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Aisha or Ayesha (Arabic for living) was a wife of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Early life of Aisha

It is not clear when she was born, as various traditions conflict. Her birth date has been calculated as anywhere from 605 to 613. She was the daughter of Abu Bakr of Mecca, one of the first converts to Islam. They belonged to Muhammad's tribe, the Quraysh. Aisha herself is said to have adopted Islam soon after her father.

Before marrying Muhammad, Aisha was engaged to Jubair son of Mut`am ibn `Adi, a Meccan elder. After the death of Khadija, Muhammad's first wife, her father broke the engagement and betrothed her to Muhammad.

Aisha's marriage to Muhammad

Because Aisha (Radi Allâhu ^anha) was still too young for marriage, the marriage was delayed until after the Hijra, or migration to Medina, in 622. Aisha (Radi Allâhu ^anha) and her older sister Asma(Radi Allâhu ^anha) only moved to Medina after Muhammad (Salla lahu ^alayhi wassalam) had already migrated there. Abu Bakr (Radi Allâhu ^anhu) gave Muhammad (Salla lahu ^alayhi wassalam) the money to build a house for himself. After this, the wedding was celebrated very simply, by the bride and groom drinking a bowl of milk in front of witnesses.

Even though the marriage may have been politically motivated, to mark the ties between Muhammad (Salla lahu ^alayhi wassalam) and his companion Abu Bakr (Radi Allâhu ^anhu), all histories agree that Muhammad (Salla lahu ^alayhi wassalam) and Aisha (Radi Allâhu ^anha) became sincerely fond of each other. Aisha (Radi Allâhu ^anha) was jealous of the other wives that Muhammad (Salla lahu ^alayhi wassalam) took during this period (see Muhammad's marriages). Muhammad (Salla lahu ^alayhi wassalam) in his turn spent much time with Aisha (Radi Allâhu ^anha). He defended her when she was accused of adultery, after she was left behind on a trip and returned after a day's absence. During his last illness, he sought her apartments and died with his head in her lap.

Her life after Muhammad's death

Aisha never remarried after Muhammad's death. She lived in Medina and made several pilgrimages to Mecca.

After Muhammad's death, her father Abu Bakr became the first caliph, or leader of the Muslims. His reign was short. He was followed by Umar, and then Uthman, both of them warriors linked to Muhammad by clanship and marriage. In 656, Uthman was killed by rebels, who then acclaimed Ali, Muhammad's son-in-law, as the fourth caliph.

Aisha was outraged. The death of Uthman should be avenged, not rewarded! She is said to have gone to the mosque of Mecca, veiled, and there delivered a fiery speech calling for vengeance. She raised a small force which confronted Ali's army outside the city of Basra. Battle ensued and Aisha's forces were defeated. Aisha is said to have led her forces from a howdah on top of a camel. This 656 battle is therefore called the Battle of the Camel.

Ali captured Aisha but declined to harm her. He sent her back to Medina under military escort. Thenceforth she lived a retired life until she died in approximately 678.

Sunni and Shia views of Aisha

Sunni historians praise Aisha as a Mother of Believers and a learned woman, who tirelessly recounted stories from the life of Muhammad and explained Muslim history and traditions.

Shi'a historians take a much dimmer view of Aisha. They believe that 'Ali should have been the first caliph, and that the other three caliphs were usurpers. Aisha not only supported the usurpers, she raised an army against her son-in-law. In doing so, she meddled inappropriately in the affairs of men, rather than being a properly modest and retiring woman.

How old was Aisha when she was married?

This is an extremely contentious issue. On the one hand, we have several hadiths, said to have been narrated by Aisha herself, claiming that she was 6 years old when betrothed and 9 when the marriage was consummated. On the other hand, there is some contradictory evidence from early Muslim chroniclers like Ibn Ishaq and Tabari that indicate Aisha may have been 12 to 14 years old, just past the age of puberty, or perhaps even older.

Most Muslim scholars have accepted the tradition that Aisha was 9. This has in turn led critics to denounce Muhammad for marrying a girl so young. The usual response has been that Aisha was indeed post-pubescent at 9 and that such early marriages were accepted practice in those days. Muhammad should not be judged by modern standards, or in light of modern anxieties about child abuse.

However, some Muslim scholars point to other traditions that conflict with those attributed to Aisha in this matter. If the other traditions are right, this would imply that Aisha was either confused in her dating, was exaggerating her youth at marriage, or that her stories (which were not written down until more than 100 years after her death) had been garbled in transmission. If we believe traditions that say she was post-pubescent when married --extremely likely in light of practices in other societies where early marriage is common -- then these other traditions, from Ibn Ishaq and Tabari and others, seem much more convincing.

Evidence that Aisha was 9 when married

These traditions are from the hadith collections of Bukhari (d. 870) and Muslim b. al-Hajjaj (d. 875). These two collections are regarded as the most authentic by Sunni Muslims.

Sahih Muslim Book 008, Number 3310: 'Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) reported: Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) married me when I was six years old, and I was admitted to his house when I was nine years old.

Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 62, Number 64 Narrated 'Aisha: that the Prophet married her when she was six years old and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old, and then she remained with him for nine years (i.e., till his death).

Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 62, Number 65 Narrated 'Aisha: that the Prophet married her when she was six years old and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old. Hisham said: I have been informed that 'Aisha remained with the Prophet for nine years (i.e. till his death)."

Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 62, Number 88 Narrated 'Ursa: The Prophet wrote the (marriage contract) with 'Aisha while she was six years old and consummated his marriage with her while she was nine years old and she remained with him for nine years (i.e. till his death).

Sahih Bukhari vol. 5, Number Narrated 'Aisha: The prophet engaged me when I was a girl of six. We went to Medina and stayed at the home of Harith Kharzraj. Then I got ill and my hair fell down. Later on my hair grew (again) and my mother, Um Ruman, came to me while I was playing in a swing with some of my girl friends. She called me, and I went to her, not knowing what she wanted to do to me. She caught me by the hand and made me stand at the door of the house. I was breathless then, and when my breathing became all right, she took some water and rubbed my face and head with it. Then she took me into the house. There in the house I saw some Ansari women who said, "Best wishes and Allah's blessing and a good luck." Then she entrusted me to them and they prepared me (for the marriage).

Evidence that Aisha was much older than 9

According to Ibn Hisham's recension of Ibn Ishaq's (d. 768) biography of Prophet Muhammad, the Sirat Rashul Allah, the earliest surviving biography of Muhammad, Aisha accepted Islam before Umar ibn al-Khattab. If true, then Aisha accepted Islam during the first few years of Islam. She could not have been less than 14 years in 1 AH - the time she got married. Sira, Ibn Hisham, Vol. 1, Pg. 227

Tabari reports that when Abu Bakr planned on migrating to Ethiopia (8 years before Hijra), he went to Mut`am - with whose son Aisha was engaged at that time - and asked him to take Aisha as his son's wife. Mut`am refused because Abu Bakr had converted to Islam. If Aisha was only six years old at the time of her marriage, she could not have been born at the time Abu Bakr decided on migrating to Ethiopia. Tehqiq e umar e Siddiqah e Ka'inat, Habib ur Rahman Kandhalwi, Pg 38

Tabari in his treatise on Islamic history reports that Abu Bakr had four children and all four were born during the Jahiliyyah - the pre Islamic period. If Aisha was born in the period of jahiliyyah, she could not have been less than 14 years in 1 AH. Tarikh al-umam wa al-mamloo'k, Al-Tabari, Vol. 4, Pg. 50

According to Ibn Hajar, Fatima was five years older than Aisha. Fatima is reported to have been born when Muhammad was 35 years old. Muhammad migrated to Medina when he was 52, making Aisha 14 years old in 1 AH. Tamyeez al-Sahaabah, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalaniy, Vol. 4, Pg. 377

External Links

Sunni view of Aisha:

Biography of Aisha

Shi'a view of Aisha:

Aisha impure and immodest

Questioning hadith:

Ayesha's age at marriage