Aisha bint Abu Bakr was a leader, a woman, a wife, a theologian, a scholar and a political activist. She was precocious, loyal, brave and remarkably intelligent. These aspects of her humble life have allowed her to make a powerful impact on the development and expression of Islam that “no woman [has] reached”[1]. Not only did she influence the position of women in Islamic society, Islamic ethics, and the understanding and interpretation of the Qur’an, but she also modelled these qualities for the men, women and children of Islam. As a woman in Islamic society, Aisha carried a particularly high status. She was the daughter of Abu Bakr, the first Caliph, who had embraced Islam before she was born. Thus, she was not influenced by the former polytheistic religious tradition of pre-Islamic Arabia, and its stance for gender inequality. Aisha was also the third and favourite wife of the Prophet Muhammad, to whom she was divinely revealed:
From these events, it is evident that Aisha is a model of Islamic ethics and morality for Muslims, by following them diligently throughout her life. This development is an example of Aisha’s impact on Islam through a more passive role as a model of morality in life.
An active role Aisha played in her impact on the development and expression of Islam was as a theologian. Her outstanding intelligence, strong power of retention and close companionship with the Prophet allowed her to make this contribution. During her marriage, she spent much time studying the Qur’an, as an eager pupil of the Prophet, and having discussions with him about the issues it contains. In this manner, Aisha was able to gain “knowledge and insight such as no woman has ever acquired.”5 Through her astounding memory, she was able to retain much of the priceless sayings of the Prophet and the divine revelations of Muhammad that she had witnessed, thus allowing her to be quoted as a source for over 2000 hadiths.[2] “Next to the Holy Qur’an, the Hadith is the second source of the Islamic Law of social and personal behaviour, because the commandments of the Holy Prophet are as binding on the believers as the commandments of Allah.”[3] Therefore, through her immense knowledge, Aisha was able to address several issues or problems that arose regarding the interpretation of the Qur’an and hadith, and the correct behaviour of Muslims.
The Essay on Islamic Science Islam Qur Sunni
Over the last decade growing numbers of Muslims have declared the Qur " an to be a book filled with alleged scientific miracles. Numerous web sites, books and videos have been produced that proclaim Islam to be truly a religion of divine origin, citing 'scientifically accurate's tate ments in the Qur " an and Hadiths. Many of these productions introduce their claims with a statement like this: One ...
“Never had we (the companions) had any difficulty for the solution of which we approached Aisha and did not get some useful information from her”. Abu Musa Al-Ashari [4]
The Prophet himself held Aisha’s incredible knowledge in high regard, commanding his followers to:
“Learn a portion of your religion from this red-coloured lady.”9
In this way, Aisha had an impact on the direction Islam took, particularly after Muhammad’s death, in every aspect of the religious tradition, as a highly knowledgeable theologian of the Qur’an and hadith, which are the foundation of all Islamic beliefs, ethics and practices. Her eagerness to learn and her capacity to retain a great deal of information allow her to be revered as model of the importance of education to all Muslims, particularly children, who need to be encouraged to learn, and women, who are doubtful about their scholarly abilities.
From her theological role, it is evident that Aisha made advancement with it by sharing her knowledge with the many men, women and children who came from far and wide to be educated by her. This resulted in the city of Medina becoming a centre of Islamic learning, with Aisha being “one of the foremost scholars of Islam’s early age”10. She also took in a great number of children under her care and guidance to educate them, not only of the Islamic faith, but also of a great many other areas in which she was knowledgeable, such as literature, history, medicine and mathematics.
The Essay on Women In Islam
What do women and Islam have in common? Besides the stereotyped images that each suffers from individually, the status of women in Islam is one of the most extremely misunderstood and incorrectly portrayed things in western society. We can investigate why this is so later. First, a brief introduction to the actual status of women in Islam is in order. Before discussing issues pertinent to the ...
“I did not see a greater scholar than Aisha in the learning of the Qur’an, obligatory duties, lawful and unlawful manners, poetry, literature, Arab history and geneology.” Urwah Ibn Azzubayr
In this way, Aisha “was a pioneer in promoting education”4. Thus, she helped to preserve the Islamic faith, including the sayings and behaviour of Muhammad, by teaching it to others.
“It is the claim of Islamic scholars that without Aisha, half of the Ilm-I-Hadith (understanding and knowledge of the Hadith and Islam) would have perished.”
This also contributed to the spread of Islam, as many of her students came from places around the world. Therefore, Aisha established the importance of education in the Islamic tradition by modelling it and educating others.
Another active role Aisha played in the development and expression of Islam was as a political activist. Due to her close companionship with the Prophet Muhammad, Aisha gained sufficient knowledge of warfare to be able to participate in battles. An example of this is the Battle of the Camel, in which Aisha led opposition forces against the newly appointed caliph, Ali. The fact that after their defeat, Ali “captured Aisha but declined to harm her”12 suggests that her bravery and leadership was highly regarded, by both men and women. Such actions that were undertaken by Aisha, as a political activist, gives inspiration to all Muslims experiencing hardship, in that she was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and surrender to Allah, which is a fundamental part of belonging to Islam (‘submission to Allah’).
Through the qualities of precocity, loyalty, bravery and intelligence, Aisha bint Bakr was able to play the role of a woman, a wife, a theologian, a scholar and a political activist. These roles were had significant impacts on the development and expression of Islam in that they embodied and contributed to the fundamental aspects of Islam: being a Muslim, who submits to Allah, and the interpretation and understanding of the Qur’an and hadith.
Bibliography
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Crescentlife.com, last revised 10 September 2006, Uzma Mazhar, St. Louis, Missouri, USA, viewed 21 November 2006, http://www.crescentlife.com/thisthat/feminist%20muslims/aisha_bint_abu_bakr.htm
The Essay on Comparing Christianity And Islam
Christianity and Islam are two of the fastest growing religions, and they both have a lot in common. In this essay I will explain their differences and similarities, their messages, how they treat their believers and other religions, their historical relationship, and other topics along these lines. I will start this essay by explaining Christianity, and many things about it. The word " ...
Emerick, Y., 2002, Muhammad, Alpha Books, USA.
Everything About The Islam, viewed 21 November 2006, http://www.ancient-history.nl/Islam/Companions%20of%20the%20Prophet/Aisha%20bint%20Abu%20Bakr.htm
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Wikipedia, last revised 18 November 2006, viewed 21 November 2006, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aisha
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[1] Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith, Narrated by Abu Musa Al Ashari Hadith 4.643; taken from: BICNews, created 29 April 1998, viewed 21 November 2006, http://www.iol.ie/~afifi/BICNews/Sabeel/sabeel6.htm
[2] According to: Crescentlife.com, last revised 10 September 2006, Uzma Mazhar, St. Louis, Missouri, USA, viewed 21 November 2006, http://www.crescentlife.com/thisthat/feminist%20muslims/aisha_bint_abu_bakr.htm [3] Sahih Muslim, Introduction to English translation, P. ii.; taken from: The Place of Women in Pure Islam, created 1996, viewed 1 December 2006, http://debate.domini.org/newton/womeng.html [4] Sirat-I-Aisha, on the authority of Trimidhi, p. 163.; taken from: BICNews, created 29 April 1998, viewed 21 November 2006, http://www.iol.ie/~afifi/BICNews/Sabeel/sabeel6.htm 9 Everything About The Islam, viewed 21 November 2006, http://www.ancient-history.nl/Islam/Companions%20of%20the%20Prophet/Aisha%20bint%20Abu%20Bakr.htm 10 Wikipedia, last revised 18 November 2006, viewed 21 November 2006, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aisha 11 Islamic Voice, created October 1997, viewed 21 November 2006, http://www.islamicvoice.com/october.97/wome.htm
12 Wikipedia, last revised 18 November 2006, viewed 21 November 2006, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aisha
The Term Paper on Political Islam in Europe and the Mediterranean
Introduction Political Islam is increasingly important to European politicians and policymakers. Europe’s Muslims are growing in numbers, and some form and join political organisations that articulate Islamic values in the public sphere. Muslim countries that neighbour Europe across the Mediterranean and Black Seas are going through a period of rapid political change, as demonstrated by the anti- ...
