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→The Caliphate of Muaawiya
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===The Caliphate of Muaawiya=== | ===The Caliphate of Muaawiya=== | ||
Muaawiya succeeded Ali as caliph in January 661.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti 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 | Muaawiya succeeded Ali as caliph in January 661.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti 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 the Islamic conquests, consolidating gains in Persia and modern Afghanistan and adding Sudan to the empire.<ref>Jarrett/Suyuti pp. 198-199.</ref> | ||
Muaawiya had no reason to dislike Aisha. They had fought a common enemy, and she recognised him as Caliph.<ref></ref> He did not even need to take active steps to “keep her out of politics” by maintaining her house-arrest, for he removed the capital of the Islamic empire to Damascus,<ref></ref> so the great affairs of state no longer occurred on Aisha's doorstep in the mosque at Medina. Therefore Muaawiya had nothing to lose by showing Aisha, at least superficially, the deference due to the foremost Mother of the Faithful. He wrote to her, asking, “Write a letter to advise me, and do not overburden me.” Aisha’s polite and very Islamic reply deliberately avoided all political controversy. | Muaawiya had no reason to dislike Aisha. They had fought a common enemy, and she recognised him as Caliph.<ref></ref> He did not even need to take active steps to “keep her out of politics” by maintaining her house-arrest, for he removed the capital of the Islamic empire to Damascus,<ref></ref> so the great affairs of state no longer occurred on Aisha's doorstep in the mosque at Medina. Therefore Muaawiya had nothing to lose by showing Aisha, at least superficially, the deference due to the foremost Mother of the Faithful. He wrote to her, asking, “Write a letter to advise me, and do not overburden me.” Aisha’s polite and very Islamic reply deliberately avoided all political controversy. | ||
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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.}} | ||
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/ | 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/Suyuti 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 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!”…’” ({{Quran|46|17}}). 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. Fortunately for Abdulrahman, Muaawiya soon afterwards re-assessed the overall 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 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 that 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 that 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. | ||