Aisha Bint Abu Bakr   

    It was reported that she was one of the greatest jurists among the companions, one of the foremost authorities on Hadith and Sunnah, and the first female jurist in Islam. She was the wife of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and the daughter of his Caliph. She is Lady Aisha Bint Abu Bakr, born in Makkah, three or four years after the Prophet’s mission. She was intelligent, brilliant, and well-informed. She had an excellent memory that rarely failed her, and she hardly ever forgot anything she heard. Her memory served her well in transmitting the prophetic hadiths to Muslims. She was distinguished by her unique narrations of Prophetic traditions that were not narrated by other Companions.

    The eminent scholar Az-Zmakhshari compiled all the prophetic traditions which Lady Aisha alone had narrated in a valuable book titled “al Ijabah fi Ma Istadrakathu Aisha ‘ala al Sahabah” or the collection of what Aisha has added and was missing by the companions”. The jurists of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad used to ask her advice on dilemmas, and they received sound answers from her. Masruq ibn al-Ajda, a great tabi’i (follower), jurist and muĥaddith, said ”By Him in whose hand my soul is, I saw the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) came to ask her about the obligatory acts.”

Also, Urwah ibn Az-Zubayr said of her:

”I did not see a greater scholar than Aisha in the knowledge of the Qur’an, obligatory duties, what is lawful and unlawful, poetry, literature, Arab history, and genealogy.”

Her Marriage to the prophet muhammad

     Lady Aisha Bint Abu Bakr is the Prophet Muhammad’s (ﷺ) third wife. She married him (ﷺ) in the month of Shawwal, after the battle of Badr. Their marriage lasted for about eight years until the Prophet Muhammad  (ﷺ) passed away. During the sickness of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), he repeatedly asked, “Where am I today? Where will I be tomorrow?”. I was eagerly waiting for my turn. Then, when my turn came, Allah took his soul while he was resting between my chest and arms, and he was buried in my house.

The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said:

”The superiority of Aishah over other women is like the superiority of Tharid to other kinds of food.”

      The marriage of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) to lady Aisha was based on a divine command as lady Aisha narrated that angel Gabriel came to Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) carrying a green silk cloth with her image on it and said:

“This is your wife in this world and in the hereafter”.

 

Lady A’isha’s Marriage Proposal

The story of the marriage of Lady Aisha started after the death of lady Khadeejah, the prophet’s first wife and the mother of his children. Khawlah Bint Hakim, the wife of ‘Uthman ibn Madh’un, came to the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and suggested to him to marry lady Aisha. She described her as the daughter of the person most beloved to the Prophet Muhammad. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) in turn agreed and asked her to mention the prophet’s marriage proposal to Abu Bakr and his wife, Um Ruman.

    Khawlah went over to Abu Bakr’s house and said to Um Ruman:
”What do you think of the blessings and bounties that Allah may grant you?”

Um Ruman replied, ”And what would that be?”

Khawlah said in response:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent me over to offer you his marriage proposal to Aisha”.

So Khawlah asked her to wait till Abu Bakr comes over. When Abu Bakr heard about the Prophet’s marriage proposal he said:

“And would she be lawful to him and he is my brother?”.

So Khawlah went back asking the Prophet and he replied:
“We are brothers in Islam and your daughter is lawful to me”.

When Abu Bakr received confirmation from the Prophet (ﷺ), he went to Mut’im ibn ‘Adiyy, whose son had previously been proposed to Aisha and to whom she was about to be betrothed.

    Abu Bakr was a man of his promise so he went over to Mut’am house asking him if he still wanted to marry off his son to Aisha. So the wife of Mut’am said ” O Abu Bakr you might want to lead our son to your religion if he got married to your daughter”. So Abu Bakr looked at Mut’am and asked him “Do you concur with what she says?” and Mut’am affirmed her opinion. Abu Bakr left Mut’im’s house reassured that he had kept his promise and that his daughter was no longer bound by the proposed engagement to Mut’im’s son.

   Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) married her when she was six years old, and she was admitted to his house when she was nine years old.

Lady Aisha reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

”I saw you in a dream for three nights when an angel brought you to me in a silk cloth and he said: Here is your wife, and when I removed (the cloth) from your face, it was yourself, so I said: If this is from Allah, let Him carry it out. It was narrated that Anas said: “It was said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, which of the people is most beloved to you?’ He said: “Aisha.’ It was asked, ‘And among men?’ He said: ‘Her father.”

The Death of Lady A’isha

Lady Aisha (RA) passed away in Madinah in 58 AH, at the age of approximately sixty-six. She spent the final years of her life teaching the Quran, Hadith, and Islamic knowledge to the Muslims. She was buried in Al-Baqi Cemetery in Madinah, leaving behind a remarkable legacy of knowledge, wisdom, and devotion to Allah. Lady Aisha was an example to all women, for her modesty, her extensive knowledge, and her strong Eman.