About Khadija and Aisha

My comment ; what i find amazing about khadija is that she was a free woman  and  invested all her wealth in her husbands project of religion because she believed in it.  It is a fact that any other business woman would have invested in something which would give back a profit but Khadija was illuminted enough to understand that she was doing something for her whole community and that it was not an easy path.  It would be a struggle with every one who was part of the old order or aristocracy.  How political can you get ?  It was as if  the richest woman in the contemporary world would choose to marry some one with leftist ideas and a normal working person with no money .....     in our day and age it would only happen for personal reasons.  Some one who fights for "equal opportunity" for the rich and the poor, usually finds other people like himself.  People today would think it a mad idea and it would certainly not be accepted as normal behaviour for a woman in love!  She would have to have those ideas herself to begin with. I think it is so exiting that she had so much confidence in the future of the ideology she was promoting ... which put the slave next to the freeman as equals in Gods view.  It must have gone against a lot of set rules of the time. Aisha too was a free thinker and she fought with and lost to the prophets blood relative Ali over who was going to be the next leader after the prophet Mohammad.  I think The beauty of Islam is that blood relationships dont mean as much as people who  have the same ideas and believe in the values of Islam.  In fact in one verse in the holy book it says if your , father or brother dont believe, then you can let them go their way ie meaning that people who are believing and working for the living God are brothers and sisters in religion.  This idea is against the aristocracy of the blood. Role during first and second caliphates After Muhammad's death in 632, Abu Bakr was appointed as the first caliph. This matter of succession to Muhammad is extremely controversial to the Shia who believe that Ali had been appointed by Muhammad to lead while Sunni maintain that the public elected Abu Bakr.[67] Abu Bakr had two advantages in achieving his new role: his long personal friendship with Muhammad and his role as father-in-law. As caliph, Abu Bakr was the first to set guidelines for the new position of authority.[68] Aisha garnered more special privilege in the Islamic community for being known as both a wife of Muhammad and the daughter of the first caliph. Being the daughter of Abu Bakr tied Aisha to honorable titles earned from her father's strong dedication to Islam. For example, she was given the title of al-siddiqa bint al-siddiq, meaning 'the truthful woman, daughter of the truthful man',[11] a reference to Abu Bakr's support of the Isra and Mi'raj.[69] In 634 Abu Bakr fell sick and was unable to recover. Prior to his death, he appointed ‘Umar, one of his chief advisers, as the second caliph[11] Throughout ‘Umar's time in power Aisha continued to play the role of a consultant in political matters. After 25 years of a monogamous relationship with his first wife, Khadija bint Khuwaylid, Muhammad participated in nine years of polygyny, marrying at least nine further wives. Muhammad's subsequent marriages were depicted purely as political matches rather than unions of sexual indulgence. In particular, Muhammad's unions with Aisha and Hafsa bint Umar associated him with two of the most significant leaders of the early Muslim community, Aisha's and Hafsa's fathers, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb, respectively.[85] Aisha's marriage has given her significance among many within Islamic culture, becoming known as the most learned woman of her time. Being Muhammad's favorite wife, Aisha occupied an important position in his life.[66] When Muhammad married Aisha in her youth, she was accessible "...to the values needed to lead and influence the sisterhood of Muslim women."[86] After the death of Muhammad, Aisha was discovered to be a renowned source of hadiths, due to her qualities of intelligence and memory.[66] Aisha conveyed ideas expressing Muhammad's practice (sunnah). She expressed herself as a role model to women, which can also be seen within some traditions attributed to her. The traditions regarding Aisha habitually opposed ideas unfavorable to women in efforts to elicit social change.[87] According to Reza Aslan:[88] The so-called Muslim women’s movement is predicated on the idea that Muslim men, not Islam, have been responsible for the suppression of women’s rights. For this reason, Muslim feminists throughout the world are advocating a return to the society Muhammad originally envisioned for his followers. Despite differences in culture, nationalities, and beliefs, these women believe that the lesson to be learned from Muhammad in Medina is that Islam is above all an egalitarian religion. Their Medina is a society in which Muhammad designated women like Umm Waraqa as spiritual guides for the Ummah; in which the Prophet himself was sometimes publicly rebuked by his wives; in which women prayed and fought alongside the men; in which women like Aisha and Umm Salamah acted not only as religious but also as political—and on at least one occasion military—leaders; and in which the call to gather for prayer, bellowed from the rooftop of Muhammad’s house, brought men and women together to kneel side by side and be blessed as a single undivided community. Not only was Aisha supportive of Muhammad, but she contributed scholarly intellect to the development of Islam.[86] She was given the title al-Siddiqah, meaning 'the one who affirms the truth'. Aisha was known for her "...expertise in the Quran, shares of inheritance, lawful and unlawful matters, poetry, Arabic literature, Arab history, genealogy, and general medicine."[86] Her intellectual contributions regarding the verbal texts of Islam were in time transcribed into written form, becoming the official history of Islam.[89] After the death of Muhammad, Aisha was regarded as the most reliable source in the teachings of hadith.[86] Aisha's authentication of Muhammad's ways of prayer and his recitation of the Qur'an allowed for development of knowledge of his sunnah of praying and reading verses of the Quran.[34] During Aisha's entire life she was a strong advocate for the education of Islamic women, especially in law and the teachings of Islam. She was known for establishing the first madrasa for women in her home.[86][additional citation(s) needed] Attending Aisha's classes were various family relatives and orphaned children. Men also attended Aisha's classes, with a simple curtain separating the male and female students.[86][additional citation(s) needed]

Aisha's Relationship with Muhammad Muhammad and Aisha freeing the daughter of a tribal chief In many Muslim traditions, Aisha is described as Muhammad's most beloved or favored wife after his first wife, Khadija bint Khuwaylid, who died before the migration to Medina took place.[34][35][36][37][38] There are several hadiths, or stories or sayings of Muhammad, that support this belief. One relates that when a companion asked Muhammad, "who is the person you love most in the world?" he responded, "Aisha."[39] Others relate that Muhammad built Aisha’s apartment so that her door opened directly into the mosque,[40][41] and that she was the only woman with whom Muhammad received revelations.[42][43] They bathed in the same water and he prayed while she lay stretched out in front of him.[44] There are also various traditions that reveal the mutual affection between Muhammad and Aisha. He would often just sit and watch her and her friends play with dolls, and on occasion he would even join them.[45][46][47] Additionally, they were close enough that each was able to discern the mood of the other, as many stories relate.[48][49] It is also important to note that there exists evidence that Muhammad did not view himself as entirely superior to Aisha, at least not enough to prevent Aisha from speaking her mind, even at the risk of angering Muhammad. On one such instance, Muhammad's "announcement of a revelation permitting him to enter into marriages disallowed to other men drew from her [Aisha] the retort, 'It seems to me your Lord hastens to satisfy your desire!'"[50] Furthermore, Muhammad and Aisha had a strong intellectual relationship.[51] Muhammad valued her keen memory and intelligence and so instructed his companions to draw some of their religious practices from her.[52][53]

Aisha Mother of the Believers
Native name	(Arabic): عائشة
Born	‘Ā’ishah bint Abī Bakr c. 613/614 CE Mecca, Hejaz, Arabia (present-day Saudi Arabia)
Died	13 July 678 / 17 Ramadan 58 AH (aged 64) Medina, Hejaz, Arabia (present-day Saudi Arabia)
Resting place	Jannat al-Baqi, Medina, Hejaz, Arabia (present-day Saudi Arabia)
Spouse(s)	Muhammad (m. 620 - 8 June 632)
Parent(s)	Abu Bakr (father) Umm Ruman (mother)
Military career
Battles/wars	First Fitna Battle of the Camel

‘Ā’ishah bint Abī Bakr (613/614 – 678 CE;^[1]Arabic: عائشة بنت أبي بكر‎ or عائشة, transliteration: ‘Ā’ishah [ʕaːʔɪʃa], also transcribed as A'ishah, Aisyah, Ayesha, A'isha, Aishat, Aishah, or Aisha /ˈɑːiːʃɑː/)^[2] was one of Muhammad's wives.^[3] In Islamic writings, her name is thus often prefixed by the title "Mother of the Believers" (Arabic: أمّ المؤمنين umm al-mu'minīn), per the description of Muhammad's wives in the Qur'an.^[4][5][6]
Aisha had an important role in early Islamic history, both during Muhammad's life and after his death. In Sunni tradition, Aisha is thought to be scholarly and inquisitive. She contributed to the spread of Muhammad's message and served the Muslim community for 44 years after his death.^[7] She is also known for narrating 2210 hadiths,^[8] not just on matters related to Muhammad's private life, but also on topics such as inheritance, pilgrimage, and eschatology.^[9] Her intellect and knowledge in various subjects, including poetry and medicine, were highly praised by early luminaries such as al-Zuhri and her student Urwa ibn al-Zubayr.^[9]
Her father, Abu Bakr, became the first caliph to succeed Muhammad, and after two years was succeeded by Umar. During the time of the third caliph Uthman, Aisha had a leading part in the opposition that grew against him, though she did not agree either with those responsible for his assassination nor with the party of Ali.^[10] During the reign of Ali, she wanted to avenge Uthman's death, which she attempted to do in the Battle of the Camel. She participated in the battle by giving speeches and leading troops on the back of her camel. She ended up losing the battle, but her involvement and determination left a lasting impression.^[6] Afterwards, she lived quietly in Medina for more than twenty years, took no part in politics, became reconciled to Ali and did not oppose caliph Mu'awiya.^[10]
The majority of traditional hadith sources state that Aisha was married to Muhammad at the age of six or seven, but she stayed in her parents' home until the age of nine, or ten according to Ibn Hisham,^[11] when the marriage was consummated with Muhammad, then 53, in Medina.^[12][13][14] This timeline has been challenged by a number of scholars in modern times.
The Shia have a generally negative view of Aisha. They accuse her of hating Ali and defying him during his caliphate in the Battle of the Camel, when she fought men from Ali's army in Basra.