Aisha
Aisha bint Abu Bakr (also spelled
Ayşe,
Ayesha,
'A'isha, or
'Aisha,
`ā'isha, "she who lives") was a wife of
Muhammad. In Islamic writings, she is thus often referred to by the title "Mother of the Believers" (Arabic:
"Umm-al-Momineen"). She is quoted as source for 1,210
hadith (traditions about Muhammad's life), with Muhammad's personal life being the topic of most narrations.
Aisha is a controversial figure because of differing portrayals of her in
Shia and
Sunni versions of islamic history and her role in the
First Islamic civil war at the head of an army against in the
Battle of Bassorah.
It is not clear when Aisha was born. Most scholars calculate her age, by reference to the date of her marriage to Muhammad (
622) and then subtracting her age at marriage. However, there are many
theories as to her age at marriage.
Aisha was the daughter of
Abu Bakr of
Mecca. They belonged to the
Banu Taim sub-clan of the tribe of
Quraysh, the tribe to which Muhammad also belonged. Aisha is said to have followed her father in accepting Islam when she was still young. She also joined him in his
migration to Ethiopia in
615 CE; a number of Mecca's Muslims emigrated then, seeking refuge from persecution by the Meccans who still followed their pre-Islamic religions.
According to the early Islamic historian
al-Tabari, Aisha's father tried to spare her the dangers and discomfort of the journey by solemnizing her marriage to her fiance, Jubair, son of Mut`am ibn `Adi. However, Mut'am refused to honor the long-standing betrothal, as he did not wish his family to be connected to the Muslim outcasts. The emigration to Ethiopia proved temporary and Abu Bakr's family returned to Mecca within a few years. Aisha was then betrothed to Muhammad.
Aisha's marriage was delayed until after the
Hijra, or migration to
Medina, in 622. Aisha and her older sister
Asma only moved to Medina after Muhammad had already fled there. Abu Bakr gave Muhammad the money to build a house for himself. After this, the wedding was celebrated very simply.
Age at marriage
The age of Aisha at marriage is an unsettled issue, and the subject of increasing attention in recent years because critics of Muhammad accept the majority tradition that she was as young as nine years old when her marriage was consummated beleive this reflects negatively on his character. There are several
hadiths (said to have been narrated by Aisha herself) which state she was six or seven years old when betrothed and nine years old when married or when the marriage was
consummated [ D. A. Spellberg, Politics, Gender, and the Islamic Past: the Legacy of A'isha bint Abi Bakr, Columbia University Press, 1994, p. 40 ]. Other traditional material (hadith,
sira, etc.) suggests that Aisha may have been anywhere from twelve to nineteen years old when she married. This is discussed in more detail in the main article on the
marriage-age controversy.
Status as "favorite wife"
Even though the marriage may have been politically motivated, to mark the ties between Muhammad and his companion Abu Bakr, most early accounts say that Muhammad and Aisha became sincerely fond of each other. Aisha is usually described as Muhammad's favorite wife, and believed to have been his only virgin wife.
Shi'a Muslims would disagree with this description, regarding it as politically motivated. They adduce the following episodes as proof that Muhammad and Aisha's marriage did not always go smoothly.
Aisha accused of adultery
Aisha was traveling with her husband Muhammad and some of his followers. She left camp in the morning to search for her lost necklace; when she returned, she found that the company had broken camp and left without her. She waited patiently for half a day, until she was rescued by a man named Safwan and taken to rejoin the caravan.
Malicious tongues started to wag, claiming that she must have been having an affair with Safwan. Some urged Muhammad to divorce his wife. He then received a revelation directing that adultery be proven by four eyewitnesses, rather than simply inferred from opportunity. One passage of the
Qur'an, "Verily! They who spread the slander are a gang among you..." (), is usually taken as a rebuke to those who slandered Aisha.
The story of the honey
According to the tale widely accepted by both Shias and Sunnis, Muhammad's wife
Zainab bint Jahsh was given a skin filled with honey, which she shared with her husband. He was fond of sweets and stayed overlong with Zainab bint Jash; at least in the opinion of Aisha and her co-wife
Hafsa. Aisha and Hafsa conspired. Each of them was to tell Muhammad that the honey had given him bad breath. When he heard this from two wives, he believed that it was true and swore that he would eat no more of the honey. Soon afterwards, he reported that he had received a revelation, in which he was told that he could eat anything permitted by God (). In the following verses, Muhammad's wives are rebuked for their unruliness: "your hearts are inclined (to oppose him)".
Word spread in the small Muslim community that Muhammad's wives were tyrannizing over the mild-mannered man, speaking sharply to him and conspiring against him. Umar, Hafsa's father, scolded his daughter and also spoke to Muhammad of the matter. Muhammad, saddened and upset, separated from his wives for a month. By the end of this time, his wives were humbled and harmony was restored.
When Muslim commentators on the Qur'an explicate
Sura 66, it is usually this story that is told to explain the "occasion of revelation".
There is a similar but alternative explanation of this chapter, also involving Aisha. In this story, Aisha and her co-wives were unhappy because Muhammad was infatuated with
Maria al-Qibtiyya, the Christian Coptic woman who bore Muhammad a brief-lived son. (Some accounts say that she was a slave, some that she converted to Islam, was freed, and was taken as a wife.) (Rodinson 1961, pp. 279-283)
The death of Muhammad
Ibn Ishaq, in his
Sirat Rasulallah, states that during Muhammad's last illness, he sought Aisha's apartments and died with his head in her lap. The Sunni take this as evidence of Muhammad's fondness for Aisha.
Aisha never remarried after Muhammad's death. A passage in the Qur'an forbids any Muslim to marry the Muhammad's widows.
Nor is it right for you that ye should annoy God's Apostle, or that ye should marry his widows after him at any time. Truly such a thing is in God's sight an enormity. ()
Aisha's father becomes the first caliph
After Muhammad's death in 632 C.E., Aisha's father, Abu Bakr, became the first
caliph, or leader of the Muslims. This matter is extremely controversial. Shi'a believe that Ali should have been chosen to lead; Sunni maintain that the community chose Abu Bakr, and did so in accordance with Muhammad's wishes. This is discussed in much greater detail in the article
Succession to Muhammad.
The battle of the camel
Abu Bakr's reign was short, and in 634 C.E. he was succeeded by
Umar, as caliph. Umar reigned for ten years, and was then followed by
Uthman in 644 C.E. Both of these men had been among Muhammad's earliest followers, were linked to him by clanship and marriage, and had taken prominent parts in various military campaigns.
Aisha, in the meantime, lived in Medina and made several pilgrimages to Mecca.In 656 C.E. Uthman was killed by rebellious Muslim soldiers. The rebels then asked Ali to be the new caliph. Many reports absolve Ali of complicity in the murder. He is reported to have refused the caliphate. He agreed to rule only after his followers persisted.
Aisha raised an army which confronted
Ali's army outside the city of
Basra. Battle ensued and Aisha's forces were defeated. Aisha was directing her forces from a howdah on the back of a camel; this
656 battle is therefore called the Battle of the Camel.
Ali captured Aisha but declined to harm her. He sent her back to Medina under military escort. She lived a retired life until she died in approximately
678.
Sunnis recognize Aisha as a Mother of Believers, a title of honor given to Muhammad's wives. Sunni historians see Aisha as a learned woman, who tirelessly recounted stories from the life of Muhammad and explained Muslim history and traditions. She is considered to be one of the foremost scholars of Islam's early age and is revered as a role model by millions of women.
Shi'a historians believe that Ali should have been the first caliph, and that the other three caliphs were usurpers. Aisha not only supported
Umar,
Uthman, and her father
Abu Bakr, she also raised an army and fought against
Ali, her step-son-in-law. The Shia believe that she did wrong in rebelling against Ali. Some say that since Ali forgave her, so should Shi'a; other Shi'a are less forgiving.
*
Persons related to Qur'anic verses*
Muhammad's marriages*
Family tree of Aisha*
Arranged marriage* Guillaume, A. --
The Life of Muhammad, Oxford University Press, 1955
* Rodinson, Maxime --
Muhammad, 1980 Random House reprint of English translation
* Spellberg, D.A. --
Politics, Gender, and the Islamic Past: the Legacy of A'isha bint Abi Bakr, Columbia University Press, 1994
*
Aisha bint Abi Bakr, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions, Oxford University Press, 2000
Sunni view of Aisha:
*
Biography of AishaShi'a view of Aisha:
*
Answering some important issues regarding Aisha
