❖ Source: Extracted from the book Aḥkām wa Masā’il: Kitāb wa Sunnat kī Roshnī Mein by Shaykh Mubashshir Ahmad Rabbānī
It is written in the book Tārīkh Ḥabīb al-Siyar (Part 3, Volume 1, p. 58), considered by some to be from the Ahl al-Sunnah, that:
“It is stated in Rabīʿ al-Abrār and Kāmil al-Safīnah that in 57 AH, Muʿāwiyah came to Madinah to take allegiance (bayʿah) for Yazīd. He caused pain to Ḥusayn, ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Bakr, and ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Zubayr regarding the bayʿah to Yazīd. It is said that Sayyidah ʿĀʾishah spoke against this act.
Muʿāwiyah allegedly had a well dug in a relative’s house, covered it with grass, placed an ebony chair over it, and invited ʿĀʾishah to sit on it. As soon as she sat, she fell into the well, and Muʿāwiyah sealed it and left for Makkah.”
Was the death of ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها really like this, or did she pass away naturally? What is the correct view?
These books (Rabīʿ al-Abrār and Kāmil al-Safīnah) hold no credibility. Their authors are unknown, and the Ahl al-Sunnah do not accept them as reliable sources.
We do not know whether the authors were Sunnis, Shias, Kharijites, or Muʿtazilites. Their time, place, and scholarly credibility are all unknown. No evaluation (taʿdīl or jarḥ) of these authors exists from the scholars of ḥadīth.
Hence, the statements of such unknown authors have no weight in Islamic scholarship.
The scholars of ḥadīth require an authentic chain of transmission (isnād) for a narration to be accepted.
Imām ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak رحمه الله said:
الإسناد عندي من الدين، ولولا الإسناد لقال من شاء ما شاء، ولكن إذا قيل له: من حدثك؟ بقي
“Isnād is part of the religion. Without isnād, anyone could say whatever they wanted. But when he is asked: ‘Who narrated to you?’ — he remains silent.”
Kitāb al-ʿIlal attached to Sunan al-Tirmidhī, p. 890
Muqaddimah Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, p. 32
al-Isnād min al-Dīn, p. 17
Imām al-Zuhrī رحمه الله once rebuked a weak narrator who frequently said, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said…” without isnād:
قاتلك الله يا ابن أبي فروة! ما أجرأك على الله! لا تسند حديثك! تحدثنا بأحاديث ليس لها خطم ولا أزمة!
“May Allah destroy you, O Ibn Abī Furwah! How daring you are against Allah! You do not provide isnād for your narrations. You narrate ḥadīths that have neither reins nor bridles!”
al-Isnād min al-Dīn, p. 18
Kitāb al-ʿIlal, p. 897
A bridle and rein guide a camel. Likewise, isnād guides and authenticates a narration. A camel without reins is wild and uncontrollable—similarly, a narration without isnād is unreliable and unacceptable.
The story is historically inaccurate.
How can someone who died in 53 AH reappear in 57 AH to refuse bayʿah?
This proves the fabricated nature of the entire story.
The authentic account of Sayyidah ʿĀʾishah’s death is as follows:
Her janāzah (funeral prayer) was led by Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه.
Those who entered her grave were:
See: Sīrat ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها, pp. 153–155
Usud al-Ghābah 7/189
al-Kamāl fī Asmāʾ al-Rijāl, p. 612
al-Iṣābah 8/235
al-Istīʿāb 4/438–439
Ṭabaqāt Ibn Saʿd 8/62
Sayyidah ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها passed away a natural death, not by any conspiracy or plotted murder. She was buried at night after ʿIshāʾ prayer, in al-Baqīʿ, by her close relatives.
The story mentioned in the question is a baseless fabrication, originating from unknown sources. It is a tale invented by the enemies of the Companions and has no place in Islamic history or scholarship.
No intelligent, informed Muslim should accept such fiction as fact.
❖ Question:
It is written in the book Tārīkh Ḥabīb al-Siyar (Part 3, Volume 1, p. 58), considered by some to be from the Ahl al-Sunnah, that:
“It is stated in Rabīʿ al-Abrār and Kāmil al-Safīnah that in 57 AH, Muʿāwiyah came to Madinah to take allegiance (bayʿah) for Yazīd. He caused pain to Ḥusayn, ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Bakr, and ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Zubayr regarding the bayʿah to Yazīd. It is said that Sayyidah ʿĀʾishah spoke against this act.
Muʿāwiyah allegedly had a well dug in a relative’s house, covered it with grass, placed an ebony chair over it, and invited ʿĀʾishah to sit on it. As soon as she sat, she fell into the well, and Muʿāwiyah sealed it and left for Makkah.”
Was the death of ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها really like this, or did she pass away naturally? What is the correct view?
❖ Answer:
① Firstly:
These books (Rabīʿ al-Abrār and Kāmil al-Safīnah) hold no credibility. Their authors are unknown, and the Ahl al-Sunnah do not accept them as reliable sources.
We do not know whether the authors were Sunnis, Shias, Kharijites, or Muʿtazilites. Their time, place, and scholarly credibility are all unknown. No evaluation (taʿdīl or jarḥ) of these authors exists from the scholars of ḥadīth.
Hence, the statements of such unknown authors have no weight in Islamic scholarship.
The scholars of ḥadīth require an authentic chain of transmission (isnād) for a narration to be accepted.
Imām ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak رحمه الله said:
الإسناد عندي من الدين، ولولا الإسناد لقال من شاء ما شاء، ولكن إذا قيل له: من حدثك؟ بقي
“Isnād is part of the religion. Without isnād, anyone could say whatever they wanted. But when he is asked: ‘Who narrated to you?’ — he remains silent.”
Kitāb al-ʿIlal attached to Sunan al-Tirmidhī, p. 890 Muqaddimah Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, p. 32 al-Isnād min al-Dīn, p. 17Imām al-Zuhrī رحمه الله once rebuked a weak narrator who frequently said, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said…” without isnād:
قاتلك الله يا ابن أبي فروة! ما أجرأك على الله! لا تسند حديثك! تحدثنا بأحاديث ليس لها خطم ولا أزمة!
“May Allah destroy you, O Ibn Abī Furwah! How daring you are against Allah! You do not provide isnād for your narrations. You narrate ḥadīths that have neither reins nor bridles!”
al-Isnād min al-Dīn, p. 18 Kitāb al-ʿIlal, p. 897A bridle and rein guide a camel. Likewise, isnād guides and authenticates a narration. A camel without reins is wild and uncontrollable—similarly, a narration without isnād is unreliable and unacceptable.
② Secondly:
The story is historically inaccurate.
- The pledge for Yazīd's succession was taken in 52 AH.
- ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Bakr رضي الله عنه—one of the individuals named in the story—died in 53 AH, as confirmed by:
- al-Kamāl fī Asmāʾ al-Rijāl by al-Khaṭīb al-Tabrīzī (p. 603)
- Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb (p. 199)
- al-Kāshif by al-Dhahabī (1/622)
- Khulāṣah al-Khazrajī (2/126)
How can someone who died in 53 AH reappear in 57 AH to refuse bayʿah?
This proves the fabricated nature of the entire story.
③ Thirdly:
The authentic account of Sayyidah ʿĀʾishah’s death is as follows:
- Her illness occurred during the last days of Muʿāwiyah’s caliphate, at the age of 67.
- She became ill in Ramadan, 57 AH, and remained ill for a few days.
- When asked how she was feeling, she replied, “I am well.”
- To those who gave her glad tidings, she would say:
“I wish I were a rock or a plant in the wilderness.”
- She instructed that she be buried at night in al-Baqīʿ al-Gharqad.
Her janāzah (funeral prayer) was led by Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه.
Those who entered her grave were:
- ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Zubayr
- ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr
- al-Qāsim ibn Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr
- ʿAbdullāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr
- ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Bakr
See: Sīrat ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها, pp. 153–155 Usud al-Ghābah 7/189 al-Kamāl fī Asmāʾ al-Rijāl, p. 612 al-Iṣābah 8/235 al-Istīʿāb 4/438–439 Ṭabaqāt Ibn Saʿd 8/62
Conclusion:
Sayyidah ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها passed away a natural death, not by any conspiracy or plotted murder. She was buried at night after ʿIshāʾ prayer, in al-Baqīʿ, by her close relatives.
The story mentioned in the question is a baseless fabrication, originating from unknown sources. It is a tale invented by the enemies of the Companions and has no place in Islamic history or scholarship.No intelligent, informed Muslim should accept such fiction as fact.
