Jealousy
Shia believe that Aisha was jealous of Muhammad's other wives, especially his first wife- Khadijah. On one occasion she is reported to have been tired of Muhammad speaking of his first wife so often and said that Allah had replaced Khadija with a better wife, referring to herself, for which Muhammad rebuked her. She is also criticized for deceiving the Prophet and hatching a plan with Hafsa bint Umar to stop him spending a long time at Zaynab bint Jahsh's house. They believe this shows a severe amount of disrespect and insubordination to her husband. The following verses of the Qur'an are unanimously agreed by scholars to be referring to Aisha and Hafsa:
| “ | When the Prophet confided unto one of his wives a matter, but when she divulged it (unto others) and God apprised him therefore, he made known a part of it and avoided a part; so when he informed her of it, said she: ‘Who informed thee of this?’ He said: ‘Informed, me, the All-Knowing, the All-Aware’. If you both (women) repent to Allah, (it is better for you), for your hearts have swerved from the right path and if you supported each other against the Prophet, you should know that Allah is his Protector, and after Him Gabriel and the righteous believers and the angels are his companions and helpers. Happily his Lord if he divorceth you, will give him in your place wives better than you, submissive, faithful, obedient, repentant, prayerful, observers of fast, widows and virgins.
(Surah at-Tahrim, Ayat 3-5) |
” |
The Shi'a website Answering-Ansar.org comments on this verse:
"Some Ahl al-Sunnah assert that since Aisha was the most superior wife then that means that she was the most superior of all women. Not only is the claim that she was the most superior wife baseless, the fact of the matter is in Surah Tahrim, Allah(swt) also states this:
"Perhaps if he divorces you, his Lord will give him wives who are better than you, who submit and believe” (Qur'an 66:5)- this clearly indicates that there were believing women among the Muslims who were much better than Aisha."
Another example of Aisha's jealousy is found in a story regarding Safiyyah, another of Muhammad's wives. Aisha is reported to have mocked Safiyyah's jewish heritage, which invoked Muhammad's defense of Safiyyah. He reminded Aisha that while Safiyyah's people descended from prophets, Aisha's ancestors had no special status.
Aisha is also reported to have slandered against Muhammad's concubine, Maryam the Copt, and spread rumors questioning her chastity. Shias believe that Maryam was cleared of these charges in the verse many Sunnis claim exonerates Aisha of charges of adultery.
One hadith attributed to Ali, the fourth caliph, condemns jealousy in all women.
"Jealousy in women is unpardonable, but in a man it is a sign of his faith in religion."
The prophets wives held a higher place in society than other women according to verse 33:32 of the Qur'an
O ye wives of the Prophet! Ye are not like any other women. If ye keep your duty (to Allah), then be not soft of speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease aspire (to you), but utter customary speech.
and so were more accountable for their faults like jealousy.
Read more about this topic: Shi'a View Of Aisha, Wife of Muhammad
Famous quotes containing the word jealousy:
“Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.”
—Bible: Hebrew Song of Solomon 8:6.
“However strongly they resist it, our kids have to learn that as adults we need the companionship and love of other adults. The more direct we are about our needs, the easier it may be for our children to accept those needs. Their jealousy may come from a fear that if we adults love each other we might not have any left for them. We have to let them know that it’s a different kind of love.”
—Ruth Davidson Bell. Ourselves and Our Children, by Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, ch. 3 (1978)
“For jealousy arouses a husband’s fury, and he shows no restraint when he takes revenge. He will accept no compensation, and refuses a bribe no matter how great.”
—Bible: Hebrew, Proverbs 6:34-35.