Aisha bint Abu Bakr
According to many, Aisha, the third of the wifes of the prophet, is Islam’s Achilles heel. Muhammad, 54, married her when she was 12 years old. She was her own biographer, writing the Sahih Muslim in 1422. Muslims of course try to gloss over from this uncomfortable child marriage, but all attempts fail mainly because they are based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the situation.
The most problematic thing is that the all-knowing god of Islam did not stop this marriage, paving the way for hundreds an thousands of forced marriages. After the death of the prophet, she emerged as the main divisive factor in Islam. Aisha was married off in Mecca. The marriage was consummated in Medina. Muhammad had fled to Medina with Aisha the people of Mecca became hostile and intolerant. He thought he would be welcomed with open arms by the Jews, his natural allies, with his monotheism, but they were not looking for a self-proclaimed prophet from Mecca. In any case, the arrival of Muhammad was completely disrupted the 600-year-old culture of Medina.
Aisha was the daughter of Abu Bakr, one of the first followers of Muhammad. She was still a child in Medina who played with dolls, something Mohammed would have forbidden if she were older given the ban on images in Islam. Aisha was previously engaged at the age of six, but after Khadija’s death her father broke off the engagement to promise her to Muhammad. It gave him status as the prophet’s father-in-law.
There are two major incidents associated with Aisha.
The first incident took place in Gahzwa. Aisha had accompanied her husband on a raid and during an overnight stay at Gahzwa, Aisha is said to have lost the beads of her necklace, causing her to be forgotten by the caravan as she searched for it. She was alone at this oasis when a young Muslim named Safwan found her there. The Muslims must have been surprised when Safwan appeared in the distance with Aisha on the back of his camel. Aisha denied that she had cheated, but the gossip did not diminish. Muhammad left her with her mother for a month. However, this incident damaged his name and status as a prophet, even if he divorced. He had no other choice: Allah had to give a believable explanation to release him from the rumours and backbiting. The verses were delivered, Aisha was exonerated and the slanderers were severely punished for the verses. The status was restored, although Ali, the prophet’s son-in-law, believed that Aisha had indeed been cheating on her husband.
The second incident concerns the succession of Muhammad after his death. Ali claimed succession according to family law, Aisha believed that a knowledgeable man, like her father, was a more appropriate successor. That was also the case in the beginning, but after the assassination of the third successor (caliph), a battle took place between Aisha and Ali, also known as the Battle of the Camel. When Aisha’s camel collapsed, the battle was over. Aisha then lived in silence in Medina. This battle caused a schism that still divides Muslims into Shiites and Sunnis. Aisha lived from 614 to 678 and is buried in Medina alongside the prophet’s other wives.
3. The wifes of Muhammad: Aisha