A’isha: Wife of the Prophet

Welcome

Our blog opens with an in-depth sounding of the first 250 years of the First 1000 Years of Islam, with a focus on 'Aisha, a wife of the Prophet Muhammad, presented by Lindsay Davey, and Rabi'a Al-Adawiyya, a renunciant and mystic, presented by  Shari Garrett.
 

Miniature of Mohammed and his wife Aisha freeing the daughter of a tribal chief.

A’isha of Mecca was born in either 613 or 614 BCE. She was known as one of the ‘mothers of the believers’ and plays an important role in the beginning of Islam. Some of her life accounts can be observed as a role that was not expected of women at during this time period.  There is not much documented about the early women of Islam because gender roles were strongly followed at the time.  During this era in Arabia, most women’s business only regarded that which took place in the home, but this is not the role that ‘A’isha is remembered for. A’isha was not one to stick to the gendered expectations of that time and place.    

To begin to understand A’isha’s role in the early years of Islam, it is important to look at her early life and where she was from.  She was the daughter of Abu Bakr, one of Muhammad’s most trusted friends and one of the first to convert to Islam outside of Muhammad’s family.  In his book Islamic Civilization in Thirty Lives, author Chase Robinson explains the motives behind the marriage.  “In Arabia, as in many pre-industrial societies, marriage was an institution that could serve to ally families, claims, dynasties and political factions.  It made sense for Muhammad to effect a marriage contract that tied together his and Abu Bakr’s fortunes, especially in about 620, when his position in still-polytheist Mecca was relatively weak.” (Robinson, 37)  Although this arranged marriage had its reasons that can be understood, there are still those that criticize the marriage. 
The reasons for the disapproval of this marriage is first due to the age in which they were married.  A’isha married Muhammad becoming his wife at the age six or seven, and the marriage was consummated by the time that she was the age of nine or ten.   “Naturally both her age and the age disparity are grist for the mill of modern-day Islamophobes, who would have it that Muhammad was a monstrous Pedophile.” (Robinson, 39)  For those who wrote the accounts of their marriage, their age disparity was of little concern, especially for this age.  This arranged marriage was one of the few accounts in her life that A’isha was representing women’s roles during the seventh century.   

16th century Turkish miniature of Abu Bakr, father of A'isha, with the Prophet Muhammad

Approximately six or seven years into her marriage with Muhammad, A’isha was accused of adultery, this later became known as the ‘Account of the Lie’.  Denise Spellberg explains in her article “The Accusations of Adultery and Communal Debate” that the rumors began on the journey in which A’isha accompanied Muhammad on one of his raids.  According to the accusations, she was left behind by the caravan on their return to Medina when it was assumed that she was in her covered carrier, when in fact she was not. Her return to the caravan was delayed, which she later explained, as a result of her looking for a misplaced necklace.  A’isha was stranded alone in the desert until a young Muslim man rescued her. Upon their return, those who surrounded Muhammad and A’isha made claims that she had been disloyal to her husband with her rescuer. “The rumors about A’isha nearly undermined the fragile cohesion of the first Islamic society at Medina as the rival tribes of Aws and Khazraj, both of whom had accepted Muhammad’s leadership, accused each other of starting the rumors about the Prophets wife.” (Spellberg, 69) There many accounts that were written after this incident that suggest that these lies were passed on as an attempt to compromise Muhammad’s authority.

Although Muhammad was unsure of the accusations, he had little faith in A’isha and requested that she repent.  With no one in her defense, not even her parents, A’isha refused to repent for what she had not done. She denied the claims but was also aware where her voice stood as a women of her time. “She will not lie to suit liars, but she also realizes that her own truthful words do not provide either a believable or adequate defense of her innocence.” (Spellberg, 71)  The resistance to repent for something that she did not do shows the strength of A’isha. During that time period, a woman’s word would not have stood for anything and the best thing for her to do would be what was requested of her by the prophet.  Days after her resistance to admit to the offense that were accused of her, God sent a revelation to Muhammad where he discovered A’isha’s innocence and condemned those who were a part the accusations.  Muhammad then punished those who were responsible for the spreading of the false rumors.    This is a clear representation of the values in honor and shame of that time.

           

After the death of Muhammed in 632 CE, there is little written about A’isha for more than two decades.  She finally reappears in history in an event that marked an important period on the timeline of Islam.  In 656 CE, A’isha led 1,000 men in the ‘Battle of the Camel’ in southern Iraq.  In this battle, she was accompanied by companions of the prophet in their mission to avenge the death of the assassinated caliph ‘Uthman.  Although the battle was not a victory for A’isha and her followers, it is an important part of Islam’s history.  “The Battle of the Camel came to be seen as the pivotal moment in the first civil war of Islam, which was itself a turning point: the primordial Islam of Muhammad and his original community had come to an end….” (Robinson, 40)  After the battle, A’isha lived out the rest of her life quietly until her death in 678 CE.

16th century miniature of A'isha in the Battle of the Camel

In summary, A’isha lived a life unlike the other women of her time.  She was arranged to marry a profit at the young age of six, she went on to stand strong for herself when everyone had doubted her loyalty, and she had the courage to lead 1,000 men in what is known as the first Civil War of Islam.   Robinson quotes Sherry Jones, writer of two historical novels about ‘A’isha, with a positive conclusion, “Whatever your opinion of A’isha, she remains larger than life, an unforgettable heroine who spoke her mind, followed her heart, loved her God, and won a place in her community and in history as the Mother of the Believers.” (Robinson, 41)  The ways in which she broke through the expected gender roles of her time is part of the reason why she is remembered as an important figure in the early years of Islam. 

Works Cited

Robinson, Chase F. Islamic Civilization in Thirty Lives. N.p.: U Of California, 2016. Print.

Spellberg, Denise. "Politics, Gender, and the Islamic Past: The Legacy of `A'isha Bint

                             Abi Bakr." Choice Reviews Online 33.02 (1995): n. pag. Web.

Rabi’a al-Adawiyya of Basra Sufi Saint and Poet

                 
                                                                            https://alchetron.com/Rabia-al-Adawiyya-1049113-W

Rabi’a, It’s All About the Love

Rabi’a al-‘Adawiyya is considered one of the most famous Sufi Saints. She was born between 714 and 718 in Basra, Iraq. There are many different versions of the circumstances of the family she was born into, whether destitute or well-off. In Chase Robinson’s book, Islamic Civilization in Thirty Lives, he introduces the time period of Rabi’a as the early expansion of Islamic rule. According to Robinson Basra was “becoming a centre of scholarship, especially in law, the closely related discipline of grammar, and theology, as well as a fountainhead of piety.” (Robinson 56)

Though word of Rabi’a had spread far and wide during her lifetime, she didn’t become known as a Sufi saint until well into the 11^th and 12^th century. There are no written record of her writing from this period. It was Farid ud-Din Attar, a Sufi Saint and poet, who locked in Rabi’a as a Sufi saint in his writings. Much of what is known about Rabi’a comes from Attar. In the journal Muslim Women Mystics: The Life and Works of Rabi’a and Other Mystics in Islam, Margaret Smith quotes Attar “’speak of her as “that woman on fire with love and ardent desire …consumed with her passion (for God).’” She was the, “first to introduce the notion of pure or ‘Divine Love’ into the mystical world of Islam.” Smith sums up Rabi’a’s teachings on divine love as:

“First, that this love must shut out all others than the Beloved, that is, the saint must turn his back on the world and all its attractions…Then secondly, she teaches that this love, directed to God to the exclusion of all else, must be disinterested, that it must look only neither to hope of reward, now to relief from punishment, but seek only to do the Will of God and to accomplish that which is pleasing to Him.” (Smith 131)

One of the most famous prayers of Rabi’a is about this,

            “O God! If I worship Thee in fear of Hell,

burn me in Hell; and if I worship Thee in hope
of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise; but if I
worship Thee for Thine own sake, withhold
not Thine Everlasting Beauty! (As-Sulami 97)

Just as with Mahammad, Rabi’a started with a humble birth, sought solitude early on and is attributed with fantastic acts or miracles later in life. A common story is told about when she was a baby and her family was so poor that they didn’t even have oil for their lamp. Rabi’a’s mother asked her father to go to the neighbor for some oil. He refused as he had vowed never to ask anybody for anything. That night Muhammad come to him in a dream and told him his daughter was a favorite of God and he was to go to the local governor. There are many different versions of what transpired between Rabi’s father and the governor, but the outcome was the same: her father was given thousands of coins and their fortune was changed. (Robinson 56)

The stories get more fantastical and often include a light emanating from her in the dark. Or “For example, we read that after days of fasting, her abject reliance upon God compels her to refuse the offer of onions in her soup; a bird flies by, dropping ready-pealed onions into the bowl. She reacts by eating bread instead.” Most intriguing is Al-‘Attar writing, “that when she approached Mecca, the Ka’ba miraculously picked up and moved to her,” or, “If she lacked a candle or lantern she would blow on her fingertips for light: they would glow until dawn. (Robinson 59)

For Rabi’a the ultimate goal was to remove everything between her and God. The one constant in writings about Rabi’a is her unrelenting focus and strength in her asceticism. Another example of her strength was that she never married and lived for to be 80. In this time and part of the world, as a woman, both of those things are amazing. According to the review of As-Sulami’s, Early Sufi Women (Dhikr anniswan al-muta ‘abbidat assufiyyat), “Some of the women of Basra at this time met in underground circles called saradib and did not usually meet openly with men. Their characteristic observances included prayer, fasting and night vigils…The famous Rabi’s is depicted as a spiritually disciplined woman in charge of her mystical states rather than as an overly emotional soul.” (As-Sulami 96)

            Another consistent story told about Rabi’s is when she ran down the road with a torch and container of water. The many saints observing this asked about the meaning. Rabi’a replied:

“I am going to light fire in paradise and to pour water on to Hell so that both veils (i.e. hindrances to the true vision of God) may completely disappear from the pilgrims and their purpose may be sure, and the servants of God may see Him, without any objects of hope or motive of fear. What if the hope pf Paradise and the fear of Hell did not exist? Not one would worship his Lord or obey Him.” (Smith 123)

Rabi’a al-Adawiyya of Basra is portrayed as a strong, determined and pious woman. Was she endowed with the pure love of God? Did she reach the ultimate goal of every Sufi, to reach annihilation of the Self? There is no way of knowing. But just the fact that stories are still told, poetry is still attributed to her and she is revered as a Sufi saint to this day, would imply that she was an extraordinary woman.

Works Cited

As-Sulami, Abu 'Abd ar-Rahman. "Early Sufi Women (Dhikr anniswan al-muta 'abbidat assufiyyat)." Digest of Middle East Studies Fall 2003: 93-99.

Robinson, Chase F. Islamic Civilization in Thirty Lives: The First 1,000 Years. University of California Press, 2016.

Smith, Margaret. "Love, Gnosis, he Vision, Union." Muslim women mystics: the life and work of Rabi'a and other women mystics in Islam (2001): 113-140.