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— Journal of Islamic Sciences vol.l issue. 2 August 20. 2013


ICRAA.ORG


Telling Someone to Bite Their Father’s Genitals: Explicit Phrase or

Misunderstood Expression?

Waqar Akbar Cheema


Abstract

When dealing with any Islamic text in English,
it is absolutely crucial to use the most accurate
Arabic translation, in order to reflect the true
intended meaning of the text. Not only is an
incorrect translation completely irresponsible
and misleading, but it actually removes the
implication of the original statement by
misquoting the one who said it. Using such
types of translations makes it very easy for a
person to prove their point, regardless of what
the truth is. This article will bring forth one
such commonly mistranslated and
misunderstood hadith, and provide it with a
better translation and its proper significance.
This will further be supplemented by other
narrations that use the same words and are
more explicit in their meaning.

1. Introduction

Knowing that their claims about the essentials
and generalities of Islam are proven to be false,
some critics of Islam pick on isolated
narrations, translating them as they like to
make the average person feel uneasy about
Islam.

One such narration appears as:

Ubayy b. Ka ‘b told that he heard God ’s
messenger say, “If anyone proudly asserts his
descent in the manner of the pre-Islcimic
people, tell him to bite his father’s penis, and
do not use a euphemism. ”


1 Robson, James, Mishkat al-Masabih - English

Translation with Explanatory Notes, Vol. 2, 1021


2. Actual wording and literal analysis

The actual words of the Prophet are:

<ujl t ^yb pli aTaIA-I

Its literal translation would be:

“He who so asserts his relationship in the
manner of the time of ignorance, make him
bite the membrum of his father and make no
allusion.” 1 2

Three words here need special attention. We
shall show their original denotative and
connotative meanings, and in the light of that,
make a lucid and truly justified translation.

a) ja* ( aclh ) literally means “to bite” but
often implies to “stick to.”

b) y* { han ) originally means a thing but
often it is used to refer to the genitals.

c ) ^ {kuna) literally means metonymy
and is used for any kind of indirect
speech.

2.1 Meaning of the word jo* ( adh )

Literally {adh) means “to bite;” however it
implies to “stick to.” The following is an
example to show the “stick to” connotation of
this word.


2 This hadith is recorded in many hadith works including
Musnad Ahmad, Sunan al-Kubra of an-Nasa’i and
Mushkil al-Athar of at-Tahawi. It is also quoted in Shia
sources; see for instance: al-Majlisi, Muhammad Baqir,
Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 32, 91. Al-Majlisi also quotes
another narration attributed to ‘ Ali with a similar
wording.






Telling Someone to Bite Their Father's Genitals: Explicit Phrase or Misunderstood Expression?


The Messenger of Allah said:

f-biliLl

.Lr jyjb

Dr. James Robson, whose translation the
missionaries use for the hadith in question,
translates this one as:

“You must therefore follow my sunna and
that of the rightly guided Caliphs. Hold to it
and stick fast to it ( adhdhu alaiha bin-
nawajiz ).” 3

Moreover, he adds a note to the last phrase of
the part of hadith quotes here;

“Lit. ‘bite on it with the molar teeth.’” 4

Where the actual wording says “bite with teeth ”
Dr. Robson gives the implied meaning and
where it simply says “bite,” he somehow feels
compelled to go for a literal rendering.

It is thus clear that word ( adh ) is not

always understood literally and often 5 implies
to “stick to.”

2.2 Meaning of (him)

Literally the word j* (hem) means “a thing.” 6
And by the way of euphemism it is used for the
male (or female) organ.

Ibn al-Athir al-Jazari (d. 606 AH) defines it:

a^SJu V jS- LLS"

“It is a metonymy for anything which is not
mentioned by name.” 7

Abul-‘Abbas al-Fayyumi (d. 770 AH) says:

bA ^ i i 5 }

3 Robson, James, Mishkat al-Masabih - English
Translation with Explanatory Notes, Vol.l, 44

4 Ibid.

5 There are more examples in Hadith literature but we
leave them for the sake of brevity.

6 Lane, E. W., Arabic-English Lexicon, Vol.8, 3045

7 al-Jazari, Ibn al-Atheer, al-Nihayah fee Ghareeb al-

Hadith, Vol.5, 278


“And this word is used as a euphemism for
the genitals.” 8 *

Evidently, the word used is not the proper
explicit word for the male genital; rather it is a
euphemism for it. For this reason, the rightful
translation of it is “membrum” and not the
word used by Dr. Robson.

Membrum is a euphemism 9 for the word
“penis” 10 and therefore the appropriate word
here. Prof. Josef Horovitz correctly used it in
his English rendering of this hadith while
translating Ibn Qutayba’s ‘Uyun al-Akhbar. 11

This is no trivial a difference. In fact, it governs
the central-most idea - failing to understand it
or twisting the entire saying is ill-conceived.

2.3 Meaning of (kuna)

Towards the end of the hadith, it is said “and
make no allusion” (y>j s U). To understand this
correctly, one needs to consider the above
explanation of the word ^ (han).

When (han) itself is a euphemism, what
does the last part of the hadith refer to it? We
see these missionaries use the translation that
fails to keep the euphemistic meanings of the
original word and then they stress on the
subsequent words “and do not use a
euphemism” to suggest that the hadith asks for
making an explicit mention of genitals. This is
where the true meanings of the hadith are lost.
In reality, it is about bluntly speaking about the
disbelief and evil acts of one’s forefathers and
that in doing so one should not stop with
simply alluding to it because this will not bring
about the forceful reproof.

3. Context of the saying


s al-Fayyumi, Abul-‘Abbas, al-Misbah al-Muneer, Vol.2,
641

9 Flury, Peter (Munich), “ Euphemism ”

10 Wikitionary, “ Membrum ”

11 Horovitz, Josef, ‘“Uyun al-Akhbar,” Islamic Culture,
The Hyderabad Quarterly Review, Vol.4, 176


Journal of Islamic Sciences vol.l issue 2


To have a profound understanding of the The hadith under discussion is also in the same

hadith, we need to see its context. backdrop as we shall explain shortly.


Firstly, even in Mishkat the hadith is placed in

the chapter “Boasting and Party-Spirit.”

Likewise, it is placed in similar chapters in
12

Sunan al-Kubra “ of an-Nasa’i, Shark as-
Sunnah of al-Baghawi and ‘Aina I al-Yawm
wa al-Laylah 14 of Ibn as-Sani.

It is well known that Islam does not tolerate
any ideas that can undermine the universal
Islamic brotherhood and for this reason, party-
spirit, tribalism or narrow-nationalism is
severely condemned. This was stressed more
for the first recipients of the Prophet’s message
because their ancestors were idolaters and their
training was pivotal in setting up the new faith
based on universal Islamic nationalism and
brotherhood. The following hadith tells us the
same:

as jl 01 a4p Aiil aiiI cT

jlAb fAs- Ji j p

JL-j jp-U tv 1 !/ >4

tyff) y ‘■pH* 1 ' j%-» bcl |

JjuJl bgjbb ^jjj ^Jl Alii

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: “The
Messenger of Allah said: Allah has taken
away your pride of Jahiliyyah and your
boasting about your forefathers. One is only
a righteous believer or a doomed evildoer.
You are the sons of Adam and Adam was
created from dust. Men should stop boasting
about their forefathers, who are no more
than the coal of Hell, or they will certainly
be more insignificant before Allah than the
beetle that rolls dung with its nose.” 15


12 an-Nasa’i, Sunan al-Kubra, Vol.9, 357-358

13 al-Baghawi, Shark as-Sunnah, Vol.l 3, 120

14 Ibn as-Sani, ‘Amal al-Yawm wal-Laylah, 384

15 as-Sajistani, Abu Dawood, as-Sunan, Hadith 5116; al-
Albani classified it as hasan


4. Meanings of the phrase “make him bite
the membrum of his father”

Knowing the context and understanding the key
words puts us in a better position to understand
the meaning of the phrase “ make him bite his
father’s membrum .” All this makes it clear that
the hadith actually asks for putting to shame
one who boasts for the condemned ideals by
reminding him of humble origins and the
disbelief and evildoings of his idolater
ancestors.


Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 751 AH) tells us the wisdom
of mentioning the membrum:

\jfjj Lcabk i^-AI OlSj

“The mention of father’s membrum here is a
good reminder for the boastful, making the
call of the ignorance through the organ from
which he originated.” 16


This can be related to the Qur’an:

b| Q) tj^SiL bt^>» ^ OL^AI ^1p ^>1

Ix-P*’ sblxibs a44J Aah'i ol^ai Uil>-

“Has there [not] come upon man a period of
time when he was not a thing [even]
mentioned? Indeed, We created man from a
sperm-drop mixture that We may try him;
and We made him hearing and seeing.”
(Qur’an 76:1-2)


Mulla Ali al-Qari (d. 1014 AH) explains it
further:


t ^ f.L>-b vIaIA!

b£ ‘ j UjJlj ^bvAl o^bp ^Jbi aJ

, AjbS" S aJIVjj aj j&j

^bJl JAjH I


16 Ibn al-Qayyim, Zaad al-Ma’ad fee Hady Khayr al-
‘Ibad, Vol.2, 400



Telling Someone to Bite Their Father's Genitals: Explicit Phrase or Misunderstood Expression?


“Whoever attributes and associates himself
to the times of (pre-Islamic) ignorance in
reviving their ways (by boasting for his
forefathers), and in following their practices
of abusing, cursing and reviling and comes
to you with obscenity and arrogance, then
mention to him the evildoings of his father -
worshiping of idols, committing of adultery
and taking of liquor and things like that. Put
him to shame with the mention of all this as
a reproof and humiliation and say it
explicitly and not by just with euphemism ;
perhaps he will give up defiling the honor of
the people.” 17

The underlined part is about the meaning of the
last phrase in the hadith as discussed above.

5. More on the proverbial nature of the
saying

Further proof of the proverbial nature of the
saying is in the fact that in some versions of the
hadith even the euphemism for the genitals is
not used and the meaning is alluded to only
through the initial word of the phrase.

“When you here the one who asserts his
relationship in the manners of the times of
ignorance, then make him bite [the

membrum of his father] and do not (just)

1 8

make an allusion.”

Abu Ja’far at-Tahawi (d. 321 AH) makes
special note of this version of the hadith. 19

Also we see, when the successors of the
Prophet followed this instruction, it became
evident that the underlying message was to
teach the one who makes the call of ignorance a
lesson to break his party-spirit.


17 al-Qari, Mulla Ali, Mirqat al-Mafatih, Vol.7, 3076

18 Ibn Hanbal, Ahmad, al-Musnad , Hadith 21233

19 at-Tahawi, Abu Ja’far, Shark Mushkil al-Athar, Vol.8,
235


JjLaJl; j* : y*s- Jli : Jli c j js-

Abu Mijliz mentions that ‘Umar said:

“Whoever associates himself with the tribes
(in a way that undermines Islamic
brotherhood), humble him! (lit. make him
bite [his father’s membrum])” 20

And then”

L Ji h : J^j Jl-s : Jl-* ‘ j-A g)

ac^j lAf- c-^lhAl yj

Abu Mijliz stated: “A person called out, ‘O
people of Banu Tamim,’ ‘Umar denied them
their allowance for one year.” 21

The connection of the two narrations is obvious
and we see ‘Umar did not do what he said
literally; rather he suspended their privileges
for a year as a reproof. By suspending their
allowances he meant to tell them that their
tribal affiliations were meaningless. And if they
were not to give up the false pride they would
be humbled through such punitive measures
and their tribal affiliations will not suffice
them. The act of humbling actually underscored
the true meanings of the phrase under
consideration.

The following narration from at-Tabari (d. 310
AH) in its essence supports what has been
stated above:

I aj j* JyJ ac^j* If

tdUJ : Jli U : d Jlii t^uAl Jy A"

A ^lil ojil ,y> jAjl/ A :jA Ji> A A oil :Jli
^Ul J^iu^li A a W3*l (Jl csyjaou

(Ji :Jt®j [A-^ - ^ ld>li oLJSdl o-U Jlii

A^ y 4AjlAl yj Ul yj 2JJL* Ul c^LJI

^LJl L^jI ,jl ty^AI Ul :Jlii t^UJl Uypl <Gl

I 4 J ciijUs ACS- C 5_ajUs> aJI olili

t^LJl l$J A-* yAli L* L* !^%^jIjI 2^- ~ ~ ^

- ./g ; ijlii aJI oJ-ili ,jl JvsU-l


20 Ibn Abi Shaybah, al-Musannaf Hadith 38339

21 Ibid., Hadith 38404



Journal of Islamic Sciences vol.l issue 2


upj)^4-l f.Lsl -jai^

When the right wing of the Iraqis was
defeated and ‘Ali joined the left, al-Ashtar
passed him galloping in the direction of the
right wing towards the panic. ‘Ali said to
him, “Malik,” and he answered, “Yes, here I
am at your service.” ‘Ali said, “Go to those
men and ask them why they are fleeing from
death, whose power they cannot destroy, to
life, which will not long remain for them?”
Malik went on and met the men in their
fight. He said to them what ‘Ali had told him
to say and rallied them, saying, “To me,
men! I am Malik b. al-Harith!” But then he
thought that perhaps he was better known
among them as al-Ashtar and he said, “I am
al-Ashtar! To me, men!”

A group joined him, but a group deserted,
and he cried out: “ Men, how shameful you
are! How wretched has been your fighting
today! Men, sort out Madhhij, and send
them to me.”

Madhhij joined him, and he said: “May you
bite on hard rock! You have neither pleased
your Lord nor been true to Him regarding

your enemy. How can that be when you are

22

horn warriors ?”

Here the original wording for the underlined
phrase is the very one under consideration.
Literally it would be translated as, “Men, bite
you the membrums of your fathers. ” The
context is that people who came from tribes
known for chivalry were showing their backs
and behaving out of their expected tribal
character. To such, Malik called with those
words to remind them of their positive family
attributes and shake them by putting them to

~ 2 At-Tabari, Ibn Jareer, The History of al-Tabari,
volume XVII — - The First Civil War, 41


shame with these words. G.R. Hawting has thus
rightfully rendered it as “Men, how shameful
you are! ”

This also shows that while the phrase is about
asking one to reflect on his lineage, it is not
necessarily to condemn the addressee’s
forefathers; rather it is to condemn his behavior
in relation to what is commended in Islam
through a reference to his ancestors and their
deeds.

In fact, evidence suggests, the phrase was at
times used to express anger as such. Read the
following account given by Ibn Katheer (d. 774
AH) about pre-Islamic times.

Jla Jjjj Jl

f Lfcj djblj

Aiiliil f Ajliil ^ ^abJl ^JL«Jl owUp

Cl . - Jli, 4^-j Jj. J45""

Li. (Jyaill 04"” f ^jb

Al-Kalbi reported that Imru’ al-Qays
advanced with his banners flying intending
to battle Banu Asad after they had killed his
father and passed by Tabala. There was the
shrine of Dhul-Khalasa, an idol at which the
Arabs would seek divine support. Imru’ al-
Qays asked for prophecy and the arrow for
negation came out. This then happened a
second and a third time. At that he broke the
arrows and struck them against the face of
Dhal-Khalasa, exclaiming: “ You’d bite your
father’s penis! If your father were the man
murdered, you'd not impede me!” He then
launched a raid against Banu Asad and
engaged them in swift battle . 23

This example is important for multiple reasons:

a) It is from pre-Islamic times and shows
the usage of the expression with the
Arabs.


23 Ibn Katheer, as-Sirat an-Nabawiyyah - The Life of the
Prophet, Vol.l, 85



Telling Someone to Bite Their Father's Genitals: Explicit Phrase or Misunderstood Expression?


b) Imra’ al-Qays, the one who used it, was
an authority in Arabic language and
literature.

c) He used it for his idol to show his anger
and frustration. This makes the
proverbial sense of the phrase evident.

d) Even when he used more explicit word
instead of a euphemism, it cannot be
considered vulgar and obscene speech
due to the context; how can then the
same phrase without involving explicit
words be considered vulgar and
obscene?

6. Explicit statements in the Bible

Missionaries who zealously criticize Islam
often do not remember to first have a look at
their own house on the same accounts. The
Bible has statements that can be viewed as
gross and unimaginable. For instance, Ezekiel
23 is full of explicit content:

“When she carried on her prostitution
openly and exposed her naked body, I
turned away from her in disgust, just as I
had turned away from her sister. Yet she
became more and more promiscuous as she
recalled the days of her youth , when she was
a prostitute in Egypt. There she lusted after
her lovers, whose genitals were like those of
donkeys and whose emission was like that of
horses . So you longed for the lewdness of
your youth, when in Egypt your bosom was
caressed and your young breasts fondled .” 24

There are many more explicit stories in the
Bible. 25


7. Summary and conclusion

a) The hadith condemns party-spirit and
tribal pride that undermines the very
essence of Islamic spirit.

b) The word under scrutiny implies
“sticking to” or “reflecting upon.”

c) The explicit word for the male genital
organ is not mentioned. Instead a
euphemism is used.

d) The idea is to make one reflect on his
origins and give up false pride.
Reference to one’s father is to make one
realize how insignificant the person was
once. Specifically, for early Muslims, it
was a call to realize that their ancestors
were pagans and evildoers and it makes
no sense to take pride in the
condemned.

e) Caliph ‘Umar reiterated and followed

this instruction by suspending monetary
privileges of those making the

forbidden call. This highlights the true
spirit of the saying.

f) Usage by other people in other contexts
also shows it was a proverbial phrase
used to condemn unbecoming behavior
of a person or even simply to express
anger. In the hadith under consideration,
it was meant as a strong and explicit
reminder to make one get over phony
pride.

g) In the light of the explanation above the
correct meaning of the hadith is:

“He, who asserts his relationship in
the manners of the time of ignorance,
put him to shame by explicitly
mentioning to him his origins and
reality as a human and the disbelief
and practices of his ancestors.”


24 The Bible, NIV, Ezekiel 23:18:21

25 Abdullah, “ 29 Sexually Explicit, Profane and Dirty
Stories and Verses in the Bible”


Journal of Islamic Sciences vol.l issue 2


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a Y \ jUiV'— jl^ 1 463/d ‘-‘Xl 1

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http : //en . wiktionary . or g/wiki/membrum