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In Jamila Ahmed's Every Rising Sun, Shaherazade remembers a story from the life of A'isha, third wife of the Prophet Muhammad. While traveling with her husband, she was separated from the group and became lost in the desert. Another man found her and helped her back to Medina, but she was unjustly accused of adultery as a result. Her name was only cleared due to a holy revelation. When Shaherazade finds herself in a similar situation, she defends herself by quoting a verse from the Quran that references A'isha's exoneration.
A'isha bint Abu Bakr was born in Mecca in the early 600s CE. Her father, Abu Bakr, was a friend and supporter of the Prophet Muhammad. She was betrothed and married to the Prophet at a young age, possibly as young as nine or as old as eighteen. She is believed to have been one of his favorite wives, perhaps second only to his first wife, Khadija bint Khuwaylid, who died before A'isha's marriage. Muhammad died in 632, leaving A&#...
