Dr. Al Gharbi depicts the Arab world as a society closed from within, where the central power and the religious power arrogate not only the right to control men’s actions, but also to determine their dreams, their aspirations and to manage their memory (2) .
According to Dr. Al Gharbi, analyzing the history of Islam, the epoch of the written codification, asr – at – tad – win (3) has been the symbolic date of the institutionalization and manipulation of the Arab world’s collective memory, reconstructed and distributed as the only official truth (4)
The transformation of history has been, therefore, an instrument, still in operation, to legitimize and give alibis to the integralist religious institutions and government regimes. The Clergy, has, therefore, been able to give the demagogic illusion of being the supreme reformer of the Moslem society, deliberately obscuring any collective and historical memory existing before and immediately after the birth of Islam.
Consequently, the pre-Islamic era is erroneously defined Jahilya, ignorance, thus cancelling any cultural ties with the period preceding the Koranic Revelation and trying to create ex novo an Arab society which identifies itself with, and has as sole reference, a canonized Islamic history. Dr. Al Gharbi, instead, describes Jahilya as a period in which strong female personalities existed - who, because of their exceptional managerial capabilities, emerged on an equal basis with men (5) .
The matrimonial regimes varied from monogamy to polygamy and to polyandry. Jahilya can thus be defined as a transitory period between matriarchy and patriarchy, characterized by a refined and elevated literary and poetic style, but also by rough tribal values, tied to survival.
It was a warrior society, which gave great importance to heroism on the battlefield. Before each battle, the women showed parts of their bodies to the soldiers, their legs, naked breasts, to encourage the leader and to remind whoever lost the battle, that the enemy would possess their beauty.
Furthermore, the practice of istifhal was common, (literally, to wish to be like a thoroughbred stallion). In other words, married or unmarried women could approach a renowned war hero of exceptional qualities and ask to be made pregnant, in order to bear strong and courageous offspring.
The same applied for the men, who approached the Saqif tribe, whose women were renowned for their wisdom (6) .
The advent of Islam in the VII century of our Era, regulated the general anarchy that was present at the time, imposing rules to re-establish an order among the population of the region.
Prophet Mohammad thus eliminated polyandry, although affirming the legitimacy of monogamy and polygamy, giving a limit of four wives (7) . The right of inheritance, furthermore, is guaranteed to all women of any social extraction and no longer restricted to the noble classes.
The daughters of less wealthy families are no longer buried alive. In those times, the poor classes, not having the financial means to bring up their offspring, preferred the male to the female because of the labour force that he could contribute.
The history of women in the first years of Islam, notwithstanding the Koranic discriminations and the tribal traditions, was distinguished by strong and progressive female personalities who, in some cases, were directly tied to the figure of the Prophet himself.
The following are portraits of two of Mohammad’s wives, Khadija and Aisha, both characterized by an autonomous and emancipated personality.
Two women who, contrary to the preconceived ideas of orthodoxy, have actively participated in the social, military and commercial life of their time, playing a key role in the initial affirmation of Islam.


Khadija

Khadija was the first wife of the Prophet, Mohammad. Born at Mecca around 555 AD., she came from one of the noblest and wealthiest families of the whole of the Arab peninsula. She belonged to the Assad tribe of the Quraysh (8) .
Her father, Khuwayled, was a well-known tradesman who had managed to accumulate a huge fortune, exporting and selling his goods abroad. Every year, two caravans were sent from Mecca, one to Syria, in the summer and, one to the Yemen territory, in the winter.
He exported artisan products from Mecca and other zones of the area, thoroughbred horses, perfumes and spices. Tradesmen returned from the two great markets of the Orient with wheat, olive oil, dried fruits, fabrics, luxury products, which were sold in the shops of the city of Mecca.
Khuwayled died around the year 585 AD. a few years after the loss of Khadija’s mother, leaving his entire fortune to his children (9) .
Khadija, who had inherited the financial ability of her father, decided to assume the reins of the family trade, expanding it further in more zones of the Middle-East area.
Her uncle and other members of her family tried to advise and help in her decisions, but Khadija was a self-assured woman who hated paternalism and did not want to be dependent on anyone. She trusted only her own judgement and preferred to manage the business autonomously.
Her figure as an independent woman, according to some historians, reflects a matriarchal structure still existing in Arabia at the time. Khadija’s sister, in fact, had a daughter who carried the name of her mother. Umaya Bint Rokayya (Umaya daughter of Rokkaya), which means that the descent was still through the mother’s side (10) .
Khadija had also hired agents who could lead her caravans in other countries. The historian Ibn Sa’ad recounts that wherever the Mecca’s merchant caravans were, Khadija’s caravans were always the largest of all the other caravans together (11) .
She was crafty, enterprising, rich. She was called “the great”, Al Kubra, she was called “the Quraysh Princess”, Ameerat Quraysh, and she comes from Mecca. Khadija was also referred to as “the pure”, Al – Tahir for her gentle soul, because she helped the poor with her charities. Her strength, her charisma, together with her richness, attracted the interest of all the noble classes of the time.
It was, therefore, not uncommon that the princes of the area would beg, insistently, for her hand. Khadija had been married twice. The first time to Abu Halah Al – Tamimi, which ended in divorce (12) .The second time to Abdallah Ben Utayyik, who left her a widow and from whom she received a huge inheritance.
With the first husband, she gave birth to Hind, who later became one of the companions, sahabah, of the Prophet, Al – Tahir e Halah, little known to historians.
There is, however, a controversy about the daughters (13) born from the second husband (14) that many historians attribute, not to the latter, but to the Prophet himself. It is known, for certain that Fatima was the adored daughter of Mohammad and Khadija, who later married Alì (15) founder of Sciitism.
The encounter with Mohammad happened by chance. The heiress from Mecca, already in her forties, needed an agent to carry her merchandise to Syria.
Some of her relatives advised her to hire a far cousin, named Mohammad (16) known as Al Sadiq, the honest, and Al Amin, the one who can be trusted.
Mohammad had no commercial experience, he had simply accompanied his uncle Abu Talib (17) , sometimes in his travels around the various markets, but he learnt the business fast and had a inborn attitude for trade, like all the members of the Quraysh tribe.
Khadija, therefore, decided to offer a chance to this twenty-year-old young man. His first journey to Syria was a success and he brought back to Mecca a sum of money far beyond Khadija’s expectations.
She decided to hire him, offering him a wage, for his second journey, three times higher than was usual for those times. Khadija had already realized that, perhaps, she had found a husband that was on her own level.
She decided to send the emissary, Nufaysa, to ask directly the hand of the young Mohammad, 25 years old and 15 years younger than Khadija.
The historian Ibn Saad, refers to Nufaysa’s words about the event: “Khadija asked me to propose to him, in secret, to become her husband and he accepted” (18) . They married around 595 AD. and the wedding contract was drawn up by herself and her uncle Amor Ben Assad (19) .
After marriage, Mohammad moved from his uncle’s to his bride’s house, where Khadija gave birth, around 615 a.C. to Fatima, considered one of Islam’s four perfect women, after the first bride of the Prophet, Mary, mother of Jesus and the Pharaoh’s wife Aasiyaa (20) .
Before Fatima, Khadija had had two other sons from Mohammad, Qasim and Abdullah, who died in the first years of life.
Now wealthy and without the need to continue her commercial business, Khadija decided to retire and lead a tranquil and comfortable life beside her husband.
She was the strong woman who gave support and advise to the Prophet in the difficult years of the Koran revelation.
She was the first woman to convert to Islam and was the point of reference and strength of Mohammad. Khadija gave the Prophet not only confidence in himself, but also the logistical and financial support he needed. She was converted to the new religion, when it was still secret and she also participated in clandestine fights in enemy territory (21) .
She invested energy, time and all her money in her husband’s dream, which had also become her dream, to expand Islam. Khadija, probably, even before meeting the Prophet, had already been fascinated by the monotheism of her cousin, Waraqah Ibn Nawfal (22) , who had embraced the Nestorian Christian faith (23) and had become a monk. The Prophet remained beside her, in a monogamous way, until her death, 24 years later.
Mohammad will often speak of her after her death, so much so, that the second wife, the little Aisha, was extremely jealous of the memory of Khadija.
One day, full of envy, she went to Mohammad and said: “She was only a red eyed old woman, Allah rewarded you with a better and younger wife”. Mohammad, indignant at Aisha’s words, said: “No, He did not reward me with a better wife. Khadija had faith in me when nobody believed in my words. She called me honest when others called me a liar; she gave me a refuge when others abandoned me; she comforted me when others denigrated me and Allah gave me children by her and not by any other woman” (24) . Khadija died in 619 AD. (25) , three years before the Hijira (26) due to a high fever, during the month of Ramadan. The Prophet watched over her, without resting, until her last breath. The period of her death, which also coincides with the passing away of Abu Talib, uncle of Mohammad and his strong protector, is defined, the Year of Sorrow, Aa’m Ul-Hozn, because of the deep discomfort and suffering of the Prophet.

Aisha

After Khadija’s death, in 623 AD., the Prophet Mohammad, aged 53, married little Aisha (27) , the daughter of Abu Bakr, who at the time was just 9 years old (28) . Born around 614 AD., she also belonged to the Quraysh tribe and had embraced the new religion immediately after her father’s conversion (29) .
Mohammad’s widowhood was the reason why Abu Bakr broke the marriage promise between his daughter and Jubair Ben Mut’am Ibn ‘Adi and offered Aisha to the Prophet (30) .
At the time she was only six, therefore, she entered the house of her future husband when she was nine, immediately after the Hijira to Medina (31) . Notwithstanding, that the marriage to the Prophet was considered a union motivated by political reasons (32) , historians report that their union was characterized by a deep affection.
One day, Aisha asked Mohammad: “What is your love for me like? and the Prophet replied, “Like a knot in a rope”, meaning, strong and secure.
Every now and then, the little wife used to ask, “How is the knot today?” and he would answer “’Ala haaliha” (always the same) (33) . Aisha, a budding beauty, of a strong and determined temperament, was the favourite spouse, after Khadija. She was exceptionally jealous of the other wives and, in particular, of the first one.
Aisha is remembered for her impulsive character, which she expressed through a strong and shrill tone of voice (34) .She was well-learned. She knew history, medicine, astronomy and poetry, with a special gift for story-telling and oratory (35) .
It was Aisha who collected, in the history of Islam, the greatest number of hadith (36) which were passed down (37) . She was also considered one of the most authoritative figures of the epoch the interpretation of the Koran. When she was less than 20 she had already acquired the reputation of one of the most cultured and erudite women of her time.
Mohammad’s companions, consequently, consulted with the Prophet’s young wife on juridical matters, on history and on literature. The Prophet used to say of her: “that you could get just half of your religion from little Humayra (38) (little red-head) (39) .
Women and men came from far away to benefit from her knowledge. Aisha, besides answering the questions of her interlocutors, had transformed her house into a school for children, including orphans. Around the year 626 AD., while a military expedition was taking place against a pagan tribe, Aisha, during a night march, was left behind (40) . The next morning, the Prophet’s little wife was brought back to Medina by Safwan, a young camel driver . Immediately, rumours of betrayal were spread.
At first, Mohammad, particularly influenced by Alì’s advice, listened to the rumours.
Ali suggested divorce (41) , but eventually, the accusations were shown to be unfounded (42) .
It was, however, from this very incident that the renowned enmity between Aisha and Ali arose and which, subsequently, would provoke the battles of succession that eventually lead to the schism within Islam, between the Sunnites and Shiites (43) .
On the 8th of June in the year 632 AD., Mohammad, just after leaving the Mosque, enters his home and with his head on her lap, dies in the arms of Aisha (44) . With the start of the Caliphate, the political quarrels begin.
Aisha had very little liking for the third Caliph, Uthman Ibn Affan and had contributed to the destabilization of his power. In fact, she had publicly refused to support him and to bring him aid during the siege by his opponents. In June, 656 AD., Uthman was assassinated during the prayer hour and Alì succeeded him.
Aisha was returning to Medina, after her pilgrimage to Mecca, when she learned of what had happened.
Infuriated, preferring Zubair (45) or Talha (46) as successor, instead of Alì, she goes back to Mecca and incites the people against the neo-Caliph (47) .
Alì was, in fact, accused of not having avenged the death of Uthman and not having punished the culprits of the murder.
Aisha was an expert in politics and military strategies and techniques. She, therefore, decided to join Tahla and Zubair to fight Alì, whose authority she refused to recognize (48) .
Aisha established herself at Bassora and organized an army with which she confronted Ali, in 656 AD.
The resulting battle is known as the Camel battle because Alì had ordered that wherever Aisha’s camel was to be found, there should be the bloodiest battle.
The fight was directed by Aisha, Zubair and Tahla, but Al-Gharby reports that according to historian Hichem Djat (49) , she was the one, the Prophet’s wife, to command the army of 125 thousand men against the enemy.
Aisha directed a incessant campaign of political propaganda in the mosques, trying to conclude secret negotiations against Alì and inciting the mobs to sedition (50) .
The young Islamic community was, therefore, divided in two: to support Aisha or obey the new Caliph.
This was the first battle, after the Prophet’s death, in which violent clashes between Moslems took place. Some historians state that the battle ended with the loss of 16.786 men from Aisha’s army and 1.070 from the army of Alì (51) .
Aisha was defeated and captured by the enemy, but Ali, out of respect for the wife of the Prophet Mohammad, sent her back to Medina under military escort. Aisha did not marry again and she died around the year 678 AD (52) .
Aisha was one of the most important figures of her time, a military and political leader whose character has not been adequately extolled, in all its qualities, by the Islamic orthodoxy.


Conclusion

Al – Gharby comments that to ‘explode the decrees (‘diktat’) imposed by the Islamic orthodoxy, it would be necessary to bring to light the collective memory of the Moslem woman (53) .The history of the first dawning of Islam was distinguished, not only by strong and independent female personalities, but also by a search for line and form which emphasized the contours of the female body. The clothes were characterized by brilliant colours, such as rose, orange and saffron yellow. The women used make-up which emphasized the eyes, and which underlined the femininity of the face with multicoloured shadings. The tunics were perfumed with musk and amber, and were decorated with poems and gold and silver threads. The futa, similar to the sari, was imported from India and pleated garments of shiny material, from China.
Furthermore, under the Caliphate of Omar B. Khattab, the fashion of the katabi was widespread. It was a long dress which, because it was not transparent, did not reveal any parts of the body, but it was so adherent to the skin that the form could be seen (54) .
According to Amal Grami, teacher of female history in Islam, at the Manuba University of Tunis, in order to change the present vision of the woman in the culture of the Arab world, it is indispensable to rediscover and give importance to those hadith, to those little Koranic verses and to the sources of the Islamic laws which show that the Arab woman has, for example, the right to participate in the social and work life of the community. Bringing to light, therefore, an already existing cultural patrimony which has been hidden by an interpretation which has not known how to transmit and exalt the feminine figures of the Islamic epoch. Feminine figures, moreover, which are tied to the figure of the Prophet Mohammad. This could be the key to answer religious integralism, which deprives women of their fundamental rights (55) .