A’ishah(ra) was the favourite daughter of one of the closest friends, Companion and associates of the Prophet(pbuh), Abu Bakr Siddique. Several Ayat of the Noble Qur’an which were revealed were associated with her, and she was justifiably proud of this honor. She was in an enviable position among the Mothers of the believers. In that she was considered the foremost among them. Allah had chosen her Himself in the heavens as a bride for Muhammad(pbuh), a portrait of hers, wrapped in silk, was brought to him in his dream by the Angel Jibril. He told him that he was to marry her, and she would be his consort in the life hereafter as well.
She had a brilliant mind and a remarkable memory; and the distinction of being the source of the most Ahadith because of her long association with Muhammad(pbuh)- Her knowledge of the many branches of religion like Fiqh and Shari’ah, her wisdom in interpretation, her mastery of the teachings of the Prophet(pbuh) her trustworthiness and integrity – all these qualities made her one of the most remarkable personalities of the time. She was very tender-hearted and no needy person left her house empty- handed. The Angel Jibril personally greeted her. During her lifetime the Prophet gave her the wonderful news that she earned a place for herself in Paradise. It was while resting in her lap that the Prophet(pbuh) passed away, and it was her apartment that became his final resting- place. Angels surrounded her apartment even during her lifetime and for all time the blessings of Allah will be showered on it, since as it is in the centre of the sanctuary at Al-Madinah.
She said that there were nine blessings of Allah which distinguished her from all other women in the world except Maryam bint ‘Imran,
the mother of ‘Isa
1. The Angel Jibril had presented her portrait wraped in green silk to
Muhammad(pbuh) and told him that this was the picture of the lady chosen by Allah & to be his consort both in this world and the next.
2. She was the only virgin to have become the wife of the Prophet(pbuh)-
3. When the Prophet(pbuh) passed away, he was resting in her lap and was buried in her apartment.
4. Many times angels encircled her apartment with love and respect.
5. Very often divine revelation would come to Muhammad when they were lying together resting in peace and tranquillity.
6. She was the daughter of the loyal and true friend of the Prophet(pbuh), Abu Bakr Siddique
7. Ayat acquitting her of any wrongdoing had descended from the heavens from Allah proving her innocence.
8. She was born a Muslim and had been brought up in a pure environment, and spent her formative years with the purest and best of creatures, the Prophet(pbuh).
9. Allah, the Lord, the Sustainer of the Universe promised her Divine Forgiveness and abundant bounties.
‘Aishah(ra) had claims to noble birth from both sides of the family. Her mother was Umm Roman and her father was Abu Bakr Siddique. Umm Roman earlier married ‘Abdullah Azdi and had a son by him named ‘Abdur-Rahman. ‘Aishah ‘(ra)was bom in 614 CE. Her father Abu Bakr Siddique is mentioned in the Noble Qur’an in glowing terms. He was a pure God fearing man, the foremost and staunchest supporter of the Prophet(pbuh) whom he loved dearly, even more than his life, and thus ‘Aishah’s cradle was the cradle of Islam. Abu Bakr Siddique had the honor of being buried next to his beloved leader and Prophet(pbuh) in the sanctuary of Al-Madinah. He will enter Paradise in the company of the Prophet(pbuh).
‘Aishah’s favorite passtimes as a girl were swinging and playing with dolls. Once on a visit to her father, Muhammad(pbuh) saw her playing with a winged horse; she was barely five years old at the time. He asked her what it was; she replied it was a horse. He smiled and answered that horses did not have wings! She promptly retorted that the Prophet Sulaiman(pbuh) had winged horses! This incident reveals several things about her – she was intelligent, quick-witted, well-informed on religious and historical matters – and at such a tender age! She had a memory like a computer, which never seemed to fail her. She hardly ever forgot something once she heard it. At the time of Hijrah, (migration) of the Prophet(pbuh) to Al-Madinah, she was barely eight years old, yet she remembered years later even minor details about that historic and momentous move, when the first Islamic state was on the rise.
She was barely nine years of age when she joined the household of the Prophet. This was the time when he was grief stricken by the loss of his loving and supportive wife Khadijah . Both she and his uncle Abu Talib, had protected him against the most powerful chieftains of the two foremost tribes of Arabia. With their deaths he felt lonely and isolated. Then, he and his faithful followers faced the cruelest religious prosecution seen in history.
When ‘Aishah(ra) joined his household in Al-Madinah, she did not find herself in a royal mansion. A number of small rooms were constructed in the locality of Bani Najjar, around the Prophet’s Mosque, and she occupied one of these, located on the eastern side of the Mosque. It was about six feet wide, had earthen walls and the roof was of leaves and twigs. To prevent the rain water from seeping in the roof was covered with a blanket. The roof was so low that a person standing upright could touch the roof. There was a single shuttered door, which was never closed; a blanket served as a curtain. Close to the room, on a slightly higher level was another small room, which Muhammad(pbuh) occupied on the one occasion when he had boycotted the Mothers of the believers. A mat, a thin mattress, a pillow filled with the bark of trees, a leather water bag, a small plate for dates and a glass for drinking water were all the things in the room. There were none of the signs of worldly wealth and pomp, but this little room was filled with spiritual treasures
The Prophet liked the lack of riches and material comforts; he often prayed that he should live and die in poverty, and be reborn on the Day of Judgment in the company of the poor and the needy.
Bilal was incharge of the arrangements and provided for the needs of the families of the Prophet. It was he who used to distribute the annual supply of grain. At times it became necessary to even borrow money in order to fulfill their needs. When the whole of Arabia was under the authority of Islam, huge quantities of grain and cash flowed into the central treasurey. But on the day that Muhammad passed away, there was not even food for a single day in his household. ‘Aishah(ra) maintained this tradition of generosity and liberality right up to her last days. During the days of prosperity, abundant riches arrived daily, but she always distributed them among the needy by the time evening fell. The most outstanding trait of her character was her innate magnanimity and benevolence. Her generosity was now well-known, and no beggar left her door empty-handed.
‘Abdullah bin Zubair mentioned that ‘Aishah(ra) and her sister, Asma’ were both very large-hearted and benevolent. They spent all that they would receive in the Name of Allah(swt). The only difference between them was that ‘Aishah(ra) would collect a sizable amount gradually and then give it away in charity; Asma’ on the other hand, would give what ever she had in hand. In fact she would even fall into debt to help someone in need. When asked why she took on debts unhesitatingly, she replied that if a person had every intention of repaying the debt, Allah(swt) would help him or her. She added she was looking for His Mercy and Help.
On one occasion, at one sitting, ‘Aishah gave away 70,000 Dirhams in charity for Allah(swt) and got up showing her empty handkerchief to the people seated there. One evening she received Dirhams 1,00,000 from Amir Mu’awiyah who was in Syria and by nightfall the entire sum had gone to charity. Her maid reminded her that she was fasting and she should have kept something for herself. She asked her why she had not reminded her earlier. On another occasion,’Abdullah bin Zubair sent her 1,00,000 Dirhams, and similarly they were also given away as early as possible.
One day she was fasting and a beggar came to her apartment and asked for some food. She told her maid to give the lady the piece of bread they had. The maid answered that there was nothing else with which she could break her fast. ‘Aishah ^answered curtly that she should help the hungry woman and the evening would take care of itself. By the evening someone sent her a dish of cooked meat; she said to the maid that Allah(swt) had provided her with something even better than what she had given away. She owned a house which she sold to Mu’awiyah and gave away all the money in charity.
She loved her sister’s son, ‘Abdullah bin Zubair, very deeply. He in turn loved her very much and always looked after her needs. On one occasion he remarked that her generosity needed to be restrained. ‘Aishah(ra) was very upset and angry when she heard this; she swore she would never to talk to him. She asked who on earth thought that he could stop her from spending in the way of Allah(swt). She asked how he could even dare to say such a thing. And finally, when she calmed down and made up with him, she freed several slaves as penance for breaking her oath.
To be continued..
LIFE 