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88-550: Aisha bint Abi Bakr ( c.  613/614  CE – July 678 ) was the Islamic prophet Muhammad 's third and youngest wife. Little is known about her childhood. A preponderance of classical sources converge on Aisha being six or seven years old at the time of her marriage, and nine at the consummation ; her age has been a source of ideological friction. Aisha had an important role in early Islamic history, both during Muhammad's life and after his death. In Sunni tradition, Aisha

176-654: A companion asked Muhammad, "who is the person you love most in the world?" he responded, "Aisha." Others relate that Muhammad built Aisha's apartment so that her door opened directly into the mosque, and that she was the only woman with whom Muhammad received revelations. They bathed in the same water, and he prayed while she lay stretched out in front of him. Various traditions reveal the mutual affection between Muhammad and Aisha. He would often just sit and watch her and her friends play with dolls, and on occasion, he would even join them. "Aisha must have felt reasonably equal to and unawed by this prophet of God, for his announcement of

264-426: A generally negative view of Aisha . In Sunni Islam , Aisha is viewed as a leading Islamic scholar and a teacher of several companions and the tabi'in . Biographical information on Muhammad and his companions are recorded in hadiths and sira . Hadiths were initially narrated orally before being collected and compiled by Hadith scholars . In Islam, hadiths are regarded as fundamental sources second only to

352-590: A hadith related by Tabarani and others, wherein Muhammad is reported to have said, "Fasting six consecutive days after Eid al-Fitr is like fasting the entire year." Other traditional scholarly sources among the Hanafiyya and Hanbaliyya do not place an emphasis on consecutive days, while the strongest opinion of the Malikiyya prefers any six days of the month, consecutively or otherwise. The Islamic calendar

440-461: A man who has other wives, but that these other wives would find fault with her." So Aisha cried all night long. Muhammad, despite his fondness for Aisha, was unsure of her innocence. He asked Usama ibn Zayd and Ali for their opinions. Usama vouched for Aisha's innocence, but Ali said, "Women abound; you can easily find a substitute. Ask her slave; she might reveal the truth." When the slave girl arrived, Ali beat her severely and said, "Mind you tell

528-577: A mere youth; and Jesus received wisdom and was vouchsafed the Gospel. During the time of Muhammad's revelation, the Arabian peninsula was made up of many pagan tribes. His birthplace, Mecca, was a central pilgrimage site and a trading center where many tribes and religions were in constant contact. Muhammad's connection with the surrounding culture was foundational to the way the Quran was revealed. Though it

616-543: A particular prophet is understood to mean that some secret knowledge was revealed to him. The Quran mentions that Abraham prayed for wisdom and later received it. It also mentions that Joseph and Moses both attained wisdom when they reached full age; David received wisdom with kingship, after slaying Goliath ; Lot ( Lut ) received wisdom whilst prophesying in Sodom and Gomorrah ; John the Baptist received wisdom while still

704-407: A plain warner." ( Q29:50 ) This instance makes clear that prophets are only mortals who can testify to God's omnipotence and produce signs when he wills it. Furthermore, the Quran states that visual and verbal proofs are often rejected by the unbelievers as being sihr ("magic") The Quran reads: "They claim that he tries to bewitch them and make them believe that he speaks the word of God, although he

792-605: A prophet of God and the promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi of the latter days. The Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement rejects his status as a prophet, instead considering him to be a renewer of the faith. However, all other Muslims and their scholars argue that the Ahmadiyya community are not Muslim. In contrast to the Muslims, Baháʼís do not believe that Muhammad is the final messenger of God, or rather define eschatology and end times references as metaphorical for changes in

880-505: A prophetic "message" (Arabic: رسالة , risālah , pl: رسالات , risālāt ) appears in the Quran in ten instances. The following table shows these words in different languages: مُرْسَل mursal , pronounced [ˈmʊrsæl] In the Quran and tafsir , the term rasūl is also used for messengers from among the angels. The term is used in Quran   81:19 , Quran   11:69–11 , and Quran   51:26–11 , and

968-508: A raid on the Banu Mustaliq tribe, he brought along Aisha, who was 13 years old at the time. She was carried in a closed litter on the back of a camel. Aisha recounted that when the raiding party was resting at night on the way home to Medina from the successful operation, she went out to relieve herself. After doing so and returning to her litter, she realized that her necklace was missing, so she traced her way back to look for it. By

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1056-412: A revelation permitting him to enter into marriages disallowed other men drew from her the retort, 'It seems to me your Lord hastens to satisfy your desire!'" Furthermore, Muhammad and Aisha had a strong intellectual relationship. Muhammad valued her keen memory and intelligence and so instructed his companions to draw some of their religious practices from her. When Muhammad and his followers carried out

1144-461: A silk cloth by an angel who told him that she would be his wife. Muhammad believed that if the dreams were from God, he would make them come true. Following the death of his first wife, Khadija bint Khuwaylid , his aunt Khawlah bint Hakim suggested that he marry Aisha. Aisha's father Abu Bakr was at first unsure about marrying his daughter to Muhammad; he thought they were brothers. Muhammad clarified that they were merely brothers in religion, and it

1232-509: A teacher. Upon her arrival in Medina, Aisha retired from her public role in politics. Her discontinuation of public politics did not stop her political influence completely. Privately, Aisha continued influencing those intertwined in the Islamic political sphere. Among the Islamic community, she was known as an intelligent woman who debated law with male companions. Aisha was also considered to be

1320-527: Is Muhammad ibn ʿAbdullāh , whom Muslims believe to be the "Seal of the Prophets" ( Khatam an-Nabiyyin ), to whom the Quran was revealed in a series of revelations (and written down by his companions). Muslims believe the Quran is the divine word of God, thus immutable and protected from distortion and corruption, destined to remain in its true form until the Last Day . In Islam, every prophet preached

1408-420: Is a monotheistic religion, and Abraham is one who is recognized for this transformation of the religious tradition. This prophetic aspect of monotheism is mentioned several times in the Quran. Abraham believed in one true God (Allah) and promoted an "invisible oneness" ( tawḥīd ) with him. The Quran proclaims, "Say: 'My lord has guided me to a Straight Path, a right religion, the creed of Abraham, an upright man who

1496-534: Is above all an egalitarian religion. Their Medina is a society in which Muhammad designated women like Umm Waraqa as spiritual guides for the Ummah; in which the Prophet himself was sometimes publicly rebuked by his wives; in which women prayed and fought alongside the men; in which women like Aisha and Umm Salamah acted not only as religious but also as political—and on at least one occasion military—leaders; and in which

1584-508: Is also used for the servants of the Angel of Death . Exegetes usually distinguish the messenger angels ( rasūl ), who carry out divine decrees between heaven and earth, from the angels in heaven ( karubiyin ). Stories of the prophets in the Quran often often revolve around a certain pattern, according to which a prophet is sent to a group of people, who then reject or attack him, and ultimately suffer extinction as God's punishment. However,

1672-616: Is an emphasis on charity , prayer, pilgrimage, fasting, with the most emphasis given to the strict belief and worship of a singular God . The Quran itself calls Islam the "religion of Abraham " ( Ibrahim ) and refers to Jacob ( Yaqub ) and the Twelve Tribes of Israel as being Muslims. The Quran says: He has ordained for you ˹believers˺ the Way which He decreed for Noah, and what We have revealed to you ˹O Prophet˺ and what We decreed for Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, ˹commanding:˺ "Uphold

1760-529: Is argued that sins are necessary for prophets, so they can show the people how to repent. Some doubt whether there is Quranic basis for ʿiṣmah , but the notion became mainstream Sunni doctrine by the ninth century CE. The Quran speaks of the prophets as being the greatest human beings of all time and calls them "blessed by Allah". Although prophets are divinely inspired, they are human beings with no divine knowledge or power other than that granted to them by God. Prophets are believed to be chosen by God for

1848-593: Is connected to one another, and ultimately support the final prophetic message of Muhammad. The qualities prophets possess are meant to lead people towards the straight path . In one hadith , it was stated: "Among men the prophets suffer most." In Islam, and especially in Shia Islam , prophets are believed to have the quality of ʿiṣmah , that is, they are protected by God from making mistakes or committing grave sins. This does not mean that they do not err, rather that they always seek to correct their mistakes. It

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1936-505: Is described as being one of the devoutly obedient ( Arabic : قَانِتِين , romanized :  qānitīn ), the same description used for male prophets. Challenges to Mary's prophethood have often been based on Q12:109 which reads "We have only sent men prior to you". Some scholars have argued that the use of the term "rijal" or men should be interpreted as providing a contrast between men and angels and not necessarily as contrasting men and women. The majority of scholars, particularly in

2024-467: Is extremely controversial to the Shia who believe that Ali had been appointed by Muhammad to lead while Sunni maintain that the public elected Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr had two advantages in achieving his new role: his long personal friendship with Muhammad and his role as a father-in-law. As caliph, Abu Bakr was the first to set guidelines for the new position of authority. Aisha garnered more special privileges in

2112-577: Is just an ordinary human being like themselves. ( Q74:24-25 ) There are patterns of representation of Quranic prophecy that support the revelation of Muhammad. Since Muhammad is in Abraham's prophetic lineage, they are analogous in many aspects of their prophecy. Muhammad was trying to rid the Pagans of idolatry during his lifetime, which is similar to Abraham. This caused many to reject Muhammad’s message and even made him flee from Mecca due to his unsafety in

2200-612: Is particularly grounded in the belief that the Day of Judgement is imminent. Throughout the Quran, prophets such as Moses and Jesus often perform miracles or are associated with miraculous events. The Quran makes clear that these events always occur through God and not of the prophet's own volition. Throughout the Meccan passages there are instances where the Meccan people demand visual proofs of Muhammad's divine connection to God to which Muhammad replies "The signs are only with Allah, and I am only

2288-650: Is portrayed as scholarly, intelligent and inquisitive. She contributed to the spread of Muhammad's message and served the Muslim community for 44 years after his death. She is also known for narrating 2,210 hadiths , not just on matters related to Muhammad's private life, but also on topics such as inheritance , pilgrimage , and eschatology . Her intellect and knowledge in various subjects, including poetry and medicine, were highly praised by early scholars and luminaries such as al-Zuhri and her student Urwa ibn al-Zubayr . Her father, Abu Bakr ( r.  632–634 ), became

2376-406: Is predicated on the idea that Muslim men, not Islam, have been responsible for the suppression of women's rights. For this reason, Muslim feminists throughout the world are advocating a return to the society Muhammad originally envisioned for his followers. Despite differences in culture, nationalities, and beliefs, these women believe that the lesson to be learned from Muhammad in Medina is that Islam

2464-461: Is seen as the direct word of God, it came through to Muhammad in his own native language of Arabic, which could be understood by all the peoples in the peninsula. This is the key feature of the Quran which makes it unique to the poetry and other religious texts of the time. It is considered immune to translation and culturally applicable to the context of the time it was revealed. Muhammad was criticized for his revelation being poetry which, according to

2552-584: Is that a good deed in Islam is rewarded 10 times, hence fasting 30 days during Ramadan and 6 days during Shawwāl is equivalent to fasting the whole year in fulfillment of this obligation. The Shia scholars of the Ja'fari school do not place any emphasis on the six days being consecutive, while among the Sunnis, the majority of Shafi`i scholars consider it recommended to fast these days consecutively. They based this on

2640-473: The Quran . However, the historical reliability of both hadith and sira has been a topic of debate among some academic circles. Aisha was born in Mecca c.  613–614 . She was the daughter of Abu Bakr and Umm Ruman , two of Muhammad's most trusted companions . No sources offer much more information about Aisha's childhood years. Muhammad said that he had twice seen Aisha in his dreams, being carried in

2728-671: The apocryphal Acts of St. Thomas . The corresponding verb for s̲h̲eliḥeh — s̲h̲alaḥ , occurs in connection with the prophets in the Hebrew Bible . In Arabic , the term nabī (Arabic plural form: أنبياء , anbiyāʼ ) means "prophet". Forms of this noun occur 75 times in the Quran. The term nubuwwah ( Arabic : نبوة "prophethood") occurs five times in the Quran. The terms rasūl (Arabic plural: رسل , rusul ) and mursal (Arabic: مرسل , mursal , pl: مرسلون , mursalūn ) denote "messenger with law given by/received from God" and occur more than 300 times. The term for

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2816-750: The 48 prophets in Judaism and many prophets of Christianity are mentioned as such in the Quran with the Arabic versions of their names; for example, the Jewish Elisha is called Alyasa' , Job is Ayyub , Jesus is 'Isa , etc. The Torah given to Moses ( Musa ) is called Tawrat , the Psalms given to David ( Dawud ) is the Zabur , the Gospel given to Jesus is Injil . The last prophet in Islam

2904-462: The First Fitna. After 25 years of a monogamous relationship with his first wife, Khadija bint Khuwaylid, Muhammad participated in nine years of polygyny , marrying at least nine further wives. Muhammad's subsequent marriages were depicted purely as political matches rather than unions of sexual indulgence. In particular, Muhammad's unions with Aisha and Hafsa bint Umar associated him with two of

2992-572: The Grand Mosque of Basra. Ali rallied supporters and fought Aisha's forces near Basra in 656. The battle is known as the Battle of the Camel, after the fact that Aisha directed her forces from a howdah on the back of a large camel. Aisha's forces were defeated and an estimated 10,000 Muslims were killed in the battle, considered the first engagement where Muslims fought Muslims. After 110 days of

3080-534: The Heavens to meet with previous prophets. This spiritual journey is significant in the sense that many Islamic religious traditions and transformations were given and established during this miracle, such as the ritual of daily prayer. ( Q17:78-84 ) Muhammad is a descendant of Abraham; therefore, this not only makes him part of the prophetic lineage, but the final prophet in the Abrahamic lineage to guide humanity to

3168-488: The Islamic community for being known as both a wife of Muhammad and the daughter of the first caliph. Being the daughter of Abu Bakr tied Aisha to honorable titles earned from her father's strong dedication to Islam. For example, she was given the title of al-siddiqa bint al-Siddiq , meaning 'the truthful woman, daughter of the truthful man', a reference to Abu Bakr's support of the Isra and Mi'raj . In 634 Abu Bakr fell sick and

3256-808: The Quran discuss this: Numerous other people have been mentioned by scholars in the Hadith, exegesis , commentary . These people include: The Ahmadiyya Community does not believe that messengers and prophets are different individuals. They interpret the Quranic words warner ( nadhir ), prophet , and messenger as referring to different roles that the same divinely appointed individuals perform. Ahmadiyya distinguish only between law-bearing prophets and non-law-bearing ones. They believe that although law-bearing prophethood ended with Muhammad, non-law-bearing prophethood subordinate to Muhammad continues. The Ahmadiyya Community recognizes Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908) as

3344-496: The Quran, given its paraenetic character, does not offer a full narrative; but rather offers a parabolic reference to the doom of previous generations, assueming the audience is familiar with thetold stories. In Islam, the Quran is believed to be a revelation from the last prophet in the Abrahamic succession, Muhammad, and its contents detail what Muslims refer to as the straight path . According to Islamic belief, every prophet preached submission and obedience to God ( Islam ). There

3432-542: The Quran, is a descendant of Abraham, and Muhammad completes Abraham's prophetic lineage. This relationship can be seen in the Quranic chapter 6 : That is Our Argument which We imparted to Abraham against his people. We raise up in degrees whomever We please. Your Lord is indeed Wise, All-Knowing. And We granted him Isaac and Jacob, and guided each of them; and Noah We guided before that, and of his progeny, [We guided] David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses and Aaron. Thus We reward

3520-505: The Straight Path as well as the inspired messages and lives of other prophets, making the Quran cohesive with the monotheistic reality in the Abrahamic traditions. All messengers mentioned in the Quran are also prophets, but not all prophets are messengers. The Quran mentions 25 prophets by name but also tells that God sent many other prophets and messengers, to all the different nations that have existed on Earth. Many verses in

3608-536: The Straight Path. In Sura 33 ( al-ahzāb ) it confirms Muhammad and states, "Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but is the Messenger of Allah and the seal of the Prophets. Allah is Cognizant of everything". ( Q33:40 ) The Quran emphasizes the importance of obedience to prophets in Surah 26 Ash-Shu'ara , in which a series of prophets preaching fear of God and obedience to themselves. The revealed books are

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3696-466: The Sunni tradition, have rejected this doctrine as heretical innovation ( Arabic : بدعة , romanized :  bid'ah ). Abraham is widely recognized for being the father of monotheism in the Abrahamic religions. In the Quran, he is recognized as a messenger, a spiritual examplar to mankind, Quran 2:24 and a link in the chain of Muslim prophets. Muhammad, God's final messenger and the revelator of

3784-458: The ages or eras of mankind but that it and progress of God's guidance continues. Although, in common with Islam, the title the Seal of the Prophets is reserved for Muhammad, Baháʼís interpret it differently. They believe that the term Seal of the Prophets applies to a specific epoch, and that each prophet is the "seal" of his own epoch. Therefore, in the sense that all the prophets of God are united in

3872-682: The apostle the truth." But her answer was that she knew only good things about Aisha, with the single exception that when Aisha was entrusted with watching over a dough, she dozed off and allowed a sheep to eat it. Muhammad later visited Aisha at her parents' house and advised her to confess if she had sinned, as God was merciful towards those who seek repentance. It had been more than a month since Aisha had returned alone with Safwan. Despite Muhammad's advice, Aisha refused to apologize as it would indicate guilt. She told Muhammad that she could find no better parallel for her current situation than that of Joseph 's father, who had endured disbelief despite telling

3960-430: The beneficent. And Zechariah, John, Jesus and Elias, each was one of the righteous. And Ishmael, Elijah, Jonah and Lot; each We exalted above the whole world. [We also exalted some] of their fathers, progeny and brethren. And We chose them and guided them to a straight path. 6:83-87 The Quran presents the world as full of interlocking dramas and conflicts. The divine drama concerns the events of creation and banishment from

4048-412: The blazing fire." ( Q2:119 ) The prophetic revelations found in the Quran offer vivid descriptions of the flames of Hell that await nonbelievers but also describe the rewards of the gardens of Paradise that await the true believers. The warnings and promises transmitted by God through the prophets to their communities serve to legitimize Muhammed's message. The final revelation that is presented to Muhammed

4136-409: The call to gather for prayer, bellowed from the rooftop of Muhammad's house, brought men and women together to kneel side by side and be blessed as a single undivided community. Her intellectual contributions regarding the verbal texts of Islam were in time transcribed into written form, becoming the official history of Islam. After the death of Muhammad, Aisha was regarded as the most reliable source in

4224-488: The city. Carl Ernest, the author of How to Read the Qur’an: A New Guide, with Select Translations, states, "The Qur’an frequently consoles Muhammad and defends him against his opponents." This consolation can also be seen as parallel to Abraham's encouragement from God. Muhammad is also known to perform miracles as Abraham did. Sura 17 ( al-isrā ) briefly describes Muhammad's miraculous Night Journey where he physically ascended to

4312-474: The conflict, Ali met Aisha with reconciliation. He sent her back to Medina under military escort headed by her brother Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr , one of Ali's commanders. She subsequently retired to Medina with no more interference with the affairs of the state. She was also awarded a pension by Ali. Although she retired to Medina, her forsaken efforts against the Rashidun Caliphate of Ali did not end

4400-459: The cultural perspective, is revelation purely originating from the jihn and the Qurash but the typology of duality and its likeness to the other prophets in the Abrahamic line affirms his revelation. This likeness is found in the complexity of its structure and its message of submission of faith to the one God, Allah. This also revels that his revelation comes from God alone and he is the preserver of

4488-460: The embodiment of proper rituals while partaking in the pilgrimage to Mecca , a journey she made with several groups of women. For the last two years of her life, Aisha spent much of her time telling the stories of Muhammad, hoping to correct false passages that had become influential in formulating Islamic law. Due to this, Aisha's political influence continues to impact Muslims. Aisha died at her home in Medina on 17 Ramadan 58 AH (16 July 678). She

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4576-603: The ethics of marrying for political causes; the few who discussed Aisha's age chose to explain the age-gap by citing the contemporary understanding of the Orient as a hot place, that promulgated sexually deviant practices. Beginning late nineteenth century, with the East and its alleged immoralities subject to increasing opprobrium, the colonizing powers sought to regulate the age of consent . As such efforts ran into conflicts with local forms of Sharia , Aisha's age at marriage — and

4664-412: The face of ʻilm al-ḥadīth . From mid-20th century, amidst growing concerns of Islamic extremism, as Muslim societies and Islam itself came under renewed scrutiny, pointed criticisms of Aisha's young age at marriage began to be abundant; this has since prompted many Muslim scholars to contextualize the traditionally accepted age of Aisha with renewed vigor emphasizing on cultural relativism, anachronism,

4752-438: The faith, and make no divisions in it." Prophets in Islam are exemplars to ordinary humans. They exhibit model characteristics of righteousness and moral conduct. Prophetic typologies shared by all prophets include prophetic lineage, advocating monotheism, transmitting God's messages, and warning of the eschatological consequences of rejecting God. Prophetic revelation often comes in the form of signs and divine proofs. Each prophet

4840-419: The first caliph to succeed Muhammad, and after two years was succeeded by Umar ( r.  634–644 ). Aisha played a leading role in the opposition to the third caliph Uthman ( r.  644–656 ), though she did also oppose those responsible for his assassination. She refused to recognize Uthman's successor Ali ( r.  656–661 ) and joined al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam and Talha ibn Ubayd Allah . She

4928-433: The first three caliphate reigns: Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthman. During a time in Islam when women were not expected or wanted to contribute outside the household, Aisha delivered public speeches, became directly involved in a war and even battles, and helped both men and women to understand the practices of Muhammad. After Muhammad's death in 632, Abu Bakr was appointed as the first caliph. This matter of succession to Muhammad

5016-419: The garden; while the human drama concerns the life and history of humanity but, also includes the events in the live of the prophets. Islamic morality is founded on this virtuous living through faith in the life ordained by the divine. This is the divine task given to believers accompanied by the divine gift that the Prophets had in revelation and perspective of ayat. The prophets are called to follow and reclaim

5104-512: The governor of Mecca during the reign of Uthman, and prominent members of the Banu Umayya . Aisha, along with an army including al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam and Talha ibn Ubayd Allah , confronted Ali's army, demanding the prosecution of Uthman's killers who had mingled with his army outside the city of Basra . When her forces captured Basra she ordered the execution of 600 Muslims and 40 others, including Hakim ibn Jabala, who were put to death in

5192-793: The instances in the Quran where angels spoke to the women and divinely guided their actions. According to the Zahirite Ibn Hazm (d. 1064), women could possess prophethood ( Arabic : نبوة , romanized :  nubuwwah ) but not messengerhood ( Arabic : رسالة , romanized :  risālah ) which could only be attained by men. Ibn Hazm also based his position on Mary's prophethood on Q5:75 which refers to Mary as "a woman of truth" just as it refers to Joseph as "a man of truth" in Q12:46 . Other linguistic examples which augment scholarship around Mary's position in Islam can be found in terms used to describe her. For example, In Q4:34 Mary

5280-403: The interaction of an angel . Muslims believe that many prophets existed, including many not mentioned in the Quran . The Quran states: "And for every community there is a messenger." Belief in the Islamic prophets is one of the six articles of the Islamic faith. Muslims believe that the first prophet was also the first human being Adam , created by God. Many of the revelations delivered by

5368-422: The involved Prophetic precedent — became the predominant explanation in explaining the backwardness of Muslim societies and their reticence to reforms. In response, some Muslims chose to align themselves with the projects of modernization and re-calculated her age — using deft stratagems of omission and commission — to fix it at early adolescence, but conservatives rejected such revisionist readings since they flew in

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5456-560: The message of the straight path. This the key feature of the authority of their revelation, which fits within the Abrahamic tradition. The Quran's place within the broader Abrahamic context gives the revelation to Muhammed the same authority as the Tawrat and the Injil . Although Muhammad is considered the last prophet , some Muslim traditions also recognize and venerate saints (though modern schools, such as Salafism and Wahhabism , reject

5544-467: The month of Shawwal after his hijrah to Medina (April 623). Some classical sources have Aisha speak of the marriage to have been executed in Medina itself without referencing to any delay. Islamic sources of the classical era list Aisha's age at the time of her marriage as six or seven and nine or ten at its consummation. In a hadith from Sahih al-Bukhari , Aisha recollects having been married at six years of age. Ibn Sa'd 's biography holds her age at

5632-413: The most significant leaders of the early Muslim community, Aisha's father, Abu Bakr, and Hafsa's father, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb. Aisha's marriage has given her significance among many within Islamic culture, becoming known as the most learned woman of her time. Being Muhammad's favorite wife after the late Khadija, Aisha occupied an important position in his life. When Muhammad married Aisha in her youth, she

5720-416: The new caliph, although Ali was not involved in the murder of Uthman according to many reports. Ali reportedly initially refused the caliphate , agreeing to rule only after his followers persisted. When Ali could not execute those merely accused of Uthman's murder, Aisha delivered a fiery speech against him for not avenging the death of Uthman. The first to respond to Aisha was Abdullah ibn Aamar al-Hadhrami,

5808-597: The political dimensions of the marriage, Aisha's non-ordinary physique etc. Since the late-twentieth century, polemicists have used Aisha's age to accuse Muhammad of pedophilia and to explain a reported higher prevalence of child marriage in Muslim societies. In most Muslim traditions , Khadija bint Khuwaylid is described as Muhammad's most beloved and favored wife; Sunni tradition places Aisha as second only to Khadija. There are several hadiths, or stories or sayings of Muhammad, that support this belief. One relates that when

5896-429: The records which Muslims believe were dictated by God to various Islamic prophets throughout the history of mankind, all these books promulgated the code and laws of Islam. The belief in all the revealed books is an article of faith in Islam and Muslims must believe in all the scriptures to be a Muslim. Islam speaks of respecting all the previous scriptures. The Quran mentions some Islamic scriptures by name: Muhammad

5984-455: The same "Cause of God", having the same underlying message, and all "abiding in the same tabernacle, soaring in the same heaven, seated upon the same throne, uttering the same speech, and proclaiming the same Faith", they can all claim to be "the return of all the Prophets". Shawwal Shawwāl stems from the Arabic verb shāla ( شَالَ ), which means to 'lift or carry', generally to take or move things from one place to another. The month

6072-554: The same core beliefs: the Oneness of God , worshipping of that one God, avoidance of idolatry and sin , and the belief in the Day of Resurrection or the Day of Judgement and life after death . Prophets and messengers are believed to have been sent by God to different communities during different times in history . The Syriac form of rasūl Allāh ( lit.   ' messenger of God ' ), s̲h̲eliḥeh d-allāhā , occurs frequently in

6160-434: The specific task of teaching the faith of Islam. Stories of the prophets in the Quran demonstrate that it is God's practice to make faith triumph over the forces of evil and adversity. The question of Mary 's prophethood has been debated by Muslim theologians. Some Zahirite theologians argue that Mary, as well as Sara , the mother of Isaac, and Asiya , the mother of Moses, are prophets. They base this determination on

6248-471: The teachings of hadith. Aisha's authentication of Muhammad's ways of prayer and his recitation of the Qur'an allowed for the development of knowledge of his sunnah of praying and reading verses of the Quran. Spellberg argues that Aisha's political influence helped promote her father, Abu Bakr, to the caliphate after Muhammad's death. After the defeat at the Battle of the Camel, Aisha retreated to Medina and became

6336-558: The theory of sainthood). The Quran states, "And (remember) Abraham, when he said to his people: 'Worship Allah and fear Him; that is far better for you, if only you knew. Indeed, you only worship, apart from Allah, mere idols, and you invent falsehood. Surely, those you worship, apart from Allah, have no power to provide for you. So, seek provision from Allah, worship Him and give Him thanks. You shall be returned unto Him. ' " (Q. 29:16-17) This passage promotes Abraham's devotion to God as one of his messengers along with his monotheism. Islam

6424-442: The time of marriage as between six and seven, and gives her age at consummation to be nine while Ibn Hisham 's biography of Muhammad suggests she may have been ten years old at consummation. Al-Tabari notes Aisha to have stayed with her parents after the marriage and consummated the relationship at nine years of age since she was young and sexually immature at the time of marriage; however, elsewhere Tabari appears to suggest that she

6512-503: The time she found it, the convoy had already left, thinking she was in the litter. Assuming that they would notice her absence and return to look for her, Aisha decided to stay where she was. Aisha related that Safwan ibn Muattal , a young Muslim from the raiding party, had lagged behind for some reason. On his solo return journey to Medina, he came across Aisha sleeping on the ground by herself. He addressed her, let her ride on his camel while he guided it, and escorted her home to Medina. It

6600-410: The truth and had no other choice but to remain patient. Shortly thereafter, Muhammad experienced a trance and received verses (Quran 24:11–15) that confirmed Aisha's innocence. Aisha remained Muhammad's favorite wife throughout his life. When he became ill and suspected that he was probably going to die, he began to ask his wives whose apartment he was to stay in next. They eventually figured out that he

6688-420: The typologies of nadhir ("warner") and bashir ("announcer of good tidings"). Many prophets serve as vessels to inform humanity of the eschatological consequences of not accepting God's message and affirming monotheism. A verse from the Quran reads: "Verily, We have sent thee [Muhammad] with the truth, as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner: and thou shalt not be held accountable for those who are destined for

6776-733: Was 67 years old. Abu Hurayra led her funeral prayer after the tahajjud (night) prayer, and she was buried at al-Baqi cemetery . Prophets and messengers in Islam Prophets in Islam ( Arabic : ٱلْأَنْبِيَاء فِي ٱلْإِسْلَام , romanized :  al-anbiyāʾ fī al-islām ) are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God 's message on Earth and serve as models of ideal human behaviour. Some prophets are categorized as messengers ( Arabic : رُسُل , romanized :  rusul ; sing. رَسُول , rasool ), those who transmit divine revelation , most of them through

6864-586: Was accessible "...to the values needed to lead and influence the sisterhood of Muslim women." After the death of Muhammad, Aisha was discovered to be a renowned source of hadiths, due to her qualities of intelligence and memory. Aisha conveyed ideas expressing Muhammad's practice (sunnah). She expressed herself as a role model to women, which can also be seen within some traditions attributed to her. The traditions regarding Aisha habitually opposed ideas unfavorable to women in efforts to elicit social change. According to Reza Aslan : The so-called Muslim women's movement

6952-768: Was born during the Jahiliyyah (before 610  CE ), which would translate to an age of about twelve or more at marriage. In Islamic literature, the young age of her marriage did not draw any significant discourse; nonetheless, Spellberg and Ali find the very mention of her age to be atypical of early Muslim biographers, and hypothesize a connotation to her virginity and, more than that, religious purity. Her age did not interest later Muslim scholars either, and went unremarked-upon even by medieval and early-modern Christian polemicists. Early Orientalist writers, even in their condescending approach towards Muhammad and Islam, were primarily concerned with Muhammad's embrace of polygamy and

7040-467: Was defeated in Battle of the Camel , after which she retired in Medina, became reconciled to Ali and did not oppose caliph Mu'awiya ( r.  661–680 ). She participated in the battle by giving speeches and leading troops on the back of her camel. She ended up losing the battle, but her involvement and determination left a lasting impression. Because of her involvement in this battle, Shia Muslims have

7128-566: Was given a divine gift of revelation through the angel Gabriel. This direct communication with the divine underlines the human experience but the message of the Quran dignifies this history of revelation with these select people in human history the foundation for Muhammed's prophetic lineage. The Quran mentions various divinely-bestowed gifts given to various prophets. These may be interpreted as books or forms of celestial knowledge. Although all prophets are believed by Muslims to have been immensely gifted, special mention of "wisdom" or "knowledge" for

7216-468: Was legal for him to marry Aisha. Aisha's engagement to Jubayr ibn Mut'im, a boy close to her age, was then annulled. Orientalist W. Montgomery Watt suggests that Muhammad hoped to strengthen his ties with Abu Bakr; the strengthening of ties commonly served as a basis for marriage in Arabian culture. All extant hadiths agree that Aisha was married to Muhammad in Mecca but the marriage was consummated only in

7304-478: Was no polytheist. ' " (Q. 6:161) One push Abraham had to devote himself to God and monotheism is from the pagans of his time. Abraham was devoted to cleansing the Arabian Peninsula of this impetuous worship. His father was a wood idol sculptor, and Abraham was critical of his trade. Due to Abraham's devotion, he is recognized as the father of monotheism. Prophets and messengers in Islam often fall under

7392-522: Was not until the morning that Muhammad's convoy realized that Aisha was not in her litter. And later, when they were taking a break from the hot midday sun, Aisha and Safwan ran into them. A rumor accusing Aisha of committing adultery with Safwan was spread by Abdullah Ibn Ubayy Ibn Salool. Moreover, it was said that she had conversed with him several times before. This rumor of adultery, if true, could have led to Aisha being stoned to death . Upon their arrival in Medina, Aisha fell ill and sensed that Muhammad

7480-527: Was so named because a female camel would normally be carrying a fetus at this time of year in pre-Islamic Arabia . The first day of Shawwāl is Eid al-Fitr ; fasting is prohibited. Some Muslims observe six days of optional fasting during Shawwāl beginning the day after Eid ul-Fitr since fasting is prohibited on this day. These six days of fasting together with the Ramadan fasts are equivalent to fasting all year round. The reasoning behind this tradition

7568-527: Was trying to determine when he was due with Aisha, and they then allowed him to retire there. He remained in Aisha's apartment until his death, and his last breath was taken as he lay in the arms of Aisha, his second most beloved wife. Aisha's importance to revitalizing the Arab tradition and leadership among the Arab women highlights her magnitude within Islam. Aisha became involved in the politics of early Islam and

7656-481: Was unable to recover. Before his death, he appointed ‘Umar, one of his chief advisers, as the second caliph. Throughout ‘Umar's time in power Aisha continued to play the role of a consultant in political matters. In 656, Uthman's house was put under siege by about 1000 rebels. Eventually the rebels broke into the house and murdered Uthman, provoking the First Fitna . After killing Uthman, the rebels asked Ali to be

7744-408: Was uncharacteristically cold toward her. She only learned of the rumor some three weeks later when Umm Mistah told her on their way back from defecating in an open field at night, as was customary for Muslim women at that time. Aisha subsequently went to her mother, asking what the people were talking about, and she replied, "Daughter, be at peace, for I swear by God that no beautiful woman is married to

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