Imam Razi and other may also be incorrect. )Besides the above provision men have the )right to have sex with their slave girls. Is this Mr. Katz commentary. If so it is inaccurate. This is wher the Holy Quran tells Muslims to marry the salves Nisa (Women) 25. 25) And those whoso is not able toafford to marry free, beleiving women, let them marry from the beleiving maids whom your right hand posses. Allah knowth best (concerning) your faith. Ye (proceed) from one another; so wed them by permission of their folk, and give unto them their portions in kindness, they being honest, not debauched nor of loose conduct. ) "For if a man purchases a slave girl, ) the purchase contract includes his )right to have sex with her."[80] "This )contract is primarily to own her and )secondarly to enjoy her sexually."[81] These two quotes are garbage. Quote 80 and 81 are from obscure authors and have NO CREDIBILITY. We will NOT waste anytime on these. )And the reason for having sex with the )slave girls beside one's wives is also )given by Ghazali: Unable to find this quote in Ihya by Imam Ghazalli. The stature of Gahzalli is in high esteem in Christiandom and Europe. He was held invery high esteem because he translated the Greek classics Even if the quote EXISTS sex has to be done with slaves UNDER MARIAGE )"Since among Arabs passion is an )overpowering aspect of their nature, the )need of their pious men to have sex has )been found to be the more intense. And )for the purpose of emptying the heart to )the worship of God they have been allowed )to have sex with women slaves if at some )time they should fear that this passion )will lead them to commit adultery. Though )it is true that such action could lead )to the birth of a child that will be a )slave, which is a form of )destruction,...yet enslaving a child is a )lighter offence than the destruction of )religious belief. For enslaving the new )born is a temporary thing but by )committing adultery eternity is lost."[82] Even if the quote EXISTS sex has to be done with slaves UNDER MARIAGE as evidenced by verse 25 of surah Nisa in the Quran Unable to find this quote in Ihya by Imam Ghazalli. There is a STORY that IS taken out of context......there is NO such story on page 33 Ihya does NOT have the above mentioned quotes. On page 27 the following story is WORTH noting however. Once a young man asked Hazrat Ibn Abbas I am a young man, I have got no wife. I fear sin in most cases and many a time I take out semen by hand pollution. Is there any sin in it? Hazrat Ibn Abbas turned his face from him and said: Alas! it is better to MARRY a slave girl then it but it is better than fornication. Sex has to be done with slaves UNDER MARIAGE as evidenced by verse 25 of surah Nisa in the Quran )Ghazali gives us an example of this )overpowering sexual desire. Unable to find this quote in Ihya by Imam Ghazalli. Even if the quote EXISTS sex has to be done with slaves UNDER MARIAGE as evidenced by verse 25 of surah Nisa in the Quran )"The son of 'Omar who was an ascetic, and )a scholar, used to break his fast by )having sex before having food. And he )might have had sex with three of his )slave girls before the last meal."[83] Omars son was punished by Omar himself till he died. Omar did not spare his OWN son. He personally punished his son till his son died. The punishment was completed. Bringing up such examples simply to discredit Islam is unfair and improper. Omars son was not a prophet and DOES NOT represent Islam )And Bukhari reported, )"The Prophet used to pass (have sexual )relation with) all his wives in one ) night, and at that time he had nine ) wives."[84] THIS IS A PURE GARBAGE QUOTE and/or taken out of context For ) "He once said of himself that he had been ) given the power of forty men in sex."[85]

And "Ali who was the most ascetic of all the companions had four wives, and seventeen slave girls as concubines."[86] Ihya does NOT have the above mentioned quotes. On page 27 the following story is WORTH noting however. Once a young man asked Hazrat Ibn Abbas I am a young man, I have got no wife. I fear sin in most cases and many a time I take out semen by hand pollution. Is there any sin in it? Hazrat Ibn Abbas turned his face from him and said: Alas! it is better to MARRY a slave girl then it but it is better than fornication. Emphasis IS mine. Even if the quote EXISTS sex has to be done with slaves UNDER MARIAGE as evidenced by verse 25 of surah Nisa in the Quran While "some of the other companions had three and four wives and those who had two wives were countless in number."[87] Ihya was MISQUOTED here also. to give a different impression “Hazrat Ali took a wife seven days after the death of Fatima. It is said that Hazrat Hasan took many wives BUT NOT MORE THEN FOUR AT A TIME.....some of the companions had three or four wives and those who took two wives were many. Emphasis is mine. The quote means that MANY companions had two wives. it must be REMEMBERED that these wives were NOT sexual objects. “wives” at this time were taken to give the women PROTECTION. During the time of Ohud inthe early stages of Islam, many many men had been lost AND marying the aged womenprovided them protection from exploitation )Concerning the provision for having sex )with slave girls, found in the last part )of the above Qur'anic verse, Razi said: I am sorry, Mr. Katz did NOT quote the Quran on having sex with slaves. THERE IS NO SUCH quote in the Quran except 25 in Surah Nisa where men are asked to MARRY slaves. )"God made the provision of having sex )with many slave girls as easy as )marrying one free woman. Besides, the )responsibilities and provisions of the )slave girls are lighter than those of the )dowers, no matter (never mind) if you )have a few of them or many, no matter if )you were fair in apportioning your nights )amongst them or not, no matter whether )you completed the sexual act or not."[88] Mr. Katz commentary is based on his OWN opinion and has NO relation to FACT and has nothing to do with the Quran or Islam The above quote is INACCURATE and an amalgamation of several portions of the Quran, Let us look at the FULL QUOTE THAT Mr. Katz deliberately did not state here 25) And those whoso is not able toafford to marry free, believing women, let them marry from the beleiving maids whom your right hand posses. Allah knowth best (concerning) your faith. Ye (proceed) from one another; so wed them by permission of their folk, and give unto them their portions in kindness, they being honest, not debauched nor of loose conduct. AND if when they are honourably married, they commit lewdness they shall incur the half the punishment for free women. This is for him among you who fareth to commit sin. But to ] have patience would be better for you. Allah is forgiving, Merciful” Obviously slaves had less rights then free women. This was universally true even in America )The commentator Qortobi sees in that verse )(Q 4:3) that slave girls used as such by )the free Muslim man )"have neither sexual rights, nor )financial rights. For God made the 'one )free woman' and the 'slave girls you may )own' of the same category. The man )however owes the slave girls the )appropriate rights of ownership, and the )kindness that befits slaves."[89] Qortobi WHOEVER he is absolutely WRONG. Slave women had to be married and once they were married they had ALL the rights. 25) And those whoso is not able toafford to marry free, believing women, let them marry from the beleiving maids whom your right hand posses. Allah knowth best (concerning) your faith. Ye (proceed) from one another; so wed them by permission of their folk, and give unto them their portions in kindness, they being honest, not debauched nor of loose conduct. )So because "the need of the pious men to )have sex was found to be the more intense, )and for the purpose of emptying the heart )for the worship of God" they have been )allowed to marry up to four women and have )sex with an unlimited number of slave girls )even if this provision may lead to "the )birth of a child that will be a slave, )which is a form of destruction." AND THIS IS PURE GARBAGE commentary because it is based on a INCORRECT quotations. )And there the footnotes on this part: 72. The Qur'an 4:3.
73. The Qur'an 4:129. (Dawood's translation).
74. Tuffaha, Ahmad Zaky, Al-Mar'ah wal- Islam, Dar al-Kitab al-Lubnani, Beirut, first edition, 1985, p. 58. See also Razi and al-Galalayn on the above verses. And Ihy'a 'Uloum ed-Din by Ghazali, Dar al- Kotob al-'Elmeyah, Beirut, Vol II, Kitab Adab al-Nikah, p. 54. And Ibn al-'Arabi, Ahkam al-Qur'an, vol. 1, p.504.
75. Razi At-tafsir al-kabir,commenting on Q4:129.
76. Ibid., commenting on Q. 4:3.
77. Ibid., commenting on Q. 4:3.
78. Ibid.r, commenting on Q. 4:3.
79. Ihy'a 'Uloum ed-Din by Ghazali, Dar al-Kotob al-'Elmeyah, Beirut, Vol II, Kitab Adab al-Nikah, p.34.
80. Abd ar-Rahman al-Gaziri, al-Fiqh 'ala al- Mazahib al-Arba'a, Dar al-Kutub al- 'Elmeyah, 1990, vol. 4, p. 89.
81. Ibid.
82. Ihy'a 'Uloum ed-Din by Ghazali, Dar al-Kotob al-'Elmeyah, Beirut, Vol II, Kitab Adab al-Nikah, p. 33.
83. Ibid.
84. Sahih Bukhari, Arabic-English translation, vol. 7, Hadith No. 142. And vol. 1, Hadith No.268.
85. Mohammad Ibn Saad, al-Tabakat al- Kobra, Dar al-Tahrir, Cairo, 1970, Vol 8, p. 139.
86. Ihy'a 'Uloum ed-Din by Ghazali, Dar al-Kotob al-'Elmeyah, Beirut, Vol II, Kitab Adab al-Nikah, p.27.
87. Ibid., p.34.
88. Razi, At-tafsir al-kabir, commenting on Q. 4:3.
89. Qortobi, commenting on Q. 4:3.
Let us summarize: )First: In traditional Islam, the number of FREE wives )is four, and the slave girls are extra and no restriction )on those. Quote about FREE wives and slaves is INACCURATE All wives must be married to the spouse. Christianity and Christiandom ALSO practiced slavery WITHOUT restrictions. Islam put restrictions )Second: The Qur'an says "two AND three AND four" and some MUSLIMS )have read it as indicating NO limit, or adding it to mean NINE. THIS IS PURE GARBAGE..there is NO "AND"..it si OR )I agree that the traditional understanding is that this is to )be meaning "or" instead of "and" and this is a limit to four, )but the Qur'an does actually NOT say so. This is hadith or other )outside Qur'an material which is used to impose this limit of four. THIS IS GARBAGE commentary. The limit is four and Christianty and Judaism DO NOT PUT A LIMIT on number of spouses Rest of garbage deleted. Mr. Katz, please chack your SOURCES again you may have a BAD copy