Comparing the Shia and Sunni views on Aisha, the daughter of Abu Bakr and third wife of Prophet Muhammad. Sheikh Azhar also explains why the two sects may have such divergent views of her.
The lecture dives into:
- Why Shia's believe Aisha was in her late teens when she married Prophet Muhammad (vs the Sunni narrative of being 9 years old)
- How Aisha gained an prominence above other wives of Propeht Muhammad
- Quranic verses establishing that the wives of Prophet Muhammad could choose to do either good or evil (Quran 33:30-31)
- Comparing views on whether the Verse of Purification applies to all wives of the prophet or only Imam Ali, Lady Fatima, and their children
- Quranic verses (Surah 66, verses 3-5) that accuse two wives of their deviation and threatens retribution. Sunnis and Shias both agree they refer to Aisha and Hafsa (another wife)
- Comparing Sunni/Shia views on whether there's enough evidence of Aisha's repentance after the above Quranic condemnation to depend on her as a reliable narrator of hadith
- Why Shias don't believe the Quranic title "The Mothers of the Believers" was intended to honor Prophet Muhammad's wives
Lecture notes available at http://www.why-quran.org/?p=536.
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Video recording of this lecture + Q&A available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtYqU661YSs&list=PLpkB0iwLgfTat-Pgh4W3WFmupPamiC9UT.