How Aisha reacted when Imam Ali (AS) was martyred
- Anonymous
- Apr 18
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 17
One of the most common questions regarding Aisha bt. Abi Bakr concerns her relationship with Imam Ali (as). It is well known that she opposed him at the Battle of Jamal. However, after his victory, Imam Ali (as) treated her with dignity, arranging for her safe return to Medina under armed escort.
Just a few years later, she received news of his assassination at the hands of the Kharijite, Ibn Muljim (la). Her reaction to this news invites important reflection: Did she express regret for her role in the conflict and acknowledge her part in triggering the first civil war? Or did she continue to harbor resentment toward him until the end of her life?
This question helps us consider the deeper implications of her actions and attitudes in the years that followed the Battle of Jamal.
Report 1: Aisha celebrated the death of Ali (as)
We read in the History of al Tabari Vol. 17 pg. 224 (Arabic):
ولما انتهى إلى عائشة رضي الله تعالى عنها قتل علي رضي الله تعالى عنه قالت : فألقت عصاها واستقر بها النوى كما قر عينأ بالإياب المسافر
When the news of ʿAlī’s killing reached Aisha, she said: "She has cast down her staff and settled where she belongs, just as the eye of a traveler is comforted by returning home."
Regarding the proverb that Aisha uttered, the English translator Professor G. R. Hawting notes in a footnote: “…the verse is proverbial and is cited to indicate pleasure at something.”
This incident is well attested and can also be read in other Sunni sources, such as we read in al-Baladhuri's Ansab al-Ashraf, Vol. 3, pg. 263, with the following chain:
"Al-Husayn ibn al-Aswad narrated to me, from Yahya ibn Adam, from Sharik and others..."
And we also read this same report in Ibn Sa'ad's Tabaqat ibn Sa'ad, Vol. 3, pg. 29 with a different chain:
"Asbat ibn Muhammad informed us, from Mutarrif, from Abu Ishaq, from ‘Amr ibn al-Asam..."
Those familiar with Arabic grammar and literature will know that this proverb is indeed famously used to indicate pleasure at something, and this can be proven using a number of sources, including the oldest Arabic dictionary ever written. We read in Kitab Al-Ayn Vol 2, pg. 197 -198 by the titan of Arabic grammar, Khalil Ibn Ahmed Al Farahidi:
When a traveler reaches his destination he casts his staff; it is said ‘And she threw down her staff and settled upon her place of abode, like a traveller happy to return home.’ And this verse has become a proverb used to express satisfaction at something. (This comes from) a woman kept marrying and getting divorced until at last she settled on a spouse. Her sign was that she would refuse to uncover her head, until she met her final spouse then she cast off her staff, ie, her headscarf.
More examples of this proverb being used to indicate happiness as a reaction to something can be seen in the following dictional sources:
Al-Muhkam wal-Muhit, vol. 2, pg. 215 by Ali b. Isma'il b. Sayyida.
Kitab Zahr al-Akmi, vol. 3, pg. 74 - 75 by al-Hasan b. al-Yusi.
Hayat al-Hayawan, vol 1, pg. 17 by al-Darimi.
Nihayat al-Ereb, vol. 5, pg. 59 by al-Nuwayri.
Report 2: Aisha prostrated gratitude for his death
In a second instance, we find Aisha performing Sajdat ash-Shukr (a prostration of thanks) upon receiving news of the death of Ali (ʿalayhi as-salām). This can be read from Allamah Abu al-Faraj al-Asbahani's work, Maqatil al-Talibiyyin, pg. 25-26:
حدثني محمد بن الحسين الأشناني ، قال : حدثنا أحمد بن حازم قال : حدثنا عاصم بن عامر وعثمان بن أبي شيبة ، قالا : حدثنا جرير عن الأعمش عن عمرو إبن مرة عن أبي البختري قال :
لما أن جاء عائشة قتل علي ع سجدت.
Narrated Muhammad b. al-Husayn al-Ashnani from Ahmed b. Hazim from ‘Asim b. Amir and Uthman b. Abi Shaybah who both narrated from Jarir, from al-'Amash from Amru b. Murrah from Abu al-Bakhtari said:
When the news of Ali's (ʿalayhi as-salām) killing reached Aisha, she performed a prostration.
As indicated by the links above, the chain is hasan, as some of the narrators are al-Saduq but none of them are weak. The author of the work, Abu al-Faraj, is a well-known and reliable historian. We read regarding him in al-Dhahabi’s Siyar A'lam Al Nubala Vol 16, pg. 201 - 203:
العلامة الأخباري أبو الفرج علي بن الحسين بن محمد القرشي الأموي الأصبهاني الكاتب ، مصنف كتاب " الأغاني "... قلت: لا بأس به
The eminent Hadith scholar Abū al-Faraj ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn Muḥammad al-Qurashī al-Umawī al-Iṣbahānī, the author of the book al-Aghānī... I say: there is no issue with him.
Al-Dhahabi also recorded about him in Mizan al-I’tidal Vol 5, pg. 151 - 152:
فكتب مالا يوصف كثرة حتى لقد اتهم. والظاهر أنه صدوق… قال العلوي وكان أبو الحسن البتى يقول: لم يكن أحد أوثق من أبي الفرج الأصبهاني.
He wrote an indescribably large amount, to the point that he was accused [of fabrication]. However, it appears that he was truthful. Al-ʿAlawī said: Abū al-Ḥasan al-Battī used to say, “There was no one more reliable than Abū al-Faraj al-Iṣbahānī.”
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani also quoted al-Dhahabi’s verdict in Lisan al-Mizan, vol 5, pg. 526 - 527 and did not voice any disagreement with him. He also added:
وقد روى الدارقطني في غرائب مالك عدة أحاديث عن أبي الفرج الأصبهاني ولم يتعرض له …
Al-Dāraqutnī narrated several aḥādīth in Gharāʾib Mālik through Abū al-Faraj al-Iṣbahānī without making any critical remarks about him.
In conclusion, we have presented multiple reports indicating that Aisha recited celebratory verses upon receiving news of the death of Imam Ali (ʿalayhi as-salām), including an authentic narration stating that she performed a prostration of gratitude. These accounts clearly demonstrate that her enmity toward Imam Ali (ʿalayhi as-salām) persisted until the end of his life. We leave it to the reader to reflect on what this reveals about her character and position.
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