Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states: “It is not correct to state that the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were not allowed to go out of their homes; they were simply told to observe the rules of modesty. The verse you have referred to can never be taken literally as an order to stick to the house. That is not the way it was understood or practised. It is well known that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) allowed his wives to go out whenever they had need to do so; they also accompanied him in his expeditions and trips for `Umrah and Hajj. After his death, the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also set out for Hajj and `Umrah as a group.
as for `A’isha’s role in the civil war she herself regretted it later as is reported in authentic sources. Her regrets were not related to her stepping out of the home; it was rather in regards to her decision to fight `Ali; it was simply based on a misunderstanding on her part with respect to his alleged role in harboring the assassins of the Caliph `Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him).
`A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was never martyred; she died at a ripe old age of over seventy; and she was buried in jannatul baqi` as per her own instructions before death. May Allah shower the Prophet, his family and Companions with infinite blessings and may He inculcate in our hearts true love for them; and may He inspire us to emulate their beautiful examples-ameen.”