Aisha: Difference between revisions

Aisha (Arabic: {{ia|عائشة}}) was the third wife of Prophet Muhammad (s) and the daughter of Abu Bakr. Aisha is regarded as one of the outstanding women of early Islam, holding both political and social status, and more than two thousand hadiths have been narrated from her. Aisha has been criticized by Shi'a due to her disagreements with [[Imam Ali (a)]] and her confrontation with him in the [[Battle of the Camel]].

Aisha, the daughter of Abu Bakr b. Abi Quhafa, was one of the wives of the Prophet (s).<ref>"A Re-examination of Aisha's Age at Marriage with the Prophet," p. 26; Encyclopedia of Hadith, p. 147.</ref> She was the Prophet's third wife after [[Khadija (a)]] and [[Sawda]].<ref>"Clarifying the Scientific Role and Status of Aisha bint Abu Bakr in Quranic and Hadith Sciences Based on Reports and Historical Sources," p. 48.</ref>

There is disagreement about Aisha's age at the time of her marriage to the Prophet.<ref>Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, vol. 8, pp. 46–47; Tahdhib al-Kamal fi Asma' al-Rijal, vol. 35, p. 227.</ref> Some state she was nine years old,<ref>"Clarifying the Scientific Role and Status of Aisha bint Abu Bakr…," p. 48; "A Re-examination of Aisha's Age at Marriage with the Prophet," p. 25.</ref> but some reports suggest she was between 13 and 17,<ref>Al-Sahih min Sirat al-Nabi al-A'zam (s), vol. 3, p. 287.</ref> or even 17 to 20 years old at the time of her marriage.<ref>"A Re-examination of Aisha's Age at Marriage with the Prophet," p. 37.</ref>  

Aisha passed away in 57/676-77, 58/677-78,<ref>"A Re-examination of Aisha's Age at Marriage with the Prophet," p. 27; The History of the Prophet of Islam, p. 58; Encyclopedia of Hadith, p. 148.</ref> or 59/678-79,<ref>The Role of Aisha in the History of Islam, vol. 1, p. 46.</ref> and [[Abu Hurayra]] led her funeral prayer.<ref>Tarikh al-Islam wa Wafayat al-Mashahir wa al-A'lam, vol. 4, p. 164.</ref>

After the Prophet's demise, Aisha strongly supported the rule of her father [[Abu Bakr]], then [['Umar b. al-Khattab]], and even during the first half of [['Uthman b. 'Affan]]'s caliphate, she was a staunch supporter of the government of the time.<ref>The Role of Aisha in the History of Islam, vol. 1, p. 45.</ref> In the second half of 'Uthman's rule, she became dissatisfied with him, but after his assassination, she demanded revenge for his blood and confronted [[Imam Ali (a)]] in the [[Battle of the Camel]].<ref>Encyclopedia of Hadith, p. 147.</ref>

Aisha was defeated in the Battle of the Camel, and Imam Ali (a) returned her to [[Medina]] with respect.<ref>The Role of Aisha in the History of Islam, vol. 1, p. 46; Encyclopedia of Amir al-Mu'minin Based on the Quran, Hadith, and History, vol. 4, p. 415.</ref> She lived in Medina until Imam Ali's martyrdom (40/661) and did not leave the city afterward.<ref>The Role of Aisha in the History of Islam, vol. 1, p. 46.</ref> Due to Aisha's stance against Ali (a) —especially her role in the Battle of the Camel— she has faced criticism from Shi'a scholars,<ref>The Role of Aisha in the History of Islam, vol. 1, pp. 205–206, vol. 3, p. 322; Al-Sahih min Sirat al-Nabi al-A'zam (s), vol. 3, p. 291; Encyclopedia of al-Baqi' al-Sharif, p. 449.</ref> and she also prevented the burial of [[Imam al-Hasan (a)]] next to [[the Prophet (s)]].<ref>Encyclopedia of Amir al-Mu'minin Based on the Quran, Hadith, and History, vol. 4, p. 415.</ref>

Aisha is regarded as a prominent figure in the early Islamic period for her contributions in political, theological, hadith, and jurisprudential matters.<ref>"Clarifying the Scientific Role and Status of Aisha bint Abu Bakr…," p. 42.</ref> She is said to have been a jurist,<ref>Tahdhib al-Kamal fi Asma' al-Rijal, vol. 35, pp. 233–235; Encyclopedia of Hadith, p. 148.</ref> a Quran memorizer, an eloquent speaker,<ref>Encyclopedia of Amir al-Mu'minin Based on the Quran, Hadith, and History, vol. 4, p. 513.</ref> and was known for her remarkable memory.<ref>"Clarifying the Scientific Role and Status of Aisha bint Abu Bakr…," pp. 43 & 48; The Role of Aisha in the History of Islam, vol. 1, p. 47.</ref> Sunni scholars have written extensively about her virtues.<ref>Tahdhib al-Kamal fi Asma' al-Rijal, vol. 35, pp. 233–235; Siyar A'lam al-Nubala', vol. 2, pp. 140–141.</ref> She narrated many hadiths from the Prophet (s);<ref>"Clarifying the Scientific Role and Status of Aisha bint Abu Bakr…," p. 42.</ref> it is said that after the Prophet's demise, she was a scholarly reference for the companions.<ref>Tahdhib al-Kamal fi Asma' al-Rijal, vol. 35, pp. 233–235; "Clarifying the Scientific Role and Status of Aisha bint Abu Bakr…," p. 42; Encyclopedia of Hadith, p. 148.</ref> After [[Abu Hurayra]] and [[Abd Allah b. 'Umar b. al-Khattab]], she is the third most prolific narrator of hadith from the Prophet (s). The number of her hadiths is said to exceed two thousand.<ref>Encyclopedia of Hadith, p. 149.</ref>

Hadiths from Aisha include accounts about [[al-Masjid al-Haram]]<ref>See: Sirat b. Kathir, vol. 4, pp. 410 & 413.</ref> and other places like [[al-Baqi']]; for instance, she narrated that the Prophet would visit al-Baqi' and pray for forgiveness for those buried there.<ref>Islamic Monuments of Mecca and Medina, Jafarian, p. 347.</ref>

[[file:ستون عایشه در مسجد النبی.jpg|[[Aisha's Column]] in [[al-Masjid an-Nabawi]]]]

Al-Tan'im Mosque is a site designated as a [[miqat]] (place for donning [[ihram]]) for [[al-Umra al-Mufrada]]. It was once popularly known as Aisha's Mosque because the Prophet (s) instructed her to assume ihram from this location.<ref>Islamic Monuments of Mecca and Medina, p. 172.</ref> An inscription from the mosque's renovation in 310/922-23 also mentions Aisha's name.<ref>Islamic Monuments of Mecca and Medina, p. 172.</ref>

{{Main|Chamber of the Prophet (s)}}

According to the well-known view, the Prophet (s) is buried in Aisha's chamber (his residence with Aisha) within al-Masjid an-Nabawi. Later, Abu Bakr and 'Umar b. al-Khattab were also buried there.<ref>Islamic Monuments of Mecca and Medina, p. 278.</ref>

One of the columns in [[the Prophet's Rawda]] is called the Aisha's Column. It is the third column from the Prophet's pulpit and tomb, next to the current mihrab.<ref>Encyclopedia of Hajj and the Two Holy Sanctuaries, vol. 2, p. 380.</ref> There is disagreement about the reason for its name. The common view is that it was named so because Aisha narrated a hadith about the virtue of praying beside this column, or possibly because she designated and identified its location.<ref>Encyclopedia of Hajj and the Two Holy Sanctuaries, vol. 2, p. 381.</ref>

According to her will, Aisha was buried in [[al-Baqi' Cemetery]], alongside the other [[wives of the Prophet (s)]].<ref>The Role of Aisha in the History of Islam, vol. 1, p. 46; "The Sleepers of al-Baqi' (13)," p. 49.</ref> Her grave is near the burial site of [[Jabir b. Abd Allah al-Ansari]].<ref>Encyclopedia of al-Baqi' al-Sharif, p. 154.</ref> Later, a walled enclosure without a roof was built over her grave and the graves of other wives of the Prophet who were buried beside her. In the 9th/15th century, a dome was constructed over it, which was called Qubbat al-Zawjat (The Dome of the Prophet's Wives).<ref>Al-Baqi' in the Mirror of Artistic Depictions, p. 23.</ref>

* "Bāz pazhūhishī dar sinn-i ʿĀʾisha hingām-i izdiwāj bā Payāmbar", Jalālī Liqwān, Riḍā; Mīrsipāh, Akbar, ''Tārīkh-i Islām dar āyina-yi pazhūhish'', no. 2, Autumn and Winter, 1397Sh.

* ''Dānishnāma-yi Ḥajj wa Ḥaramayn-i Sharīfayn'', vol. 2, Sāmānī, Sayyid Maḥmūd, Tehran: Mashʿar.

* ''Shinākht-nāma-yi ḥadīth'', Muḥammadī Riyshahrī, Muḥammad, Qum, Dār al-Ḥadīth, 1397Sh.

* ''Al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrā'', Ibn Saʿd, Muḥammad b. Saʿd, Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1410AH.