Tag Archives: Aisha

The Battle of the Camel, 656

Posted on May 30, 2021 by Ruth

Ali’s army from Medina, joined by several thousand men from Kufa, camped on a wide plain outside Basra in Iraq. Facing them on the plain was an equally large army from Mecca, joined by several thousand men from Basra. But … Continue reading →

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A’isha in Opposition, 656

Posted on May 30, 2021 by Ruth

The first challenge to Ali as Caliph or Imam came quickly. A’isha had gone to Mecca during the revolt against Uthman, and she was returning to Medina when she heard that Ali had been acclaimed as the next Caliph. A’isha … Continue reading →

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Revolt And Death of Uthman, 655-6

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Ruth

Another Umayyad cousin named Marwan was Uthman’s chief secretary, or probably Chief of Staff. As in the White House, access to the ruler goes through the Chief of Staff. Marwan could determine who got to talk to Uthman, and he … Continue reading →

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Protests Against Uthman, 654

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Ruth

Twenty years before this time, Abu Bakr had been Caliph and the first conquests in Mesopotamia and Syria had planted the first Arab Muslim towns. Approximately sixteen years before this time, the garrison cities of Kufa, Basra and Fustat had … Continue reading →

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Caliph Abu Bakr: the Day of Muhammad’s Death

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Ruth

Muhammad died around noon. We know the room was crowded with relatives, and either A’isha or Ali held him in his last hour before he stopped breathing. Many believers were standing or sitting in the mosque just outside the house, … Continue reading →

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The Prophet’s Death, 632

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Ruth

For about three months after returning from Mecca, Muhammad lived a normal life. He taught and led prayers, dealt with envoys from other parts of Arabia, and planned another military expedition to Syria. He may have begun to feel unwell … Continue reading →

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The Mothers of the Faithful

Posted on January 31, 2021 by Ruth

Muhammad acquired six new wives during this time. After the Banu Qurayza Jews were executed or expelled, he took the chief’s daughter Rayhanah as a captive, and she became his servant. That meant concubine, but some narratives say that she … Continue reading →

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A’isha on Trial

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Ruth

Pagan Mecca and Muslim Medina continued to put on shows of strength and seek out alliances that would hurt the other. One of the most significant events in Muhammad’s family happened when he had led a contingent to the coast … Continue reading →

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Four Wives and Three Grandchildren

Posted on January 12, 2021 by Ruth

We focus a lot on the most sensational aspects of Muhammad’s marriages: A’isha’s age and the sheer number (8 or 9) of the widows he left at his death. He spent most of his life as an ordinary man with … Continue reading →

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