Aisha is a very popular name in the Sunni Muslim world but among Shiite Muslims it is a term of exasperation. (The name Hillary seems to have a similar polarizing effect in another part of the world).
To Muslims, every word of the Koran is sacred. In addition to the Koran, Islam has a second source of religious instruction which is called the hadith. The hadith are anecdotes about Mohammed (PBUH)and other founders of Islam. They are considered important source material about religious practice, law, and historical traditions.
Apparently, the hadith also covers the intimate life of the prophet's harem and makes for some steamy reading. It has been compared to a soap opera, full of intrigue, romance and drama of course. The star of this Mecca soap opera was the prophet's 3rd wife, Aisha.
-Aisha was 6 when the prophet proposed and 9 when she packed up her dolls and teddy bears and went to live in his harem. Mohammed (PBUH) was 53.
-she was his favorite wife
-she was unable to have children
-10 years later, he died in her arms, she was 19
-she was forbidden by Mohammed (PBUH) to ever marry again
-she had a life-long rivalry with the prophet's daughter, Fatima.
Fatima believed that her husband, Ali, should succeed Mohammed (PBUH) as caliph (religious leader) but Aisha believed that her father, Abu Bakr should get the job. When Abu Bakr took control, the supporters of Ali (or Shiat Ali) refused to follow him and thus began the rift between the Shiite and Sunni Muslims that continues to this day.
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