Ayshah bint Abu Bakr

'Ayshah was born in 614 CE, she had claims to
noble birth from both sides of the family. Her
mother was Umm Roman and her father was Abu
Bakr As-Siddiq.
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 'Issa.
The Angel Jibril had presented her portrait wrapped
in green silk to Muhammad (peace and blessings
be upon him) 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.
She was the only virgin to have become the wife of
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
When the Prophet passed away, he was resting in
her lap and was buried in her apartment.
Many times angels encircled her apartment with
love and respect.
Very often divine revelation would come to
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)
when they were lying together resting in peace and
tranquility.
She was the daughter of a true friend of the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu
Bakr As-Siddiq.
Ayat had descended from the heavens from Allah
proving her innocence.
She was born a Muslim and had been brought up
in a pure environment, and spent her formative
years with the best of creatures, the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him).
Allah, the Lord, the Sustainer of the Universe
promised her Divine Forgiveness and abundant
bounties.
As a girl she used to play with dolls, Once
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)
visited her father, he saw her playing with a
winged horse; she was barely five years old at the
time. When he inquired she said it's a horse. He
smiled and answered that horses didn't have
wings! She promptly retorted that the Prophet
Sulaiman had winged horses, which showed even
at this tender age she was intelligent on religious
and historical matters. At the age of 8 years, she
experienced an historic move, when the first
Islamic state was on rise, she was able to recall all
the minor details. Next year she joined the
household of the Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him).
Small rooms were constructed around the
Prophet's Mosque, and Ayshah occupied one of
these, on the eastern side of the Mosque it had
earthen walls with a roof made of leaves and twigs.
It was covered with a blanket to prevent rainwater
from seeping through and the roof was so low that
a person standing upright could touch it. The door
never closed and a blanket hung as curtain. Close
to the room, on a slightly higher level was another
small room. A mat, a thin mattress, a pillow filled
with the bark of trees, a water bag, a small plate
for dates and a glass for drinking water were all
the things in the room. This sparse little room was
filled with spiritual treasures.
When the whole of Arabia was under authority of
Islam, huge quantities of grain and cash flowed
into the central treasury. But on the day that
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)
passed away, there was not even food for a single
day in his household. Ayshah maintained this
tradition up to her last days.
Ayshah was very charitable, all money that came
her way was given away as soon as possible One
day a beggar came to her and asked for 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.
'Ayshah said help the hungry woman and the
evening would take care of itself. By the blessings
of Allah in the evening someone sent her a dish of
cooked meat; She also sold the house she owned
to give the price in charity.
She loved her sister's son, 'Abdullah bin Zubayr,
very deeply. He loved her and always looked after
her needs. Once he remarked that her generosity
needed to be restrained. 'A'ishah was upset when
she heard this; she swore she would never to talk
to him. Finally, when she calmed down and made
up with him, she freed several slaves as penance
for breaking her oath.
'Ayshah was soft-hearted. On one occasion when a
beggar carrying two children came to her door;
Ayshah had only three dates in the house. These
she gave her; the woman gave one each to the
children and started eating one herself. One of the
children ate his share quickly and started looking
at his mother eating her date. The woman could
not bear her child's hunger and took the date from
her mouth, broke it into two halves, and gave a
piece to each of the children. When 'Ayshah saw
this heart-rending scene she could not control her
tears.
In the month of Sha'ban, Ayshah accompanied
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)
who led the Muslim army towards Qadid, where a
minor battle started with tribe of Banu Mustalaq.
Several hypocrites were also part of the army
during this particular battle. She had borrowed a
necklace from her sister Asma'. On the way back
the army camped in the desert, and Ayshah went
far into desert to relieve herself. Suddenly she
realized that the necklace dropped along the way.
She found it after a long search. When she reached
the site, the caravan had left, the normal procedure
was that the ladies, who were segregated from the
men folk, would get into their litter and draw the
curtains. Then the camel drivers would place the
litter on the camel's back. Since 'Ayshah was very
light no one realized her absence. She lay down,
waiting for her companions to return.
Safwan bin Mu'attil had the responsibility of
checking the camp site for things which might have
been left behind, at daybreak he arrived to find
someone lying down in a Jilbab. When 'Ayshah
heard him she woke up, and got on to the camel.
He then walked leading the camel by the bridle.
At noon when the caravan had just reached the
next camp site to rest, they saw 'Ayshah arriving
with Safwan. Madinah was flooded by loose talk
that 'Ayshah was a loose woman and her
character was suspect, led by 'Abdullah bin Ubayy
bin Salul. Hasan bin Thabit, Hamnah bint Jahash,
and Mastah bin Athathah who joined the
hypocrites. The Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) was extremely disturbed when he heard
this talk, but 'Ayshah was blissfully ignorant of all
this.
One night when she went out with the mother of
Mastah bin Athathah. The lady tripped and started
cursing her son. 'Ayshah said that he was a
Companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) who fought in the Battle of Badr and
deserved respect. The old lady retorted that
'Ayshah was ignorant of the fact that he was
involved in an awful plot; she revealed what had
been taking place behind her back. On returning
home, she took the permission of Muhammad
(peace and blessings be upon him), and went to
visit her parents. She was heartbroken, her
sympathetic and loving parents advised her to be
patient and everything would be cleared up. But
she could not accept the fact that people could
descend to such cruel depths. After two days and
nights of continuous weeping she fell ill.
On the third morning, the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) came to see her. He told
her very gently that if she erred she should ask
Allah for His forgiveness. She said to her husband
that if she denied she was guilty, nobody would
believe her; but she was innocent and only Allah
knew it. The best answer to these accusations was
to quote the answer of the father of Yusuf,
"So (for me) patience is most fitting. And it is
Allah Whose help can be sought against that (lie)
which you describe." [Noble Quran 12:18]
At precisely this moment, the Ayat announcing her
innocence were revealed. When the revelation
ended he then turned to 'Ayshah with a smile and
started reciting the Ayat,
"Verily, those who brought forth the slander are a
group among you. Consider it not a bad thing for
you. Nay, it is good for you. Unto every man
among them will be paid that which he earned of
the sin, and as for him among them who had the
greater share therein, his will be a great torment.
Why then, did not the believers, men and women,
when you heard it (the slander), think good of their
own people and say: "This (charge) is an obvious
lie?" Why did they not produce four witnesses?
Since they (the slanderers) have not produced
witnesses! Then with Allah they are the liars. Had
it not been for the Grace of Allah and His Mercy
unto you in this world and in the Hereafter, a great
torment would have touched you for that whereof
you had spoken. When you were propagating it
with your tongues, and uttering with your mouths
that whereof you had no knowledge, you counted it
a little thing, while with Allah it was very great.
And why did you not, when you heard it, say: "It is
not right for us to speak of this. Glory be to You
(O Allah)! This is a great lie." Allah forbids you
from it and warns you not to repeat the like of it
forever, if you are believers. And Allah makes the
Ayat plain to you, and Allah is All-Knowing, All-
Wise. Verily, those who like that (the crime of)
illegal sexual intercourse should be propagated
among those who believe, they will have a painful
torment in this world and in the Hereafter. And
Allah knows and you know not. And had it not
been for the Grace of Allah and His Mercy on you,
(Allah Would have hastened the punishment upon
you). And that Allah is full of kindness, Most
Merciful. O you who believe! Follow not the
footsteps of Shaytan. And whosoever follows the
footsteps of Shaytan, then, verily, he commands
Al-Fahsha' (illegal sexual intercourse), and Al-
Munkar (evil and wicked deeds). And had it not
been for the Grace of Allah and His Mercy on you,
not one of you would ever have been pure from
sins. But Allah purifies (guides to Islam) whom He
wills, and Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower." [Noble
Quran 24:11-21]
Her parents were proud and relieved; pride that
their daughter had been honored with a Quranic
revelation, and relief that she was acquitted of any
wrongdoing. They asked their daughter to rise and
thank her husband, 'Ayshah promptly replied that
she was grateful to her Allah for He had revealed
Quranic Ayat in her honor. This episode is known
in Islamic History as the Event of Al-Ifk.
After this incident the Prophet's respect for
'Ayshah increased even more. 'Amr bin 'Aas once
asked Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon
him) who he loved most in this world, and he
replied that he loved 'Ayshah more than anyone
else. Then he asked him about the men folk. And
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
answered that he loved Ayshah's father the most.
On one occasion 'Umar told his daughter Hafsah
not to try and compete with 'Ayshah as
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)
valued her very highly.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
loved to listen to 'Ayshah talking and always
smiled when she spoke. On one 'Eid day there were
some Africans displaying their skill with spears;
'Ayshah wanted to watch, so the Prophet (peace
and blessings be upon him) stood in front of her
so she could enjoy and not be seen. And he did
not move until she tired of it.
But all this pleasant entertainment could not
distract Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon
him) from his duty to Allah. When the Mu'adthin's
call to prayer would be heard, he immediately
would rise and prepare to go the mosque, the love
for Allah had priority over all other affections and
interests.
Once they camped at a place in the desert and
again 'Ayshah's necklace fell off. Some of the
companions were sent to find it. When the call for
morning prayers was given, there was no water for
ablution. The Companions were worried about the
morning prayers, and held Ayshah responsible. Her
father rebuked his daughter for creating a situation,
which might lead to the prayers being missed.
Exactly at this moment this Ayat was revealed to
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him),
"And if you are ill, or on a journey, or one of you
comes after answering the call of nature, or you
have been in contact with women (by sexual
relations) and you find no water, perform
Tayammum with clean earth and rub therewith
your face and hands. Truly, Allah is Ever Oft-
Pardoning, Oft-Forgiving." [Noble Quran 4:43]
The people expressed their thanks for such a great
favor Allah granted because of her. Abu Bakr As-
Siddiq had not realized until that moment how
pleased Allah was with her.
By the ninth year after Hijrah, Islam had spread
over most of Arabia. Madinah became a flourishing
state. Some wives of the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) requested a increase in
allowances. This disturbed the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) and he declared that for
one month he would separate himself from his
wives, and he went into seclusion.
After 29 days he came to 'Ayshah's apartment,
and told her to make a choice after consulting her
parents; choose him and a life of hardship, or leave
him and lead a life of ease. 'Ayshah had no doubt
in her mind; she immediately answered that she
and her parents would sacrifice their lives for him if
need arose, there was no need to consult her
parents and she would prefer life with him to the
world and its attractions. A beautiful smile lit his
face. And then Allah revealed the following,
"O Prophet Say to your wives: 'If you desire the
life of this world, and its glitter, them come! I will
make a provision for you and set you free in a
handsome manner (divorce). But if you desire Allah
And His Messenger, and the Home of the hereafter,
then verily, Allah has prepared for the good-doers
among you an enormous reward." [Noble Quran
33:28-29]
All the wives took the same decision as 'Ayshah.
In two recorded incidents Ayshah saw Jibril
personally.
On one occasion, 'Ayshah saw the Prophet (peace
and blessings be upon him) talking to a rider of a
horse. When she inquired about the stranger, he
was surprised that she saw him and told her it
was the Angel Jibril as human and sent greetings
to you. She prayed that Allah give reward to the
honored guest and to noble host.
Anas narrates: Once Prophet (peace and blessings
be upon him) was praying in 'Ayshah's apartment,
she saw someone standing outside the door. When
he finished his prayers she informed him. It was
angel Jibril. Muhammad (peace and blessings be
upon him) invited him inside but he replied that
they don't enter where there were dogs or
pictures. When Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) looked around he saw a puppy in a
corner of the room; when he was chased out then
the angel entered.
'Ayshah attained a lofty status because of her
knowledge. Everyone consulted her on the finer
points of religion. Many Hadiths originated from
her 2210 in number.. She was among the top
seven companions who narrated thousands of
Hadiths.
Imam Dthahabi wrote that she was a theologian of
the highest order. She imbibed divinely inspired
knowledge and wisdom from the very fountainhead
of Prophethood and an eyewitness to problems and
their answers by divine revelations. Her apartment
was the centre where Ayat were revealed by the
divine Mercy of Allah. Thus she was given the title
of 'Horizon of the Ladies of Islam'.
During the time of Khulafa-u-Rashidin, her Fatwas
were accepted. Once someone asked Masruq if
'Ayshah had mastery over Shari'ah laws regarding
inheritance. He swore that he had seen
Companions asking her questions about the finer
points of the laws of inheritance. 'Urwah bin
Zubayr, her sister Asma's son often visited her to
discuss religious issues with her. Other
Companions envied him as he could freely
approach her at any time.
Once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) and 'Ayshah were not feeling well. The
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said
that if she died before him he would bathe her and
shroud her and lower her into her grave and pray
for her. She light heartedly replied that it seemed
as if he would celebrate her death; and she told
him that in case she died before him, he should
bring a new wife into her apartment. The Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) smiled at this.
Her brother, 'Abdur-Rahman came in during his
last moments with a Siwak in his hand; the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) looked
longingly at it. 'Ayshah understood and asked him
if she could offer one to him. When he nodded, she
took it and softened it with her teeth and offered it
to him. He cleaned his teeth; and dipping his hand
frequently in water, he kept wiping his face again
and again, repeating the words,
"There is none worthy of worship but Allah. Verily,
death has pains." Then he pointed upward with his
hand and said, "Toward the best friend"
Ayshah once had a dream that three moons
descended into her apartment. When the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) passed away
he was buried in her apartment. Her father told her
that part of her dream came true that day - the
first moon irradiated her apartment. Later, her
father and then Umar Al-Khattab was buried next
to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
which fulfilled the prophesy of her dream.
Imam Dthahabi quoted a saying of the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) that a
Prophet's soul leaves its body in the place that it
likes the best. Thus it is proven he died in his
favorite place, the apartment of 'Ayshah.
She left this earthly existence for Paradise in the
year 58 Hijrah on the 17th of Ramadhan at the age
of 66.
She was buried in Jannatul Baqi'. with Abu
Hurairah leading the funeral prayers.