Narrated Anas:
`Umar said, “I agreed with Allah in three things,” or said, “My Lord agreed with me in three things. I said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! Would that you took the station of Abraham as a place of prayer.’ I also said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! Good and bad persons visit you! Would that you ordered the Mothers of the believers to cover themselves with veils.’ So the Divine Verses of Al-Hijab (i.e. veiling of the women) were revealed. I came to know that the Prophet (ﷺ) had blamed some of his wives so I entered upon them and said, ‘You should either stop (troubling the Prophet (ﷺ) ) or else Allah will give His Apostle better wives than you.’ When I came to one of his wives, she said to me, ‘O `Umar! Does Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) haven’t what he could advise his wives with, that you try to advise them?’ ” Thereupon Allah revealed:– “It may be, if he divorced you (all) his Lord will give him instead of you, wives better than you Muslims (who submit to Allah)..” (66.5) (Sahih al-Bukhari 4483).
According to this hadith (found in Sahih al-Bukhari), Umar ibn al-Khattab said that Allah confirmed or agreed with him in three matters:
The three instances are:
1. Taking the Station of Abraham (Maqām Ibrāhīm) as a place of prayer (Quran 2:125).
Supposedly Abraham came down to Mecca and he and his son Ishmael built the Kaaba area. The stone is a small square stone isaid to hold the very footsteps of Abraham. This tradition is then why Muslims still revere this stone.
2. Revealing the command for the hijab for the Prophet’s wives (Quran 33:53 and related verses).
Umar wanted Sauda, Muhammad’s tall and chubby wife veiled. Muhammad did not do so. So Umar stalked her while she went to the bathroom, mocked her, and then Muhammad received a revelation for women to veil.
3. Revealing the warning that Allah could give the Prophet better wives if he divorced them (Quran 66:5)
Hafsa is one of Muhammad’s wife. Maria is a slave girl and a gift from Egypt. She is beautiful. One day, Hafsa leaves to visit her father. So Muhammad takes advantage of the situation.
- Muhammad has sexual relations with Maria, the Copt, a slave girl, in Hafsa’s room in Hafsa’s bed.
- Hafsa walks in on them have relations
- Muhammad swears on oath not to have relations with Maria again and asks Hafsa to keep it secret.
- Hafsa tells Aisha, and the news spreads among the wives.
- Muhammad sleep with Maria again (thus breaking the oath)
- Muhammad’s wives are furious, until he receives a special revelation to “not forbid what Allah allows” (Quran 66:1), which gave him special permission with women
- Umar said that if the wives did not stop complaining, that Allah would replace them with better wives, a near death sentence for women of the time (Quran 66:5).
- The wives were then banned from Muhammad’s bed for a month, which gave Muhammad full access to Maria the Copt.
Three times Umar had suggestions for Allah — to pray at a specific place, to force women to wear hijab, and to threaten Muhammad’s wives with divorce because they were upset that he had sex with someone who wasn’t his wife, in one of the wive’s beds.
Why is it, then, that Allah is taking suggestions on how to run the world? Does this not make Umar greater than Allah, as Umar is offering Allah understanding and wisdom? And Allah is agreeing with him?
And why does Allah need to intervene with the Prophet of Islam’s personal sex life? Is Allah the manager?