Download Aisha Bint Abu-Bakr

Aisha Bint Abu-Bakr has played a valuable and significant contribution in the early
years of Islam and through time until the present. Her contributions have not only
helped establish the role of women in Islam but have had a lasting effect upon the
Islamic religion. Throughout her life she played the role of a leader, teacher, translator
becoming a role model for modern women of Islam. It is through the impact of her
contributions that the Islamic religion has come to accept women as equal members of
society.
The Prophet Muhammad was known as the “messenger of God”, receiving revelations
which became the foundation for the newly found religion; Islam. Due to the political
and social circumstances of that time, the prophet married many times, condoning
polygamy. Aisha’s was the third wife of the Prophet Muhammad. The age of Aisha’s
marriage is debateable however; she only came to live with the prophet after the age
of 14 to consummate their marriage. Aisha was well known for her beauty and
intellect, mainly focusing on her good memory, becoming known as the “mother of
believers” due to her contributions to Islam.
Aisha’s activities have contributed greatly to the Islamic religion. These have
occurred through her journeys, which have promoted her as a role model for women
in Islam, becoming the ideal wife. There are two major milestones in her life that
occurred when the prophet was alive that have resulted in new revelations in the
Quran. The first incidence is known as the “affair of slander” which arose through the
accusations of adultery. Whilst coming back with her husband and their followers,
Aisha was believed to have gone to relieve her, however by the time she came back
the troop had moved on. Accepting defeat she sat and waited for someone in the
entourage to realise she was not there, however as this did not occur she caught up
with her troop on the back of the camel of another man. This arose suspicions, which
led the prophet to seek advice on what should occur in this situation. God (Allah)
provided the prophet with a new found revelation, which stated “And those that
accuse of honourable women but bring not four witnesses… never accept their
testimony” (Surah 24:4). This established the law for adultery requiring 4
eyewitnesses, which is enshrined in many Islamic countries through Shariah Law. The
second journey outlined another major revelation for the prophet, which has
contributed to Islam. It is believed that Aisha had lost her necklace in the desert and
as she searched for it became time to pray. However due to her situation she was not
able to complete ablution (wudu) as there was no water. Through this it was revealed
to the prophet that water could be replaced with fine dust or sand. This became a
monumental change, which was contextually accepted as the supply of water in the
desert was short. Aisha’s journeys allowed her to make significant contributions to the
Islamic faith. These are stated in the Quran and are used today in many Islamic
countries.
Despite her journey’s Aishi contributed to Islam in many other ways. She became one
of the prominent figures in translating the Haddith (sayings of Muhammad) due to her
intellect and good memory. With over 2000 verses claimed to be translated. This
proves to have a significant impact on the interpretation of the Islamic faith, as the
Quran and Haddith are heavily reliant on each other to communicate the message of
God. Aisha played a major role in giving advice upon the interpretation of the Quran
when the prophet died. These involved her to interpret the Haddith and Quran and
propose the option both of these would offer. Through this Aisha became a dominant
figure in Islam due to her learned behaviour. Through this she was able to teach
young children and women in the community becoming a teacher, as she carried the
knowledge and wisdom. Aisha also expressed her subservience to her husband despite
expressing her spiritualy freely through rituals such as fasting prayers and the Hajj
pilgrimage. An encounter with males of Persian Muslim men resulted in the prophet
proclaiming that the Hijab should be worn to protect women. Persian Muslims left
their slave women uncovered and all women of dignity and respect wore the Hijab.
As the prophet did not enforce this socially created rule, his wives were mistakenly
taken as slaves. Thus to overcome this the Hijab was legitimised in the Quran “...
women ... should cast their outer garments over their persons” (Sur 33:59). This rule
is enforced in Islamic countries and now has become a rite of passage to initiate girls
into womanhood for protection.
Aisha also played the advocate for women in the public sphere. The death of the
prophet signalled for tension between relatives over who should become the
successor. The death of the 3rd Caliph Uthman in 656 CE resulted in the “Battle of the
Camel” as it was believed that Ali and his advocates had murdered the Caliph, as they
were unhappy with his ascension to power. Aisha led a group of 30000 men to Basra
in an attempt to unite the Muslim community. However an army of 70000 men led by
Ali met her. As both came together to discuss the potential fight it was agreed that the
avenged death of 500 and many thousands more would not be the just way to settle
the matter and thus they reconciled upon peace, however Ali’s men believed he had
been stripped of his rightful position and initiated the war. The war resulted in the loss
of Aisha and eventually caused the great schism in Islam between the Shiats and the
Sunni’s. The Shiates believed that this overthrow indicated that women should not
assume roles of power however Sunni’s believe that it is the depiction of women
becoming equal to men and thus it is widely accepted by majority of Muslims.
Aisha’s role as a leader was celebrated amongst women as it exhibited that women
could become strong political leaders despite being dominated by men.
Aisha was a very influential figure in the growth of the Islamic religion. Her
contribution led to the acceptance of women and her life depicted the ideal life of
women in the Islamic faith. As Aisha promoted education, equality, intellect and
forgiveness the effect of her contribution can still be seen today in the Islamic
Religion.