Aisha’s Derivation of Islamic Rulings

sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam bayna amrayn illa akhadha aysarahuma—“Whenever the Messenger of God was given a choice between two matters, he would choose the easier of the two.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 3560) In this narration, Aisha al-Siddiqah describes the general policy of the Prophet of Islam. In practical life, his consistent method was that whenever he had to choose between two possible courses, he would leave the harder option and adopt the easier one. This point about the Prophet’s general policy is so profound that it could be understood only through long companionship, and only by someone possessing exceptional intelligence. No saying of the Prophet of Islam has been reported in exactly these words as a formal principle from his own lips. Yet there is no doubt that this principle is reflected throughout his life. It is therefore of great importance in understanding the life and character of the Prophet. For example, when the Prophet began his mission of Tawheed, or monotheism, in Makkah, one possible course was to destroy the 360 idols placed in the Kaaba, the centre of Islam. But instead of directly confronting the issue of the idols, he began his mission with peaceful communication of the message. This was clearly an instance of choosing the easier option rather than the harder one.