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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.