User:1234567/Sandbox 3 - Revision history

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1234567 at 05:59, 20 June 2013

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	Muslims have traditionally perceived the Battle of the Camel, the first war where Muslim fought Muslim, as “proof” that “woman was not created to poke her nose into politics.”<ref>[http://www.irfi.org/articles/articles_401_450/female_leadership_in_islam.htm/ Sa’id Al-Afghani], cited in Shehabuddin, S. “Female Leadership in Islam” in ''Islamic Research Foundation International, Inc.''</ref> In fact Aisha was no more aggressive than her male counterparts, and the war was no more disastrous than the hundreds of wars, including Muslim-against-Muslim wars, that male Muslims have fought ever since. The real problem was not that Aisha was a woman but that her Islamic world-view had taught her to solve problems by authoritarianism, assassination and open war. Aisha regretted the Battle of the Camel; she more than once declared, “I wish I had been a leaf on a tree! I wish I had been a stone! I wish I had been a clod of earth! By Allah, I wish that Allah had not created me as anything at all!”<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:52.</ref> Sunni Muslims understand these expressions of regret as proof that Aisha “sincerely repented and wasn't against the household [of Ali] after that.”<ref>[http://www.yanabi.com/index.php?/topic/426447-mothers-of-the-believers-hazrath-aisha-siddiqa-ra/page__st__80/ “Mothers Of The Believers Hazrath Aisha Siddiqa (r.a)” in ''Yanabi.com - reviving the spirit of Islam''.]</ref> However, it is not completely clear whether she repented starting the war or whether her real regret was only that she had lost it.		Muslims have traditionally perceived the Battle of the Camel, the first war where Muslim fought Muslim, as “proof” that “woman was not created to poke her nose into politics.”<ref>[http://www.irfi.org/articles/articles_401_450/female_leadership_in_islam.htm/ Sa’id Al-Afghani], cited in Shehabuddin, S. “Female Leadership in Islam” in ''Islamic Research Foundation International, Inc.''</ref> In fact Aisha was no more aggressive than her male counterparts, and the war was no more disastrous than the hundreds of wars, including Muslim-against-Muslim wars, that male Muslims have fought ever since. The real problem was not that Aisha was a woman but that her Islamic world-view had taught her to solve problems by authoritarianism, assassination and open war. Aisha regretted the Battle of the Camel; she more than once declared, “I wish I had been a leaf on a tree! I wish I had been a stone! I wish I had been a clod of earth! By Allah, I wish that Allah had not created me as anything at all!”<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:52.</ref> Sunni Muslims understand these expressions of regret as proof that Aisha “sincerely repented and wasn't against the household [of Ali] after that.”<ref>[http://www.yanabi.com/index.php?/topic/426447-mothers-of-the-believers-hazrath-aisha-siddiqa-ra/page__st__80/ “Mothers Of The Believers Hazrath Aisha Siddiqa (r.a)” in ''Yanabi.com - reviving the spirit of Islam''.]</ref> However, it is not completely clear whether she repented starting the war or whether her real regret was only that she had lost it.

	The remainder of Ali’s reign was dominated by his conflict with Muaawiya ibn Abi Sufyan,<ref>In the translations of [http://wikiislam.net/wiki/The_History_of_al-Tabari/ Al-Tabari’s ''Tarikh''] commissioned by the State University of New York, the whole of the seventeenth volume is devoted to this conflict.</ref> a brother-in-law of Muhammad<ref>Ibn Hisham note 918. Muaawiya’s sister Ramlah had been one of Muhammad’s wives.</ref> and kinsman of Uthman.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti pp. 153, 197. They were both great-grandsons of Umayya ibn Abdshams.</ref> In due course, Muaawiya captured Aisha’s brother Muhammad, killed him “in retaliation for Uthman,” then “cast him into the corpse of a donkey and set fire to it.” Although Aisha had demanded vengeance on Uthman’s assassins, she apparently had not meant her brother, for “she mourned for him greatly and made extra prayers for him at the end of the ritual prayers.”<ref>{{Tabari\|17\|pp. 157-158}}.</ref> Muhammad’s son Al-Qasim came to live with her,<ref>{{Tabari\|17\|pp. 157-158}}.</ref> which was the nearest she ever came to having a child of her own. Ali was assassinated within five years.<ref>{{Tabari\|17\|pp. 213-216, 226-227}}; Jarrett/Suyuti p. 178.</ref> When Aisha heard the news, she recited the traditional formula for ending a folk-tale: “And she threw down her staff and settled upon her place of abode like the traveller happy to return home,”<ref>{{Tabari\|17\|p. 224}}.</ref> equivalent to, “And they all lived happily ever after.”~~</ref>~~ A neighbour asked her if she was really rejoicing over Ali’s death, to which Aisha cryptically replied, “I am forgetful! If I forget, remind me.”<ref>{{Tabari\|17\|pp. 224-225}}. The neighbour was Zaynab bint Abi Salama, the daughter of another of Muhammad’s wives and a partisan of Ali.</ref>		The remainder of Ali’s reign was dominated by his conflict with Muaawiya ibn Abi Sufyan,<ref>In the translations of [http://wikiislam.net/wiki/The_History_of_al-Tabari/ Al-Tabari’s ''Tarikh''] commissioned by the State University of New York, the whole of the seventeenth volume is devoted to this conflict.</ref> a brother-in-law of Muhammad<ref>Ibn Hisham note 918. Muaawiya’s sister Ramlah had been one of Muhammad’s wives.</ref> and kinsman of Uthman.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti pp. 153, 197. They were both great-grandsons of Umayya ibn Abdshams.</ref> In due course, Muaawiya captured Aisha’s brother Muhammad, killed him “in retaliation for Uthman,” then “cast him into the corpse of a donkey and set fire to it.” Although Aisha had demanded vengeance on Uthman’s assassins, she apparently had not meant her brother, for “she mourned for him greatly and made extra prayers for him at the end of the ritual prayers.”<ref>{{Tabari\|17\|pp. 157-158}}.</ref> Muhammad’s son Al-Qasim came to live with her,<ref>{{Tabari\|17\|pp. 157-158}}.</ref> which was the nearest she ever came to having a child of her own. Ali was assassinated within five years.<ref>{{Tabari\|17\|pp. 213-216, 226-227}}; Jarrett/Suyuti p. 178.</ref> When Aisha heard the news, she recited the traditional formula for ending a folk-tale: “And she threw down her staff and settled upon her place of abode like the traveller happy to return home,”<ref>{{Tabari\|17\|p. 224}}.</ref> equivalent to, “And they all lived happily ever after.” A neighbour asked her if she was really rejoicing over Ali’s death, to which Aisha cryptically replied, “I am forgetful! If I forget, remind me.”<ref>{{Tabari\|17\|pp. 224-225}}. The neighbour was Zaynab bint Abi Salama, the daughter of another of Muhammad’s wives and a partisan of Ali.</ref>

	===The Caliphate of Muaawiya===		===The Caliphate of Muaawiya===

1234567 at 05:56, 20 June 2013

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1234567 at 04:20, 13 June 2013

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	*[[The Tragedy of Aisha]]		*[[The Tragedy of Aisha]]
	*[[Aisha (Farsideology)]] (''satire'')		*[[Aisha (Farsideology)]] (''satire'')


			===References===
			{{reflist}}

1234567 at 04:19, 13 June 2013

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1234567: /* The Caliphate of Muaawiya */

2013-06-13T04:17:47Z

The Caliphate of Muaawiya

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1234567: /* Aisha bint Abi Bakr, Part 3 */

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Aisha bint Abi Bakr, Part 3

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1234567 at 23:21, 11 June 2013

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	Aisha still needed permission to leave Medina. Uthman eventually agreed to escort Muhammad's widows on a second ''Hajj'', and once again, “we were kept well out of sight.”<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:147.</ref> It is not recorded that Aisha left Medina again until 656. Uthman expanded the mosque at Medina to a size of about 67m x 71m by buying up most of the adjoining buildings, though not the houses of Muhammad’s widows. Aisha therefore exchanged her old neighbours for carved stone walls, stone pillars and a teakwood roof.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti pp. 159-160.</ref>		Aisha still needed permission to leave Medina. Uthman eventually agreed to escort Muhammad's widows on a second ''Hajj'', and once again, “we were kept well out of sight.”<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:147.</ref> It is not recorded that Aisha left Medina again until 656. Uthman expanded the mosque at Medina to a size of about 67m x 71m by buying up most of the adjoining buildings, though not the houses of Muhammad’s widows. Aisha therefore exchanged her old neighbours for carved stone walls, stone pillars and a teakwood roof.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti pp. 159-160.</ref>

	But Uthman was elderly,<ref>Estimates of his exact age at death in {{Tabari\|15\|p. 252}} range from 75 to 90 lunar years. (There is also one vote for the “magic number” of 63, but we can ignore this.) Hence he was at least 60 solar years, and perhaps 75, when he became Caliph.</ref> and his competence declined with his age. After 650 the people became disillusioned by his nepotism and his embezzling of the state treasury.<ref>{{Tabari\|16\|p. 100}}: “We became angry at Uthman on your behalf for three things he did: giving command to youths, expropriating common property and beating with whip and stick.” See also Jarrett/Suyuti p. 161.</ref> The residents of Medina were angry when he appropriated the common pastures around the city for the Umayya clan and forbade anyone else to graze their animals there. Restatement of the History of Islam.<ref></ref> Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, a man of humble birth who had been one of the earliest converts to Islam,<ref>{{Tabari\|6\|pp. 85, 87}}.</ref> preached against Uthman’s opulent lifestyle: “Your gold and silver shall burn red-hot in Hellfire and brand your foreheads!”<ref>{{Tabari\|15\|p. 65}}.</ref> Unable to take the criticism, Uthman exiled Abu Dharr to the desert, where he died in penury.<ref> Guillaume/Ishaq 606; {{Tabari\|15\|pp. 100-101}}.</ref> The Caliph’s only economy was to reduce Aisha’s pension to the same sum allowed to Muhammad’s other widows.<ref></ref> Aisha went to ask Uthman to restore her “inheritance,” but he refused, reminding her that she had actively supported Abu Bakr’s decision not to pay any inheritance to Muhammad’s family as “prophets have no heirs.” After this interview, Aisha invoked the penalty for [[Islam and Apostasy\|apostasy]], exclaiming, “Kill this old fool, for he is an unbeliever!”<ref>Ibn Athir, ''History'' vol. 3 p. 206.</ref> Abdullah ibn Masood criticised Uthman for his embezzlements and for exiling Abu Dharr. The Caliph broke off his Friday sermon to call Abdullah “a foul and despicable beast,” at which Aisha (whose front door was directly opposite the pulpit<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:121.</ref>) protested from behind her curtain: “Is this the way to speak of a companion of Allah’s Apostle?” Uthman ordered Abdullah out of the mosque ~~and sentenced him to lifelong~~ house arrest and loss of pension, at which ~~the Caliph’s~~ henchmen ejected ~~him~~ so violently that his ribs were broken.<ref>Ahmad ibn Hanbal, ''Musnad'' vol. 5 p. 197.</ref>		But Uthman was elderly,<ref>Estimates of his exact age at death in {{Tabari\|15\|p. 252}} range from 75 to 90 lunar years. (There is also one vote for the “magic number” of 63, but we can ignore this.) Hence he was at least 60 solar years, and perhaps 75, when he became Caliph.</ref> and his competence declined with his age. After 650 the people became disillusioned by his nepotism and his embezzling of the state treasury.<ref>{{Tabari\|16\|p. 100}}: “We became angry at Uthman on your behalf for three things he did: giving command to youths, expropriating common property and beating with whip and stick.” See also Jarrett/Suyuti p. 161.</ref> The residents of Medina were angry when he appropriated the common pastures around the city for the Umayya clan and forbade anyone else to graze their animals there. Restatement of the History of Islam.<ref></ref> Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, a man of humble birth who had been one of the earliest converts to Islam,<ref>{{Tabari\|6\|pp. 85, 87}}.</ref> preached against Uthman’s opulent lifestyle: “Your gold and silver shall burn red-hot in Hellfire and brand your foreheads!”<ref>{{Tabari\|15\|p. 65}}.</ref> Unable to take the criticism, Uthman exiled Abu Dharr to the desert, where he died in penury.<ref> Guillaume/Ishaq 606; {{Tabari\|15\|pp. 100-101}}.</ref> The Caliph’s only economy was to reduce Aisha’s pension to the same sum allowed to Muhammad’s other widows.<ref></ref> Aisha went to ask Uthman to restore her “inheritance,” but he refused, reminding her that she had actively supported Abu Bakr’s decision not to pay any inheritance to Muhammad’s family as “prophets have no heirs.” After this interview, Aisha invoked the penalty for [[Islam and Apostasy\|apostasy]], exclaiming, “Kill this old fool, for he is an unbeliever!”<ref>Ibn Athir, ''History'' vol. 3 p. 206.</ref> Abdullah ibn Masood, who had been persecuted in Mecca for proclaiming the Qur’an in the earliest days,<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 141-142.</ref> and was also of the peasant class,<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 116.</ref> criticised Uthman for his embezzlements and for exiling Abu Dharr. The Caliph broke off his Friday sermon to call Abdullah “a foul and despicable beast,” at which Aisha (whose front door was directly opposite the pulpit<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:121.</ref>) protested from behind her curtain: “Is this the way to speak of a companion of Allah’s Apostle?” Uthman ordered Abdullah out of the mosque under a life-sentence of house arrest and loss of pension, at which his henchmen ejected Abdullah so violently that his ribs were broken.<ref>Ahmad ibn Hanbal, ''Musnad'' vol. 5 p. 197.</ref>

	Ammar ibn Yasir, an early convert to Islam<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 117.</ref> who had fought at Badr,<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 329.</ref> also challenged Uthman for embezzling the public treasury. Uthman ordered him to be thrown out of the mosque; the octogenarian Ammar was beaten up to unconsciousness. Baladhuri, ''Ansab al-Ashraf'' vol. 5 pp. 48, 54, 88. Ibn Saad, ''Tabaqat'' vol. 3 part 1 p. 185.<ref></ref> At the next Friday’s prayers Aisha emerged from her house carrying an old shirt and sandal of Muhammad’s and interrupted prayers to address Uthman: “How soon indeed you have forgotten the ''sunna'' of your Prophet, when his hair, shirt and sandal have not yet perished!” Abbott, N. (1942, 1998). ''Aishah: the Beloved of Muhammad''. London: Saqi Books.<ref></ref> When the Governor of Kufa (who was Uthman’s brother) turned up to prayers so drunk that he recited the liturgy wrongly,<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti p. 159</ref> Uthman overlooked it and withheld the customary punishment. A delegation from Mesopotamia arrived in Medina to ask that the drunken Governor be replaced, and the Caliph threatened to punish them for making the request. The Mesopotamians appealed to Aisha, drawing from Uthman the remark, “Can the rebels and scoundrels of Mesopotamia find no other refuge than the home of Aisha?”<ref></ref> When Aisha brought their complaint back to Uthman, he responded that she had no right to approach him since she had been “ordered to stay at home.” Abbott (1942, 1998).<ref></ref> At this suggestion that a woman should not be involved in public affairs, some people “demanded to know who indeed had better right than Aisha in such matters.” Abbott (1942, 1998).<ref></ref> Uthman belatedly sentenced his brother to 80 lashes, which Ali delivered.<ref>{{Bukhari\|5\|57\|45}}; {{Bukhari\|5\|58\|212}}.</ref>		Ammar ibn Yasir, an early convert to Islam<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 117.</ref> who had also been severely persecuted as a slave in Mecca<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 145. His mother, Sumayya, had been the first Muslim martyr. While the majority of Muslim “martyrs” were killed in battles where they were the aggressors, Sumayya probably fits the Western definition of a “martyr”, for her only recorded provocation was her monotheism. However, the dramatic details of her murder seem to be late embellishments; Ibn Ishaq offers no details beyond “they killed her.”</ref> and had fought at Badr,<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 329.</ref> also challenged Uthman for embezzling the public treasury. Uthman ordered him to be thrown out of the mosque; the octogenarian Ammar was beaten up to unconsciousness. Baladhuri, ''Ansab al-Ashraf'' vol. 5 pp. 48, 54, 88. Ibn Saad, ''Tabaqat'' vol. 3 part 1 p. 185.<ref></ref> At the next Friday’s prayers Aisha emerged from her house carrying an old shirt and sandal of Muhammad’s and interrupted prayers to address Uthman: “How soon indeed you have forgotten the ''sunna'' of your Prophet, when his hair, shirt and sandal have not yet perished!” Abbott, N. (1942, 1998). ''Aishah: the Beloved of Muhammad''. London: Saqi Books.<ref></ref> When the Governor of Kufa (who was Uthman’s brother) turned up to prayers so drunk that he recited the liturgy wrongly,<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti p. 159</ref> Uthman overlooked it and withheld the customary punishment. A delegation from Mesopotamia arrived in Medina to ask that the drunken Governor be replaced, and the Caliph threatened to punish them for making the request. The Mesopotamians appealed to Aisha, drawing from Uthman the remark, “Can the rebels and scoundrels of Mesopotamia find no other refuge than the home of Aisha?”<ref></ref> When Aisha brought their complaint back to Uthman, he responded that she had no right to approach him since she had been “ordered to stay at home.” Abbott (1942, 1998).<ref></ref> At this suggestion that a woman should not be involved in public affairs, some people “demanded to know who indeed had better right than Aisha in such matters.” Abbott (1942, 1998).<ref></ref> Uthman belatedly sentenced his brother to 80 lashes, which Ali delivered.<ref>{{Bukhari\|5\|57\|45}}; {{Bukhari\|5\|58\|212}}.</ref>

	Matters came to a head when Uthman’s governor in Egypt committed a murder, and 700 Egyptians arrived in Medina to petition for a new incumbent. Aisha once again took a stand against Uthman: “You have refused the request of Muhammad’s companions to remove this man, yet he has killed one of their people. Therefore do them justice against your Governor.”<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti p. 162.</ref> After similar urgings from Talha and Ali, Uthman promised to appoint Aisha’s brother Muhammad as the replacement governor. But on his journey to Egypt, Muhammad intercepted a letter bearing Uthman’s seal that ordered the old governor to kill him. He returned to Medina to show the letter<ref>{{Tabari\|15\|p. 184}}.</ref> (which Uthman then denied writing<ref>{{Tabari\|15\|p. 185}}.</ref>), “and there was not one of the people of Medina but was wroth against Othman, and it increased the wrath and anger of those who were enraged on account of Ibn Masa’ud, Abu Darr, and Ammar-b-Yasir.”<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti p. 163.</ref> Letters signed with Aisha’s name called for Uthman’s assassination, though she later claimed they had been forged:<ref>Ibn Saad, ''Tabaqat'' vol. 3 p. 60; Baladhuri, ''Ansab al-Ashraf'' vol. 5 pp. 596-597.</ref> “No, by the One in whom believed the believers and disbelieved the disbelievers, I did not write to them with the black [ink] on the white [paper]!” Even if, as her friends chose to believe,<ref>Baladhuri, ''Ansab al-Ashraf'' vol. 5 p. 597.</ref> she was telling the truth – even if her specific goal was only Uthman’s abdication – she very obviously did not care what his other enemies might do to him. She even said, “I wish I had him in my baggage so that I could throw him into the sea!”<ref>Baladhuri, ''Ansab al-Ashraf'' part 1 vol. 4 p. 75.</ref>		Matters came to a head when Uthman’s governor in Egypt committed a murder, and 700 Egyptians arrived in Medina to petition for a new incumbent. Aisha once again took a stand against Uthman: “You have refused the request of Muhammad’s companions to remove this man, yet he has killed one of their people. Therefore do them justice against your Governor.”<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti p. 162.</ref> After similar urgings from Talha and Ali, Uthman promised to appoint Aisha’s brother Muhammad as the replacement governor. But on his journey to Egypt, Muhammad intercepted a letter bearing Uthman’s seal that ordered the old governor to kill him. He returned to Medina to show the letter<ref>{{Tabari\|15\|p. 184}}.</ref> (which Uthman then denied writing<ref>{{Tabari\|15\|p. 185}}.</ref>), “and there was not one of the people of Medina but was wroth against Othman, and it increased the wrath and anger of those who were enraged on account of Ibn Masa’ud, Abu Darr, and Ammar-b-Yasir.”<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti p. 163.</ref> Letters signed with Aisha’s name called for Uthman’s assassination, though she later claimed they had been forged:<ref>Ibn Saad, ''Tabaqat'' vol. 3 p. 60; Baladhuri, ''Ansab al-Ashraf'' vol. 5 pp. 596-597.</ref> “No, by the One in whom believed the believers and disbelieved the disbelievers, I did not write to them with the black [ink] on the white [paper]!” Even if, as her friends chose to believe,<ref>Baladhuri, ''Ansab al-Ashraf'' vol. 5 p. 597.</ref> she was telling the truth – even if her specific goal was only Uthman’s abdication – she very obviously did not care what his other enemies might do to him. She even said, “I wish I had him in my baggage so that I could throw him into the sea!”<ref>Baladhuri, ''Ansab al-Ashraf'' part 1 vol. 4 p. 75.</ref>

1234567 at 23:03, 11 June 2013

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	Muslims have traditionally perceived the Battle of the Camel, the first war where Muslim fought Muslim, as “proof” that “woman was not created to poke her nose into politics.”<ref>[http://www.irfi.org/articles/articles_401_450/female_leadership_in_islam.htm/ Sa’id Al-Afghani], cited in Shehabuddin, S. “Female Leadership in Islam” in ''Islamic Research Foundation International, Inc.''</ref> In fact Aisha was no more aggressive than her male counterparts, and the war was no more disastrous than the hundreds of wars, including Muslim-against-Muslim wars, that male Muslims have fought ever since. The real problem was not that Aisha was a woman but that her Islamic world-view had taught her to solve problems by authoritarianism, assassination and open war. Aisha regretted the Battle of the Camel; she more than once declared, “I wish I had been a leaf on a tree! I wish I had been a stone! I wish I had been a clod of earth! By Allah, I wish that Allah had not created me as anything at all!”<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:52.</ref> Sunni Muslims understand these expressions of regret as proof that Aisha “sincerely repented and wasn't against the household [of Ali] after that.”<ref>[http://www.yanabi.com/index.php?/topic/426447-mothers-of-the-believers-hazrath-aisha-siddiqa-ra/page__st__80/ “Mothers Of The Believers Hazrath Aisha Siddiqa (r.a)” in ''Yanabi.com - reviving the spirit of Islam''.]</ref> However, it is not completely clear whether she repented starting the war or whether her real regret was only that she had lost it.		Muslims have traditionally perceived the Battle of the Camel, the first war where Muslim fought Muslim, as “proof” that “woman was not created to poke her nose into politics.”<ref>[http://www.irfi.org/articles/articles_401_450/female_leadership_in_islam.htm/ Sa’id Al-Afghani], cited in Shehabuddin, S. “Female Leadership in Islam” in ''Islamic Research Foundation International, Inc.''</ref> In fact Aisha was no more aggressive than her male counterparts, and the war was no more disastrous than the hundreds of wars, including Muslim-against-Muslim wars, that male Muslims have fought ever since. The real problem was not that Aisha was a woman but that her Islamic world-view had taught her to solve problems by authoritarianism, assassination and open war. Aisha regretted the Battle of the Camel; she more than once declared, “I wish I had been a leaf on a tree! I wish I had been a stone! I wish I had been a clod of earth! By Allah, I wish that Allah had not created me as anything at all!”<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:52.</ref> Sunni Muslims understand these expressions of regret as proof that Aisha “sincerely repented and wasn't against the household [of Ali] after that.”<ref>[http://www.yanabi.com/index.php?/topic/426447-mothers-of-the-believers-hazrath-aisha-siddiqa-ra/page__st__80/ “Mothers Of The Believers Hazrath Aisha Siddiqa (r.a)” in ''Yanabi.com - reviving the spirit of Islam''.]</ref> However, it is not completely clear whether she repented starting the war or whether her real regret was only that she had lost it.

	The remainder of Ali’s reign was dominated by his conflict with Muaawiya ibn Abi Sufyan,<ref></ref> a brother-in-law of Muhammad<ref>Ibn Hisham note 918. Muaawiya’s sister Ramla had been one of Muhammad’s wives.</ref> and kinsman of Uthman. In due course, Muaawiya captured Aisha’s brother Muhammad, killed him “in retaliation for Uthman,” then “cast him into the corpse of a donkey and set fire to it.” Although Aisha had demanded vengeance on Uthman’s assassins, she apparently had not meant her brother, for “she mourned for him greatly and made extra prayers for him at the end of the ritual prayers.”<ref>{{Tabari\|17\|pp. 157-158}}.</ref> Muhammad’s son Al-Qasim came to live with her,<ref>{{Tabari\|17\|pp. 157-158}}.</ref> which must have been a significant compensation, as Aisha had always wanted a child of her own.<ref>For example, in Bewley/Saad 8:46 she expresses her longing to be known as “Mother of Someone”. Muhammad suggests she call herself ''Umm Abdullah'' after her sister’s son.</ref> Ali was assassinated within five years.<ref>{{Tabari\|17\|pp. 213-216, 226-227}}; Jarrett/Suyuti p. 178.</ref> When Aisha heard the news, she recited: “And she threw down her staff and settled upon her place of abode like the traveller happy to return home.”<ref>{{Tabari\|17\|p. 224}}. This was the formulaic ending to a story, equivalent to, “And they all lived happily ever after.”</ref> A neighbour asked her if she had really been speaking so happily of Ali’s death, to which Aisha cryptically replied, “I am forgetful! If I forget, remind me.”<ref>{{Tabari\|17\|pp. 224-225}}. The neighbour was Zaynab bint Abi Salama, the daughter of another of Muhammad’s wives and a partisan of Ali.</ref>		The remainder of Ali’s reign was dominated by his conflict with Muaawiya ibn Abi Sufyan,<ref>In the translations of [http://wikiislam.net/wiki/The_History_of_al-Tabari/ Al-Tabari’s ''Tarikh''] commissioned by the State University of New York, the whole of the seventeenth volume is devoted to this conflict.</ref> a brother-in-law of Muhammad<ref>Ibn Hisham note 918. Muaawiya’s sister Ramla had been one of Muhammad’s wives.</ref> and kinsman of Uthman.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti pp. 153, 197. They were both great-grandsons of Umayya ibn Abdshams.</ref> In due course, Muaawiya captured Aisha’s brother Muhammad, killed him “in retaliation for Uthman,” then “cast him into the corpse of a donkey and set fire to it.” Although Aisha had demanded vengeance on Uthman’s assassins, she apparently had not meant her brother, for “she mourned for him greatly and made extra prayers for him at the end of the ritual prayers.”<ref>{{Tabari\|17\|pp. 157-158}}.</ref> Muhammad’s son Al-Qasim came to live with her,<ref>{{Tabari\|17\|pp. 157-158}}.</ref> which must have been a significant compensation, as Aisha had always wanted a child of her own.<ref>For example, in Bewley/Saad 8:46 she expresses her longing to be known as “Mother of Someone”. Muhammad suggests she call herself ''Umm Abdullah'' after her sister’s son.</ref> Ali was assassinated within five years.<ref>{{Tabari\|17\|pp. 213-216, 226-227}}; Jarrett/Suyuti p. 178.</ref> When Aisha heard the news, she recited: “And she threw down her staff and settled upon her place of abode like the traveller happy to return home.”<ref>{{Tabari\|17\|p. 224}}. This was the formulaic ending to a story, equivalent to, “And they all lived happily ever after.”</ref> A neighbour asked her if she had really been speaking so happily of Ali’s death, to which Aisha cryptically replied, “I am forgetful! If I forget, remind me.”<ref>{{Tabari\|17\|pp. 224-225}}. The neighbour was Zaynab bint Abi Salama, the daughter of another of Muhammad’s wives and a partisan of Ali.</ref>

	===The Caliphate of Muaawiya===		===The Caliphate of Muaawiya===

1234567 at 13:00, 11 June 2013

2013-06-11T13:00:14Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:00, 11 June 2013
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	===The Caliphate of Uthman===		===The Caliphate of Uthman===

	Uthman ibn Affan, a son-in-law of Muhammad from the aristocratic Umayya clan,<ref>{{Tabari\|15\|p. 254}}.</ref> was elected the third caliph.<ref>{{Tabari\|14\|p. 95}}</ref> Aisha, who was now 30, had no ties of kinship or friendship with him. He began his reign by increasing the salaries of his officials<ref>{{Tabari\|15\|p. 7}}.</ref> and continued to make extravagant gifts to his personal friends.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti p. 161.</ref> Uthman was well-liked in the early years, for “he treated them with leniency and was attached to them.”<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti p. 161.</ref> As Medina prospered under his rule, “the fatness of men reached its height,” and “lax” people could be seen betting on flying pigeons and shooting with crossbows – until Uthman cut the wings of the pigeons and broke the bows.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti p. 170.</ref> In 652 he standardised the Qur’an and burnt variant copies.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti p. 170.~~</ref> He built a navy to challenge that of Byzantium.<ref>Restatement of Islamic History~~</ref> Above all, Uthman continued the policy of military conquest, making forays into Cyprus and Spain, and adding the remaining provinces of North Africa, Anatolia (modern Turkey), Persia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, most of modern Afghanistan and parts of western India (modern Pakistan) to the Islamic empire.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti pp. 159-161.</ref> None of this required help from Aisha.		Uthman ibn Affan, a son-in-law of Muhammad from the aristocratic Umayya clan,<ref>{{Tabari\|15\|p. 254}}.</ref> was elected the third caliph.<ref>{{Tabari\|14\|p. 95}}</ref> Aisha, who was now 30, had no ties of kinship or friendship with him. He began his reign by increasing the salaries of his officials<ref>{{Tabari\|15\|p. 7}}.</ref> and continued to make extravagant gifts to his personal friends.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti p. 161.</ref> Uthman was well-liked in the early years, for “he treated them with leniency and was attached to them.”<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti p. 161.</ref> As Medina prospered under his rule, “the fatness of men reached its height,” and “lax” people could be seen betting on flying pigeons and shooting with crossbows – until Uthman cut the wings of the pigeons and broke the bows.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti p. 170.</ref> In 652 he standardised the Qur’an and burnt variant copies.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti p. 170.</ref> Above all, Uthman continued the policy of military conquest, making forays into Cyprus and Spain, and adding the remaining provinces of North Africa, Anatolia (modern Turkey), Persia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, most of modern Afghanistan and parts of western India (modern Pakistan) to the Islamic empire.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti pp. 159-161.</ref> None of this required help from Aisha.

	Aisha still needed permission to leave Medina. Uthman eventually agreed to escort Muhammad's widows on a second ''Hajj'', and once again, “we were kept well out of sight.”<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:147.</ref> It is not recorded that Aisha left Medina again until 656. Uthman expanded the mosque at Medina to a size of about 67m x 71m by buying up most of the adjoining buildings, though not the houses of Muhammad’s widows. Aisha therefore exchanged her old neighbours for carved stone walls, stone pillars and a teakwood roof.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti pp. 159-160.</ref>		Aisha still needed permission to leave Medina. Uthman eventually agreed to escort Muhammad's widows on a second ''Hajj'', and once again, “we were kept well out of sight.”<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:147.</ref> It is not recorded that Aisha left Medina again until 656. Uthman expanded the mosque at Medina to a size of about 67m x 71m by buying up most of the adjoining buildings, though not the houses of Muhammad’s widows. Aisha therefore exchanged her old neighbours for carved stone walls, stone pillars and a teakwood roof.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti pp. 159-160.</ref>
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	===The Caliphate of Muaawiya===		===The Caliphate of Muaawiya===

	Muaawiya succeeded Ali as caliph in January 661.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti pp. 178, 197.</ref> He was criticised for his nepotism and for his toleration of silk, stringed instruments and alcohol.<ref>{{Tabari\|18\|p. 154}}.</ref> He was not criticised for being “the first who introduced eunuchs into his service,”<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti p. 21.</ref> i.e., who ordered the castration of his slaves. He continued the Islamic conquests, consolidating gains in Persia and modern Afghanistan and adding Sudan to the empire.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti pp. 198-199.</ref>		Muaawiya succeeded Ali as caliph in January 661.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti pp. 178, 197.</ref> He was praised, even by his enemies, for his political acumen, justice and restraint.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti pp. 197-198.</ref> He was criticised for his nepotism and for his toleration of silk, stringed instruments and alcohol.<ref>{{Tabari\|18\|p. 154}}.</ref> He was not criticised for being “the first who introduced eunuchs into his service,”<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti p. 21.</ref> i.e., who ordered the castration of his slaves. He continued the Islamic conquests, consolidating gains in Persia and modern Afghanistan and adding Sudan to the empire.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti pp. 198-199.</ref>

	Muaawiya had no reason to dislike Aisha, who had been his enemy’s enemy. He did not even need to take active steps to “keep her out of politics” by maintaining her house-arrest, for he moved the capital of the Islamic empire to Damascus,<ref>Muir (1924) p. 291.</ref> so the great affairs of state no longer occurred on Aisha’s doorstep in the mosque at Medina. Therefore Muaawiya had nothing to lose by showing Aisha, at least superficially, the deference due to the foremost Mother of the Faithful. He requested her, “Write a letter to advise me, and do not overburden me.” Aisha’s polite reply deliberately avoided all political controversy.		Muaawiya had no reason to dislike Aisha, who had been his enemy’s enemy. He did not even need to take active steps to “keep her out of politics” by maintaining her house-arrest, for he moved the capital of the Islamic empire to Damascus,<ref>Muir (1924) p. 291.</ref> so the great affairs of state no longer occurred on Aisha’s doorstep in the mosque at Medina. Therefore Muaawiya had nothing to lose by showing Aisha, at least superficially, the deference due to the foremost Mother of the Faithful. He requested her, “Write a letter to advise me, and do not overburden me.” Aisha’s polite reply deliberately avoided all political controversy.