Tabaqat of Ibn Sa'd 8/67...

Tabaqat of Ibn Sa'd 8/67, al-Ijabah 71 and 75, Kanz 7/116, selections of Kanz 5/118, al-Isabah 4/349, at- Tabari 4/161, Ibn Kathir 2/247, al-Mustadrak 4/8, description of Nahj al-balaghah 3/154, al-Baladhuri 454-455 2-'A'ishah goes on Hajj pilgrimage 'Umar, the ruler of the time, gave priority to her, referred to her for verdicts and information about the Prophet's traditions, and showed great respect to her in public, and higher dignity to her position, and fixed a higher share of salary for her than for other wives of the Prophet.

Nevertheless he prevented her and other ladies of the Prophet from leaving Medina even for a pilgrimage to Mecca. His policy was, not to allow some particular figures and higher companions of the Prophet to leave Medina at all. So when az-Zubayr asked permission to take part in the war, 'Umar said97: "No!

I cannot agree; for, I fear that the Prophet's friends might mix up with the people and cause their deviation."98 But at the end of his life, 'Umar changed his mind about preventing the exit of the Prophet's ladies from Medina. Ibn Sa'd's Tabaqat describes this matter as follows: " 'Umar ibn al-Khattab checked the Prophet's wives from leaving Medina even on a pilgrimage.

But in the 23rd year after Hijrah when he undertook his last Hajj pilgrimage (since it was in the same year that he died after his return from the pilgrimage) all the Prophet's wives except Zaynab and Sudah asked 'Umar's permission to leave Medina for Hajj pilgrimage.

After the Prophet's death, Zaynab and Sudah never left their house or Medina even for Hajj pilgrimage, and said: "After his departure no camel will serve as our carrier," meaning that they would never travel again.99 Sudah said: "I have performed my Hajj pilgrimage in the Prophet's time, and now I stay at home by God's order." Anyhow, 'Umar agreed to the request of the Prophet's wives and ordered to prepare camel-litters for them with green covers so that the ladies would remain hidden from men's eyes.

Then he entrusted their super-vision to 'Abd ar- Rahman 'Awf100 and 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, issued the necessary orders, and made arrangement for their departure from Medina to Mecca. and 449, al-Ahkam as-sultaniyah of al-Mawardi 222. It was the caliph's policy to show that 'A'ishah was greatly loved by the Prophet, while this was not true and the people knew it even in those very days. 97. Ibn Abi al-Hadid 4/457, History of al-Khatib al-Baghdadi 7/453. What was 'Umar afraid of?