Contribution of the Life and Legacy of Hazrat Aisha to Islam
By
Mushtaq ul Haq Ahmad Sikander, New Age Islam
3 July 2023
Aisha:
The Wife, the Companion, the Scholar
By
Resit Haylamaz, USA, Tughra Books,
Pp 224. ISBN 9781597842662
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Islam came
as a harbinger of change; it revolutionized the way of life and made a deep
impact on the world. Quran described the fundamentals of women rights. The
Quranic discourse is mostly Right based for women and Duty based for men. In
the early years of propagation of Islam by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) women played
a decisive role. The first martyr of Islam was a woman, Summaya (may Allah be
pleased with her). But it is also a sad reality that not much has been written
about the contribution of these women to Islam. Most of their contribution and
legacy remains unsung in oblivion. There is a dire need of scholars and
writers, who can analyze, deliberate and bring forth the contribution of the
women in the spread, propagation and legacy of Islam.
The present
book under review tries to fill this void. The book Aisha: The Wife, the
Companion, the Scholar, as the name suggests analyzes and discusses the role of
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) as the wife of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Being the foremost among the companions of
the Prophet (pbuh), Aisha after his death assumed the role of a scholar and
transmitter of Hadith (saying and practices of Prophet Muhammad). The author,
ResitHaylamaz, a Turkish scholar has brought to the fore the legacy of Aisha,
dealing with the major and even minutest details of her life, that was
dedicated to the mission and cause of Islam.
Resit
describes her life after she is engaged to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The
contrast between her austere life and that of the other women is brought to the
fore. The love that existed between her and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) that made
them a unique couple and that still is an example for married couples to follow
is described vividly with the help of various incidents. These incidents help
us understand, how loving, caring and respecting spouses they were towards each
other. Not only her relation as a wife is described but the intra wives
relations that existed among Aisha and other wives of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
have been nicely depicted too. Her role while taking part in various military
campaigns against enemies of Islam has been described too.
The
personal piety of Aisha too can be witnessed by her observance of prayers and
fasting. For her the example of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was the code of conduct
for life that she tried to adhere strictly. She was always ready to forgive her
enemies and never believed in revenge. She never stooped low to bear any
grudges against those who wronged her. The best example of this conduct can be
witnessed when the hypocrites in Medina stirred a tirade of slander against the
character of Aisha. When the truth about her untarnished and pristine character
was upheld by Allah through revelation, she forgave all those who had been a
part of the smear campaign against her.
The role of
Aisha in the aftermath of death of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) became more
important because only a few people knew minute details about the personal and
private life of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Aisha being one of his favorite wives
became a primary source of information regarding the life, behavior, conduct
and opinions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). It is her intimacy with Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) that the other Muslims and even companions of the Prophet used
to visit her and enquire from her about various issues. She thus assumed the
status of having encyclopedic knowledge related to Islam and other issues. She
thus contributed positively to the fields of exegesis, Hadith literature,
jurisprudence, theology. Her contribution to the Hadith literature is immense,
but that doesn’t underestimate her contribution to other related branches of
knowledge. She was wise and quite eloquent when it came to literature, poetry
and oratory. She had certain expertise in medicine too. The book describes her
as a teacher too, who had a permanent lot of students who learnt from her.
Regarding trifling and contending issues her views were always balanced,
factual and positive. She left an indelible impact on the transmission of
knowledge among Muslims.
Aisha (may
Allah be pleased with her), not only played a role of an individual
scholar-teacher but also had a public political role, particularly in the
aftermath of the crisis that arose with the martyrdom of third Caliph of
Muslims, Othman (may Allah be pleased with him). She played a central role in
the battle of camel, that happened between her and Ali (may Allah be pleased
with him), who was the fourth caliph of Muslims. The book describes her
political stance and involvement during the period of four caliphs, and later
on during the times of Mauwiyah, whom she criticized vehemently for his wrong
policies.
The book
towards the end also carries two chapters that deal with the relation of Ali
with Aisha, and author nicely describes that they had cordial relations and
respect for each other, during the battle of camel as well as in its aftermath.
This brings forth the fact that tussle or skirmishes even violence among the
Companions of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had a different connotations that
can’t be presumed on present conflicts. Also one of the contending issues
related to the life of Aisha is her age at the time of marriage with Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh). The author through deep analysis has very well described that
she was not nine years old when she was married to Prophet.
Overall the
book is a nice addition to the contribution of the life and legacy of Aisha to
Islam. The book is a compulsory read for all those who want to know more about
the contribution of Aisha, but it isn’t without its flaws. Little has been
described about the death of Aisha. There is a theory that she died as a result
of conspiracy hatched against her. The author is silent about the same! Also on
Page 155 the author gives a misleading title of “The Caliphate of Mauwiyah”.
None of the Muslim scholars consider mauwiya as caliph and his rule was
monarchy not Caliphate. But despite all these flaws the book is a nice and
welcome read.
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Mushtaq
Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander is a Writer-Activist based in Srinagar, Kashmir
URL: https://newageislam.com/books-documents/contribution-life-legacy-aisha/d/130125
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New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic
Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism