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{{Quote|Aisha’s letter to Caliph Muaawiya, [http://sunnah.com/tirmidhi/36/ Tirmidhi:4:36:2597].|Peace be upon you. As for what follows: Indeed I heard Allah’s Messenger saying, “Whoever seeks Allah’s pleasure by the people’s wrath, Allah will suffice him from the people. And whoever seeks the people’s pleasure by Allah’s wrath, Allah will entrust him to the people.” And peace be upon you.}} | {{Quote|Aisha’s letter to Caliph Muaawiya, [http://sunnah.com/tirmidhi/36/ Tirmidhi:4:36:2597].|Peace be upon you. As for what follows: Indeed I heard Allah’s Messenger saying, “Whoever seeks Allah’s pleasure by the people’s wrath, Allah will suffice him from the people. And whoever seeks the people’s pleasure by Allah’s wrath, Allah will entrust him to the people.” And peace be upon you.}} | ||
Aisha and Muaawiya chanced to meet in Mecca, indicating that Aisha now took holidays whenever she chose. Their conversation was polite, but Muaawiya had recently beheaded one of Ali’s partisans, and Aisha told him that he should have shown more forbearance<ref>{{Tabari|18|pp. 127, 153}}.</ref> She suffered no penalty for voicing this criticism. In 671 Aisha’s brother Abdulrahman refused to take the oath of allegiance to Muaawiya’s son Yazid as the future successor.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti pp. 199, 207.</ref> Marwan, Governor of Medina,<ref>That is, Marwan ibn Al-Hakam, the future Caliph Marwan I.</ref> ordered his arrest from the pulpit. Abdulrahman went straight to Aisha’s house, “and they were not able to capture him,”<ref>{{Bukhari|6|60|352}}; [http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2041&Itemid=102/ Ibn Kathir, ''Tafsir'' on Q46:17.]</ref> for unlike Umar 27 years earlier, Marwan did not dare enter behind the curtain of the Mother of the Faithful. He announced from the outside, “Abdulrahman is the man about whom Allah revealed the verse, ‘The man who says to his parents, “Fie on you!”…’”<ref>{{Quran|46|17}}.</ref> From behind the curtain, Aisha’s voice contradicted, “Marwan is lying! Allah never revealed any part of the Qur’an about any member of Abu Bakr’s family except ''me''! But I heard Allah’s Apostle curse Marwan’s father before Marwan was born, so Marwan is full of Allah’s curse.”<ref>{{Bukhari|6|60|352}}; [http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2041&Itemid=102/ Ibn Kathir, ''Tafsir'' on Q46:17.]; Jarrett/Suyuti p. 207.</ref> The strictures of the Veil had saved Aisha’s brother for the time being. Fortunately for Abdulrahman, Muaawiya soon afterwards re-assessed the political situation and decided not to press the point.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti p. 200.</ref> | |||
Despite the observation of these basic courtesies, however, it is clear that Aisha was in no position to overrule anyone of importance. When she heard that Marwan’s brother had taken his newly divorced daughter into his own home, Aisha instructed Marwan to follow the correct Islamic procedure for the ''idda'' and order his niece’s return to her husband’s house.<ref>{{Bukhari|7|63|242}}.</ref> The Governor pleaded the precedent of Fatima bint Qays,<ref>{{Bukhari|7|63|242}}; {{Abudawud|12|2288}}.</ref> whom Muhammad had long ago allowed to serve her ''idda'' at the house of a blind man.<ref>{{Abudawud|12|2282}}.</ref> Aisha, who had “severely objected” to that ruling, told Marwan that, “Fatima lived in a desolate house and she feared for her loneliness there,” so Muhammad had made a special exception,<ref>{{Abudawud|12|2285}}.</ref> which should not be used as a general precedent.<ref>{{Bukhari|7|63|242}}; {{Abudawud|12|2286}}.</ref> Marwan advised Aisha that if she understood why Muhammad had made an exception for Fatima, she ought to understand why his niece also had good reason to be considered an exception.<ref>{{Abudawud|12|2288}}.</ref> The silence as to the outcome of the dispute indicates that, even in this trivial matter, Aisha did not prevail against the Governor. | Despite the observation of these basic courtesies, however, it is clear that Aisha was in no position to overrule anyone of importance. When she heard that Marwan’s brother had taken his newly divorced daughter into his own home, Aisha instructed Marwan to follow the correct Islamic procedure for the ''idda'' and order his niece’s return to her husband’s house.<ref>{{Bukhari|7|63|242}}.</ref> The Governor pleaded the precedent of Fatima bint Qays,<ref>{{Bukhari|7|63|242}}; {{Abudawud|12|2288}}.</ref> whom Muhammad had long ago allowed to serve her ''idda'' at the house of a blind man.<ref>{{Abudawud|12|2282}}.</ref> Aisha, who had “severely objected” to that ruling, told Marwan that, “Fatima lived in a desolate house and she feared for her loneliness there,” so Muhammad had made a special exception,<ref>{{Abudawud|12|2285}}.</ref> which should not be used as a general precedent.<ref>{{Bukhari|7|63|242}}; {{Abudawud|12|2286}}.</ref> Marwan advised Aisha that if she understood why Muhammad had made an exception for Fatima, she ought to understand why his niece also had good reason to be considered an exception.<ref>{{Abudawud|12|2288}}.</ref> The silence as to the outcome of the dispute indicates that, even in this trivial matter, Aisha did not prevail against the Governor. |