Some Sayings of the Prophet

This cannot be taken to mean that women have been created from a rib, for this has no connection with the point conveyed in the rest of the sentence, which is that women should be treated well. A correct interpretation of the word ‘rib’ has to fit in with the underlying purpose behind the Prophet’s statement. The statement, ‘women have been created from a rib,’ should be taken metaphorically, not literally. What the Prophet wished to convey was this: “‘Women are akin to a rib and should be treated with due consideration.’ There is another tradition that explains what this means. ‘A woman is like a rib,’ said the Prophet, ‘If you try to straighten it, it will break.’” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 1468) This saying of the Prophet Muhammad, related in the Sahih of both Bukhari and Muslim, which are the most authentic collections of traditions, makes it clear that women are like ribs, not created from ribs. The allusion is figurative, not literal. Light is also cast on the meaning of the metaphor. Ribs break when one tries to straighten them. So, it is with women. Rather than try to straighten them, it is better to let them be. ‘Women have been created from ribs’ and ‘Women are like ribs’ are two different ways of saying the same thing. There is a difference in the mode of expression of the two statements, but there is no difference in meaning. It is common in every language for metaphors to be expressed directly without using the words ‘like’ or ‘as.’ For instance, if one wishes to pay tribute to a person’s bravery, one can