The Aisha Prophecy
Reader comment on item: Bibliography – My Writings on Moderate Muslims
in response to reader comment: The Aisha Prophecy

Submitted by Rada (United States), Jul 30, 2007 at 11:24

Is Aisha, the warrior wife of the Prophet (pbuh,) to be reborn as the champion of Muslim women?
Is she the long awaited Mahdi, but a female Mahdi?
Is she…well…a Muslim version of Joan of Arc?
Is she the much needed Muslim version of a Martin Luther?
Has it already happened?
Is she already here?

Here's what I've been able to find out.
It's an early 12th century prophecy by a Berber chieftain and mystic named Muhammed ibn Tumart. It's only recently been discovered by a scholar visiting Morocco on a Fulbright grant. Has it been suppressed all this time or simply lost in the archives of the Hassan Mosque in Rabat? No one's sure.

Is the document genuine? Yes. No question. It's written on vellum in the same hand as many other extant writings of ibn Tumart. Does it really refer to that Aisha, the favorite wife of the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) even though it does not say her name? Again, no question. It refers to her as The Lady of the Camel after The Battle of the Camel in which she led an army against those who tried to corrupt her husband's teachings.

Here is the text of the prophecy.

"The Lady of the Camel will come, born again, to show men that they have fallen into error. She comes to raise up the women of Islam. She comes to teach and she comes to bring justice. It is not revealed when, but she will come. She will be of the East, but turn your eyes to the West because that is where her banner will unfurl. She will have grown up among you, dressed in white, pure of heart, until the day when she reaches full womanhood. The flame-haired angel, Qaila, sent to guide her and protect her, will, on that day, reveal to her that she is the Lady of the Camel reborn. She will know that it is true and she will come. She will speak to all nations with words writ on wind. Her words will ride the lightning. They will be as shooting stars. And the angel, Qaila, will be with her, sword in hand. Woe to those who would deny the truth of her words. Woe to those who would silence her. Woe to those who would slay her. The angel, Qaila, will send them to hell."

Several more "Woe to those" admonitions were found in the same sheaf, but these seem to have been added later, perhaps by one of ibn Tumart's wives. They reflect a lot of anger over how the rights of women, as championed by the Prophet (pbuh) himself, had been chipped away in the decades after his death. Ibn Tumart, by the way, was very much a protector of those rights. As was Aisha in life.

Note some of the language of the prophecy. It almost seems to foretell the Internet.
"She will speak to all nations with words writ on wind. They will ride the lightning. They will be as shooting stars." Maybe the internet is all she's been waiting for. Or maybe not. But it's fun to wonder. Look how this thing is spreading already.

The angel Qaila is a new one. No one's been able to find any reference to her elsewhere. Is Qaila female? One suspects so. One likes to hope so. But the text isn't clear.

At least one blogger has claimed that she's already come and that her "handmaidens" are now gathering around her. True? Maybe not. But who knows? Another blogger, however, has made a good point. She's written, "If it isn't true, it ought to be true.
Maybe it will take the women of Islam to stand up with one voice and end all this madness."

"The women of Islam?" Amend that. My Christian and Jewish friends have commented as well. They say that this is a feminist issue that goes well beyond any religious belief.

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.