38 • 3 THE PROPHET OF MECCAforms of extramarital sexual relations were also accepted. Seeking to limit
this license, the Quran allowed Muslim men to marry as many as four
wives, provided that they treated them all equally, but this permission was
granted in the context of a revelation concerning the welfare of widows and
orphans—a natural concern, given Muhammad's own background and the
heavy loss of young men in raids and battles. It is true that after Khadija
died, he gradually took other wives, possibly as many as ten. Several were
widows of his slain followers, for whom he offered to provide support.
Other marriages involved the daughters of tribal chieftains whom Muham¬
mad wanted as allies. Aisha, who became his favorite wife, was the daughter
of Abu-Bakr, his best friend; she was nine years old when she came to live
with him. Muhammad's critics pointed to his marriage to Zaynab, whom
he came to know while she was married to his adopted son, Zayd. A new
Quranic revelation allowed Zayd to divorce her, but even Aisha was quick
to attack Muhammad for marrying her. Muhammad believed that his mar¬
riages were prescribed for him by God, and he always enjoyed the company
of women. One can find other inconsistencies in his behavior: He forbade
wailing at funerals until his infant son died. He forgave many of the foes he
faced in battle, but not the poets who made fun of his mission. Prophets
were human beings, not plaster saints.
Muhammad and the Jews
Muhammad's relations with the Jews of Medina deteriorated as his own
power grew. Some Westerners find this disturbing, for we have been slow
to overcome anti-Muslim prejudices that go back to the Crusades; a few
draw unwarranted parallels to the modern Middle East conflict. Muham¬
mad viewed many biblical figures as prophets, or as men to whom God
had spoken. He respected Jews and Christians as "People of the Book,"
since they worshiped God as revealed by sacred scriptures. Why could he
not have been more magnanimous in Medina? Part of the answer is that
he expected the Jews to recognize him as God's messenger, just as he had
accepted their prophets; but they could not reconcile his Quran with their
sacred scriptures. There were too many discrepancies. The Jews opposed
the Constitution of Medina, and they were turning some of the less sin¬
cere ansar against him, by trying to trick him with clever arguments and
by publicly mocking him and his followers. Perhaps the Jews saw the Mus¬
lims as potential competitors in the spiritual marketplace. The split
widened. Following a Quranic revelation, Muhammad changed the direc¬
tion of prayer—south toward Mecca instead of north toward Jerusalem.