Aisha bint Abu Bakr

Women in Islam - Reality

Women in Islam - Ideals

• Origins: Arabia a very patriarchal society

• Islam became political, warfare common

• Women in many Muslim countries are oppressed

Role of Women

• Muhammad wanted to liberate and equalize women, equal rights

• Muhammad married women for political alliances, social security - slavery and poverty

• Muhammad encouraged wives to be active members of the community and to be educated

• Primary role – motherhood

• Secondary role – career

• ‘Jenna (heaven) lies at the feet of mothers.’ hadith

• Children must honour mother times before father – hadith

Role of Men

• Primary role – guardian of family through providing and leading

• Education

All men and women are equal before Allah ‘made of a single soul from the same Earth.’ Sura 4:1, 39:6

Context

Contributions - Political

Contributions

Contribution

• present through the reigns of the caliphs
• delivered political speeches
• became directly involved in war
• Umayyads followed her

• consultant for Muhammad's prayer and personal life
• role model - especially for Muslim women
• her and Hafsar memorized and got transcripts of the Qur'an
• helped men and women understand Muhammad's teachings
• as Muhammad's wife, she was required to wear a hijab, the practise of Muslim women wearing a hijab originated from Aisha

Aisha and Islam

• Muhammad trusted Aisha with spiritual aspects of Islam

• Heard some of the first dialogue of Islam from Muhammad’s discussions with her father

• Questioned and learnt about Islam

• Present when Gabriel appeared to Muhammad, present for more revelations than anyone

Aisha’s Contribution to Islam

• Muhammad advised ‘ Learn a portion of your religion from this red colored lady’

• Assertive, intelligent, good memory, persuasive speaker

• Became a leading religious authority – recited Hadiths

• Originally 2210 hadith attributed to her

- converyed sunnah - practices of the Muhammad, due to being involved in his personal life

• Life and works studied by Muslims

• Gave money to the poor

• Memorized the Qur’an

• Took in orphans

• House became a school

• Educated women

• Social and political leader

• Educated nephew who wrote Hadiths

• Authority on Islamic law and tradition

• Muslims came to her for explanation and interpreted the Qur’an and hadith because of her close relationship with Muhammad and her own abilities

• Political active

• Fought for her belief in Islam

• Leader in the ‘Battle of Camel’

• Imam for other women

• Her position in his house allowed her to teach the domestic tasks of the prophet to Muslims so they could emulate his example

• Scholar

• Privileged for her knowledge of poetry, medicine and theology

• al Ahnaf ‘I have heard speeches of Abu Bakr and Omar, Othman and Ali and the Khulafa up to this day, but I have not heard speech more persuasive and more beautiful from the mouth of any person than from the mouth of Aisha.’

• Shows that women can have an active role in society whilst maintaining their modesty – role model

• Ensured the Qur’an and Hadith were written down

Sunni

Shiite

• Aisha – Arabic for ‘life’

• ‘Mother of Believers’

• ‘Source of Truth’

• Great teacher

• Heroine in battle

Muhammad's favorite wife

criticizing her is like criticizing Muhammad

Biography

Marry women of your choice, Two or three or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one, or (a captive) that your right hands possess, that will be more suitable, to prevent you from doing injustice.

(Surah an-Nisa', Ayat 3)

• Not direct descendent of Muhammad, therefore not reliable

• Caused divide of Muslim nation, jealous spy, conflict with Fatima

• not Muhammad's favorite - he loved them all equally
• didn't conduct herself appropriately as Muhammad's wife
• believed she started the civil war - Battle of Camel
• believed to have committed adultery
• some believe she poisoned Muhammad
• did not like her involvement in war

• Born 613CE in Mecca, Abu Bakr’s daughter

• Grew up in Islamic household therefore understood Islamic practice

"I never saw my parents practicing other than Islam "

• Ali and Fatima accused her of adultery, slander

• 19 when Muhammad died, he died in her arms, his other wives agreeing to let him spend his last days in Aisha’s chamber

• Childless and banned from remarriage

• Lived 58 years after Muhammad, died in 678CE buried in Medina

Relationship with Muhammad

Aisha's Relationship with Caliphs

Abu Bakr and Aisha v Fatima and Ali

Abu Bakr

• 1st Rightly Guided Caliph

• one of the 1st converts to Islam 'muhajirun'

• One of Muhammad’s closest companions

Muhammad’s wife

- Betrothed in Mecca, age 10

- Married in Medina, age 14 or 15

- 3rd wife

- most beloved wife, after Khadijah bint Khuwaylid

- only virgin wife

- Muhammad’s 2nd wife suggested he should marry Aisha

- Muhammad revealed his revelations to her

- lived 50 years after Muhammad died in 632CE

Khadijah bint Khuwaylid

• Conflict in household when Muhammad chose Abu Bakr as his successor, not his daughter Fatima’s husband Ali

• Caused Shiite Islam to form

• Proposed to Muhammad

• Widow

• Muhammad’s 1st wife – monogamous for 25 years, until she died

• Married in 595CE

• Daughter Fatima was the only child that survived

• Father allowed her to handle money and gave her an inheritance, therefore wealthy

• 1st person to accept Islam

• Influenced role of women in Islam

Abu Bakr

• given status in the Muslim community as the wife of Muhammad and daughter of the first caliph
• 'the truthful woman, daughter of the truthful man'

Omar

• Violent misogynist

- Stoning official punishment for adultery

- Tried to prevent women praying in the mosques

- Separate prayer leaders for men and women

- Prevented women from doing the Hajj but this was alleviated before his death

• Supported his leadership, so Ali wouldn’t be in power

Othman

- spoke against him for disregarding the sunnah through beating a man

• Murdered as part of rebellion in 655

• Succeeded by Ali

Ali (656CE)

• Aisha spoke of Ali’s failure to punish Othman’s killer in a speech given at mecca, saying how the murderers 'shed sacred blood, desecrated he sacred city, seized sacred funds and profaned the sacred mouth.'

• Aisha and Ali fought

• Responsible for Ali’s downfall as commander of opposing army

Aisha bint Abu Bakr