Aisha: Difference between revisions

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>

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>

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.