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→The Caliphate of Muaawiya
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Muaawiya succeeded Ali as caliph in January 661.<ref>Jarrett/Puyuti pp. 178, 197.</ref> He “excelled at insults”<ref>{{Tabari|15|pp. 115-116}}.</ref> and was just as nepotistic as Uthman and Ali had been.<ref>{{Tabari|18|p. 154}}.</ref> He continued to conquer the world.<ref></ref> | Muaawiya succeeded Ali as caliph in January 661.<ref>Jarrett/Puyuti pp. 178, 197.</ref> He “excelled at insults”<ref>{{Tabari|15|pp. 115-116}}.</ref> and was just as nepotistic as Uthman and Ali had been.<ref>{{Tabari|18|p. 154}}.</ref> He continued to conquer the world.<ref></ref> | ||
Muaawiya had no reason to dislike Aisha and he showed her, at least superficially, the deference due to a Mother of the Faithful. He wrote to her, asking, “Write a letter to advise me, and do not overburden me.” Aisha replied politely without entering any political controversy: | Muaawiya had no reason to dislike Aisha and he showed her, at least superficially, the deference due to a Mother of the Faithful. He wrote to her, asking, “Write a letter to advise me, and do not overburden me.” Aisha replied politely without entering any political controversy. | ||
{{Quote|Aisha's letter to Caliph Muaawiya, [http://sunnah.com/tirmidhi/36/ Tirmidhi:4:36:2597]|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.” Peace be upon you.}} | |||
When Muaawiya beheaded one of Ali’s partisans, Aisha told him that he should have shown more forbearance<ref>{{Tabari|18|p. 127}}.</ref> and 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 and accused the Caliph of favouritism.<ref>Jarrett/Puyuti pp. 199, 207.</ref> The Governor of Medina ordered his arrest. Abdulrahman fled to Aisha’s house, and she sheltered him behind her curtain. Unlike Umar thirty years before, the Governor did not dare invade the house 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!”…’” [Q17] From behind the curtain, Aisha’s voice contradicted, “The Governor is lying! Allah never revealed any part of the Qur’an about any member of my family except ''me''! The Governor is full of Allah’s curse.”<ref></ref> The strictures of the Veil had saved Aisha’s brother for the time being; and he died of natural causes soon afterwards.<ref></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 a father had removed his newly divorced daughter from her home, Aisha instructed the Governor of Medina to follow the Islamic procedure for the ''idda'' and order the woman’s return. The Governor pleaded the precedent of Fatima bint Qays,<ref>{{Abudawud|12|2288}}. This governor was the future Caliph Marwan I.</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 the ruling, told the Governor 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>{{Abudawud|12|2286}}.</ref> The Governor advised Aisha that if she understood why Muhammad had made an exception for Fatima, she ought to understand why the woman in the present case 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 a father had removed his newly divorced daughter from her home, Aisha instructed the Governor of Medina to follow the Islamic procedure for the ''idda'' and order the woman’s return. The Governor pleaded the precedent of Fatima bint Qays,<ref>{{Abudawud|12|2288}}. This governor was the future Caliph Marwan I.</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 the ruling, told the Governor 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>{{Abudawud|12|2286}}.</ref> The Governor advised Aisha that if she understood why Muhammad had made an exception for Fatima, she ought to understand why the woman in the present case 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. | ||