By Sheikh Ahmad Kutty 
  
‘A’ishah, the mother of the faithful, exemplifies the character of a Muslim nurtured from an early age in a pristine Islamic environment. Having been educated by the best of all teachers, the messenger of Allah, she serves as a role model for the perfection that Muslims can aspire for and attain. 

It is actually a multifaceted role that the life of ‘A’ishah provides us with. They range from the private to the public and from the domestic to the scholarly. Among these roles was the ever important one of being a mother of the faithful and as such, she manifested the best of Islamic ideals as outlined in the Qur’an. Generosity, selflessness, honesty and the pursuit of justice and truth were among the ideals more prominent in ‘A’ishah’s character. 

As a student, she rose from an intelligent youth, with a critical and probing mind to a highly effective and successful teacher, scholar and jurist, who held firm and bold views in all of the vital areas of Islamic knowledge such as tafsir, hadith, fiqh, Islamic history, nuances of Arabic language, etc. One of her hallmarks was being courageous and forthright in expressing these views.  ‘A’ishah’s assertiveness, confidence and outspokenness for standing up for what she believed to be true and right explodes the stereotype prevailing even among Muslims today of the “rightful” role for Muslim women – that of  being a silent witness prevented by her femininity from participating in the real live of the community.

Her unparalleled insight into the daily life of the messenger of Allah as well as the independence of her thought and character brought her life into sharp focus from other personalities of the time.

‘A’ishah’s Background

While ‘A’ishah’s full name was ‘A’ishah bint Abi Bakr al-siddiq, she was more commonly known as ‘A’ishah bint al-Siddiq as well as al-Ssiddiqhah bint al-Siddiq (the truthful daughter of the truthful). The Prophet, peace be upon him, nicknamed her Umm Abd Allah because of her special care for her nephew Abd Alalh b. al-Zubayr.

She grew up in a pure Islamic environment as both her parents had embraced Islam early in the Prophet’s mission. As she states, “since my age of discernment, I was conditioned on seeing my parents practising only Islam”. The experiences of the early years of Islam left vivid impressions on her extremely sensitive consciousness and helped shape her character and personality.   From a very young age she acquired a firm faith in Islam and a keen spirit of sacrifice for truth, as well as a deep revulsion for infidelity and pagan ways.

As a Mother of the Faithful

‘A’ishah was the only virgin that the Prophet, peace be upon him, ever married. Her marriage to him was inspired by Allah, and took place at a very early age - not out of the ordinary according to the customs of the Arabs, Hebrews and other nations of that time. While there is a tendency to dwell on this fact, it would be amiss to judge the Prophet’s marriage to ‘A’ishah by our current cultural standards. The Prophet’s marriages cannot be detached from his mission; they had the dual function of uniting the Arabs into a single nation, as well as transmitting legacy of his knowledge and wisdom to the posterity as stated in the Qur’an. ‘A’ishah by both her nature and her nurture was the most qualified to fulfill this role of being an authentic transmitter of the Prophet’s legacy—a fact confirmed by the statements of scholars, past and the present. And she did this by living her formative years at the Prophet’s side. 

‘A’ishah’s deep love for the Prophet, peace be upon him, caused her to be jealous of his other wives as her heart was singularly attached to him. The Prophet also reciprocated this love by showing towards her such intense feelings of love that it became legendary among the companions. Anas remarked that “the first expression of love in Islam was the love of the Prophet towards his wife ‘A’ishah!” 

The Prophet’s love for her was not purely based on his physical attractions to her which we have no reason to doubt, but even more so it was due to the role destined to her as an unbroken link in the chain of transmission of the Prophetic legacy. The unique signs of this role were expressed in the fact that while he received revelations from Allah while he was with ‘A’ishah, this was not the case while he was with any of his other wives and, no other wives of the Prophet, peace be upon him, saw the Angel Jibreel as ‘A’ishah did. This was stated by the Prophet peace be upon him, as a sign of the divine honour bestowed on ‘A’ishah.

‘A’ishah was singularly known to have been a conduit of divine mercy as her trials and tribulations and her attitude of self-surrender merited the revelation of several verses.  These verses are enshrined in the Quran to serve as inspiration for all generations to come. The sahabah often recognized the divine grace manifested through her as some of them testified explaining the verse concerning tayammum which had been revealed in connection with an ordeal faced by ‘‘A’ishah. It is significant that Allah extols her purity, modesty and piety for all to recite (see the verses in surat al-Noor especially: 24: 23; 26).

‘A’ishah typified the best ideals expressed in the following verse: “Muslim men and women, believing men and women, obedient men and women, truthful men and women, patient men and women, humble men and women, charity-giving men and women, and those men and women who remember Allah abundantly, for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and an immense reward.” (Qur’an: 33: 35).

Her Piety and Asceticism

While she was born into a highly respectable family with wealth, fame and status (as Abu Bakr was a man of abundant means) and in spite of being brought up with comfortable living conditions, ‘A’ishah bore patiently the hardships, simplicity and ascetic life-style of the Prophet, peace be upon him. Allah had given the Prophet’s wives the choice to bear patiently the harsh life-style they were accustomed to with the Prophet, peace be upon him, in preference for Allah and His Messenger and the Hereafter, or choose a life of this world and part their ways honourably with sufficient alimony. Each wife selected the former. 

With her choice to live a life of utter simplicity and asceticism, ‘A’ishah ate little and drank little, and preferred to wear tattered clothes her whole life, giving away in charity virtually everything that came to her in terms of money and wealth. The charitable nature of ‘A’ishah exemplified the Prophet’s dictum, “spending in such a way that the left hand does not know what right hand had given.”  Her legendary generosity and trait of selfless giving – forgetting her own urgent needs – also brought to life the Qur’anic ideal, “they prefer others over their own selves even though they themselves are faced with dire need.” Urwah, who was one of the great scholars taught by ‘A’ishah, said of her, “I saw ‘A’ishah giving away seventy thousand dirhams in charity while she was wearing a garment which had so many patches sewn into it!”

It was due to her loyalty to Allah and her devotion to the Prophet and his cause that ‘A’ishah gave up the comforts of the lifestyle of her own household and chose the simple life-style of the Prophet, peace be upon him – bearing all the harshness of it in spite of her young age. After the death of the Prophet, peace be upon him, ‘A’ishah continued to live an ascetic existence dedicated to fasting, prayers, charities, and to the care of orphans and the destitute. 

Her Intellect and Scholarship

‘A’ishah was endowed with an extraordinary intelligence that very few had been endowed with. She was not merely a passive student in understanding and learning religion even from the best and noblest of teachers, the Prophet, peace be upon him. Her trademark was her critical, ever-inquisitive and probing mind. There are numerous examples of her further questioning the Prophet’s answers. Once when he found out she had followed him in disguise on his trip to the graveyard to pray for the departed companions in the middle of night, the Prophet asked her, “Why did you do this? Did your Devil visit you?”  ‘A’ishah asked back, “ Does every person have a devil following him or her around?” When he replied to the affirmative, she asked, “Are you included in this?”  He answered, “Yes. I am included in this; but my Lord has helped me against him. Thanks to this he has become a Muslim (i..e he has surrendered and thus does not command anything but good!)”

Another example of her questioning the Prophet minutely was when the Prophet said that following resurrection people will rise up from their graves as Allah had created them and ‘A’ishah asked, “Then they will all be naked and they will see one another?”  He replied, “The issues confronting them will be far too grave for them to be looking at each other.”

It was thanks to her intelligence that she never had the patience for an understanding of religion that was irrational and inconsistent with the correct understanding of the Qur’an. She had a principle firmly entrenched in her mind that the teachings of Islam cannot be irrational and incoherent – how can it be otherwise when Allah says of the Qur’an, “you will never find any incoherence in it!”  Accordingly she rejected Ibn Umar’s narration from the Prophet, peace be upon him, “A person will be punished for his or her family’s crying (lamenting) over his or her death!”  ‘A’ishah rejected it outright saying, “How would the Prophet say something like this when Allah says, ‘No soul shall bear the burden of another!’” Then she went on to clarify what she thought was the context of the Prophet’s statement.

Another example of the same critical understanding is her response to the so called report that “Three things that invalidate one’s prayer are a dog, a donkey and a woman.” When ‘A’ishah heard this narration, she asked, “how dare you compare us women with dogs and donkeys when I myself did lie down to sleep and the Prophet having woken up from sleep would pray in front of me, and when it was time for him to prostrate he would push my legs gently to the side!” She also dismissed Ibn Umar’s order to the women of his household mandating them to undo their hair while making ghusl saying, “Why can’t he then order them to shave their heads? I used to bathe with the Prophet from a single container and yet I did not do more than pouring water on my head three times!”

Her Assertiveness

‘A’ishah’s character is no where best expressed than in her firm and resolute attitude in facing one of the greatest of all trials she ever faced in her life: the false accusation of adultery. When confronted with the situation she became extremely saddened and depressed and yet she never cowered or stooped low. Instead, she firmly stood her ground trusting in Allah alone until she was vindicated. While she had full confidence that Allah would reveal her innocence, she never considered herself so great as to be worthy of being vindicated by a direct revelation. When finally an entire surah was revealed, numerous verses of which were directly related to her story and extolled her purity, modesty and piety, she refused to rise up and thank Allah’s Messenger and instead simply said, “I thank only Allah!”  By this she did not mean to be rude to the Prophet, rather she meant never to attribute the source of her relief to any other than the Source itself, which is Allah and Allah alone! This should serve as a perfect example for all Muslims, men and women, that they should not fear anyone but Allah and if they do this  they will be not cower themselves before anyone but Allah, no matter how great that worldly power facing them may be! In fact this is the ultimate freedom that many of the early Muslims enjoyed within themselves. 

Thanks to her assertiveness, ‘A’ishah always stood up to what she thought was unjust, unethical and false. When she heard that some individuals were finding faults with Abu Bakr after his death, she gathered them all and spoke to them about his achievements as everyone would readily recognize and then asked them plainly which one of his actions they were critical of. None of his detractors had anything to say.

She also stood up to Caliphs such as Mu’awiyah and vocally criticized their policies which she though was unjust and therefore un-Islamic.

Another example of her forthrightness is her answer to those who forbade women from visiting cemeteries.  On her visit to Makkah, when she stopped by the grave of her brother, someone objected to her and asked how come she was visiting his grave when the Prophet had forbidden women to do so, she replied, “The Prophet had forbidden both men and women from visiting graves in the early years of Islam, and then he lifted that prohibition later.” In other words, in her sound understanding the lifting of the ban was applicable to both men and women, for there is no evidence to suggest that it was only applicable to men.

It was because of her strength of character that she made the Caliph implement the will of Safiyyah, the mother of the faithful, who had stipulated one third of her estate to her Jewish brother.  When the Caliph thought it was against the dictum of the Prophet, peace be upon him, ‘A’ishah rejected that and obliged him to fulfil the wishes of Safiyyah.

Her confidence in the inherent justice of Islam enabled her to exercise many other interjections into commonly held assumptions about women’s roles in the Muslim community. One such interjection was her wish not to be left out of performing Janazah prayers (often reserved for men only in the minds of many Muslims - even today).  She often sent orders to bring the Janazah and place it inside the Mosque itself so that the wives of the Prophet, peace be upon him, could also offer the prayers, at a time when ordinarily Janazah was performed outside the precincts of the mosque itself.

An Active Participant in All Aspects of Islamic Life

‘A’ishah serves as the best role model for women’s activism in Islam for she never was held back from full participation in any aspect of Islamic life even after the death of the Prophet, peace be upon him. During his life she accompanied the Prophet even to the battle fields to perform essential duties.  

She led the war against Ali because of her mistaken judgement; although at the time she thought she was going out to exact justice for the caliph Uthman who had been martyred unjustly and she thought that Ali was harbouring his murderers. Later on, she regretted her choice to have waged the war but the point is that according to her, the role of women in Islam was not confined to the home and instead, that they play an active role in Islamic life.  Due to her own sound faith and Islamic character, she recanted not her activism but her stand against Ali and it was because of this that she thought she had become less worthy of being buried beside the Prophet, peace be upon him, and preferred to join her own sisters (i.e. other wives of the Prophet, peace be upon him) in Jannat al-baqi.

Her Legacy of Scholarship

‘A’ishah’s sound scholarship in Islamic disciplines such as tafsir, hadith, fiqh, history of Arabs and Islam, Arabic language and medicine was proverbial among companions and successors as numerous testimonials bear witness.  We know that even the great companions of the Prophet such as Abu Bakr and Umar as well as other wives of the Prophet, peace be upon him, would refer to her as the final resource person in all such matters. 

Abu Salamah b Abd al-Rahman, one of the seven famous jurists of Madinah, said, “I never knew of anyone-- who had such thorough knowledge of the traditions of the Prophet, peace be upon, nor sound understanding of fiqh in any issue that Muslims would need to know nor of any verse and when and where it was revealed or of rules of inheritance --who can surpass ‘A’ishah.”

‘A’ishah served as a teacher of teachers after the Prophet, peace be upon him.  She would correct those who were teaching in the Prophet’s mosque and answer the many who came to her seeking rulings, advice and opinions based on her expert knowledge. Furthermore, among the numerous men and women who graduated under her tutorship were Abd Allah, Qasim, Urwah, and Umrah bint Abd al-Rahman al-Ansariyyah.

Her thorough mastery of fiqh enabled her to exercise independent ijtihad in matters of fiqh and she used to offer rulings based on her  ijtihad as testified by al-Qasim during the time of Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman as well as after them until she died.

As indicated earlier, ‘A’ishah’s ijtihad was governed strictly by her deep knowledge of the Qur’an.  One of the many examples of this was when someone asked her about celibacy and she answered, “Do not resort to it for did you not hear Allah say in the Qur’an, ‘We have sent before you messengers and appointed for them spouses and children’ (Surah al-R’ad: 38) thus do not resort to celibacy.”

The independence of her ijtihad meant that she sometimes confidently held views contradicting the views of other companions and scholars. When someone asked her if it was always necessary for a woman to have a mahram to travel, ‘A’ishah asked rhetorically, “Can everyone find a mahram?”

Conclusion

‘A’ishah’s life is especially remarkable when examined with the lenses of contemporary times. Surrounded by current examples of Muslim women around the world not permitted to fully actualize their God-given potentials, ‘A’ishah’s life in the 6th and 7th century is a beacon to the inherent justice in Islam. She was reared with authentic Islam from her earliest memories and yet she grew up to be a woman who was confident, assertive and an active participant and leader of her society.  

Simply put, ‘A’ishah lived a life outstanding in its dedication to the cause of Allah and His Messenger. We can end with her own advice, “Whoever seeks to please people by displeasing Allah, Allah will abandon him/her to people and whoever seeks to please Allah, Allah will be sufficient for him/her.” 

Source: www.islaam.ca

Of the Prophet's wives in Medina, (may Allah be pleased with all of them), it is clear that it was A'isha that he loved the most: From time to time, one or another of his Companions would ask him who it was that he loved the most, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not always give the same answer to this question, for he felt great love for many - for his wives, for his daughters by Khadijah, for their children, for Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Sayyiduna Umar and Sayyiduna Uthman and Sayyiduna Ali, and for many of his Companions and community - but of his wives the only one whom he named in this connection was A'isha. She too loved him greatly in return and often would seek reassurance from him that he loved her. "how is your love for me?" she once asked. "Like the rope's knot," he replied, meaning that it was strong and secure. Many times after that she would ask, "how is the knot?" and he would reply: "Ala haliha" "The same as ever!"

Since A'isha loved the Prophet so much, she could not help being jealous if his attention were directed towards others more than what seemed enough to her. She once asked him, "O Messenger of Allah, tell me about yourself. If you were between the two slopes of a valley, one of which had been grazed, while the other had been grazed, on which slope would you pasture your flocks?" "On the one that had not been grazed," replied the Prophet. "Even so," she said, "and I am not like any of your other wives. Every one of them had a husband before you, except myself." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) smiled and said nothing.

It is clear that in spite of his wives' high station with Allah, (may Allah be pleased with them) they were still human, and at times rather jealous of each other. Thus, for example, it had been related by A'isha that the Prophet usually visited his wives every afternoon, after the Asr prayer. On one occasion he stayed longer than usual in the room of Zaynab bint Jahsh, for someone had given her some honey, of which the Prophet was very fond. "At this," said A'isha, "I felt jealous, and I, Hafsa, Sawda, and Safiyya agreed between ourselves that as he visited each of us, we would tell him that there was a funny smell coming from his mouth from what he had eaten, for we knew that he was particularly sensitive to offensive smells." Everything went as planned, and as a result, the Prophet vowed that he would never eat honey again, only to be reprimanded by the revelation of the following ayat:

O Prophet, why do you forbid what Allah has made lawful for you, in seeking to please your wives? And Allah is Forgiving, Compassionate. (Quran 66:1)

Allah made the whole matter known to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and he confronted the one whose idea it had been with the truth:

So when he told her about it, she said, 'Who told you this?' He said, 'I was told by the Knowing, the Aware.' (Quran 66:3)

This incident indicates the extent of the Prophet's submission to Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was the means by which Allah taught the Muslims their deen in every moment and situation. What might have seemed an innocent bit of fun to his wives, (may Allah be pleased with them), was not permitted by Allah to result in any alteration to the hudud of Allah, to what is permitted and what is forbidden by Allah, for if the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had never eaten honey again, then many of his Companions and followers might have done likewise.

On another occasion, when one of the Prophet's other wives, Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) complained on their behalf about the fact that more presents were being given to the Prophet on the day that he was with A'isha than on the days when he was with his other wives, he replied, "O Umm Salama, do not trouble me by harming A'isha, for by Allah, the Divine inspiration never came to me while I was under the blanket of any woman amongst you except her." "I turn to Allah from troubling you, O Messenger of Allah," she said.

However the Prophet's other wives were still not content, and asked Fatima to speak to the Prophet on their behalf. When she raised the subject, he said, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) "O my daughter, do you not love those I love?" "Yes." She said. "Then love her." He replied.

On another occasion, A'isha was on a journey with the Prophet and some of his Companions. She had borrowed a necklace from her sister Asma and during the journey she discovered that she had mislaid it. The journey wa delayed while some of the Companions looked for it, and after a while the time for the prayer came. There was no water with which to do wudu, so they became very agitated about that. They went to Abu Bakr and said, "Do you see what A'isha has done! She has caused the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to stop at a place where there is no water!" Meanwhile, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had fallen asleep with his head resting against A'isha's leg. Abu Bakr went up to A'isha and started to poke her and upbraid her for holding up the people when they did not have any water. She did not move because she did not want to disturb the Prophet's sleep. The Prophet soon woke up and the ayats about tayammum were revealed, making it clear to everyone what should be done when a Muslim on a journey needs to do wudu, but has no water.

Usayd ibn Hudayr said to Abu Bakr, "This is not the first blessing to have come from your family." And to A'isha, "May Allah reward you with good! By Allah, whenever you have difficulty, Allah relieves you of it and gives a blessing to the Muslims by it as well!"

When they were about to resume their journey, A'isha' s camel rose to its feet, and there was the necklace. The camel had been lying on it all the time! Being the daughter of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, who on one occasion had given away all his wealth to be spent in the way of Allah, and the wife of Muhammad (may Allah be pleased with her) who kept nothing for himself, A'isha was very generous. On one occasion, the Prophet had sacrificed an animal, and A'isha was so generous in sharing the meat out amongst the poor, that she found that she had left nothing for the Messenger's large household except the shoulder of the animal. Feeling a little distressed, she went to the Prophet, and said, "I've only been able to save this." "That is the only part that you have not saved," smiled the Prophet, "for whatever you give away in the name of Allah, you save, and whatever you keep for yourself, you lose."

It is sometime forgotten that the Prophet Muhammad and his wives and Companions, may the blessings peace of Allah be on him and his family and his Companions, led very simple lives. It has been related that sometimes there was no smoke to be seen coming from the Prophet's home for weeks at a time meaning that there was not even flour to bake bread, let alone meat so that all there was to eat was dates and water, dates that came from palms whose roots the Prophet said were in the Garden.

On another occasion, a beggar asked A'isha for some food while she was fasting, and there was only a loaf of bread in her house. She said to her maid servant, "Give it to him." "But you will not have anything to eat when you break your fast." Protested the servant. "Give it to him," repeated A'isha. So she did so. When evening came, the people of the house of a man who did not usually give to them, gave them a sheep and some food to go with it. A'isha called her servant and said, "Eat from this. This is better than your loaf of bread!"

It has been related by A'isha, that once when it was the Prophet's turn to spend the night with her, he quietly got up towards the end of the night and slipped out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him. A'isha was curious to see where he was going, thinking that he had waited until he thought she was asleep. Quickly she got up, covered her head and silently followed him until he came to the graveyard ofal Baqi. "He stood there," said A'isha, 'and he stood for a very long time. Then he lifted his hands (in prayer) three times, and then turned to go, so I turned, He quickened his step, so I quickened my step. He began to run, so I began to run. I got back before he did, and entered my room and lay down. He came in and said, "Why are you out of breath, A'isha?"

"It's nothing." I said. "Tell me, or the One Who is All Pervading and All Ware will tell me." "Messenger of Allah," I said, "May my father and mother be a ransom for you." And then I told him. "Was it you who I saw running in front of me?" he said. "Yes." I replied, and he hit me on the chest and it hurt. "Did you think that Allah and His Messenger would treat you unjustly?" he asked. "Whatever anyone conceals, Allah knows it." I replied. "When you saw me leaving," the Prophet explained, "it was because Jibril had come to me. He called me without you knowing it and I replied, but without you knowing it, because you were not fully dressed. I thought that you were asleep, and did not want to awaken you in case you were frightened. He (Jibril) said, "Your Lord has commanded you to go to the people of Al Baqi and to ask forgiveness of them." "I said, "How should I pray for them?" "Say; Peace be on the people of this place (the graveyard), from among the believers and the Muslims, and may Allah have mercy on those who have gone ahead of us, and on those who will follow later; and inshAllah we will join you."

As the day of his own death approached, it is clear that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) wished to die in the company of A'isha, for it is reported that during his final illness, which was probably the result of the poisoned food that he had been given at Khaybar, he inquired, "Where will I be tomorrow, where will I be tomorrow?" since he was hoping it would be A'isha's turn to be with him. In fact the Prophet asked his wives ' permission to remain in A'isha 's room during his illness, and his other wives, (may Allah be pleased with them all), agreed to forego their turns. For much of the time during his last few days on earth the Prophet lay on a couch with his head resting on A'isha's breast or lap. She it was who repeatedly recited the last two surahs of the Qur'an, the two surahs of seeking protection, and then blew her breath over him, just as he had taught her to do in the past, and then passed his hand over his body. It is related by A'isha that she used his hand rather than her own, because she knew that his had had greater healing in it than her hand.

She was the one who took a toothstick from her brother chewed it soften it and then gave it to the Prophet. Despite his weakness, he rubbed his teeth with it vigorously. "So," said A'isha some time later, "Allah made my saliva mix with his saliva on his last day in this world and his first day in the next world." Not long afterwards, he lost consciousness and A'isha thought it was on the onset of death, but after a while, he opened his eyes and murmured softly, "The Highest Company." A'isha remembered that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had been in good health in the past, he had said, "No prophet is taken by death until he has been shown his place in the Garden, and then offered the choice, to remain in this world or go to the Next World."

Remembering these words, she said to herself, "Then he will not stay with us." Then she heard him murmur, "O Allah, forgive me and have mercy on me and join me with the Highest Company, the people whom Allah has blessed from among the Prophets and the truthful ones, and the martyrs, and the righteous ones and the best of company are they." (Quran 4:69)

It was then that A'isha knew that he had been given the choice, and that he had made it. Again she heard him murmur, "O Allah, with the Highest Company," and these were the last words she heard him speak. Gradually his head grew heavier upon her breast, and gently she laid it on the pillow. Her beloved husband, the Messenger of Allah, the Seal of the Prophets, the Best of Creation, had died in her arms. At the time of his death, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was sixty three years old, and A'isha was eighteen.

At first the Prophet' s Companions were not sure where he should be buried, but then Abu Bakr as Siddiq remembered what when he was alive, the Prophet had said that the Prophets were always buried where they had died, so the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was buried in A'isha's room where he had died. A'isha has related that during his final illness, Umm Habiba and Umm Salama mentioned that when they had been in Abyssinia they had seen a church which had pictures in it. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied, "When one of their righteous people die, they build a place of worship on his grave and then decorate it with such pictures. In the sight of Allah they will be the worst of people on the Day of Judgment."

A'isha has also related that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Allah has cursed the Jews and the Christians because they made the graves of their Prophets and righteous ones places of worship." A'isha continued, "If it had not been for this, his grave would have been in an open place ,but it could not be so, due to the fact that it might become a mosque."

In the passage of time, the Prophet's mosque in Medina was enlarged again and again, so that now his grave is no longer next to the mosque, but inside it. However, although the hearts of the millions of Muslims who visit Medina every year are filled with love, for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) they are always careful to direct their worship towards Allah alone, perhaps remembering the words of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr when he first spoke to the Muslims who could not believe that their beloved Prophet had actually died:

"Whoever worshiped Muhammad, Muhammad is dead, and whoever worshipped Allah, Allah is the Living, and does not die." Then he quoted the ayat;

Muhammad is only a Messenger, whom other Messengers have preceded. Will it be that when he dies or is killed, you will turn your back on your heels? And whoever turns back on his heels will not harm Allah in the least, and Allah will reward the thankful. (Quran 3:144)

Thus it was that the family and Companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had to accept the inevitable, even though no loss ever had been or ever would be as great as theirs. It has been related by Anas ibn Malik that after the death of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) Sayyiduna Abu Bakr said to Sayyiduna Umar, "Let us visit Umm Ayman (who had looked after the Prophet when he was a small boy), for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to visit her." When they came to her, she was weeping, and they said to her: "Why are you weeping? What the Messenger of Allah, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has now a better than this." "I am not weeping because I am unaware of the fact that what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has now a better than this," she replied, "but I am weeping because the revelation that used to come from the heavens has ceased." This moved both of them to tears, and they began to weep with her.

A'isha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) once said, "O would that I were a leaf on a tree!" lived on for another fifty years after him after the Prophet's death, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) dying at the age of sixty eight, in 58 AH (may Allah be pleased with her)

During that time she saw many changes, not all of which were pleasant ones, for with the expansion and the conquests that the Muslims experienced, there came wealth, and with the wealth came disagreements and power struggles, and as we all know, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "I do not fear poverty for my community, but I fear wealth for them, for it destroy them as it destroy the people before them."

A'isha, however, like all of the Prophet's wives, (may Allah be pleased with all of them) remained detached from this world and longed to be reunited with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in the next; but while she was alive, she passed on her knowledge and wisdom to everyone who came to her. Much of what she transmitted was recorded in written form, and so countless Muslims have continued to benefit form it right up until today.

Abu Musa reported that Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "There have been many men who have reached perfection, but no women, have reached perfection except Mary, the daughter of Imran, Asiyya, the wife of Pharaoh, and the excellence of A'isha as compared to the other women in that of tharid (meat or vegetable stew, which was the Prophet's favorite food) over all other foods."

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Aishah's (RA) Knowledge:

Aishah (RA) was a scholar of Islamic Jurisprudence, with a broad knowledge of Hadeeth; she benefited greatly from her nearness to the Messenger of Allah (SAW), in addition to her great intelligence, her zeal for acquiring knowledge and her ability to derive Islamic rulings. She was a source of reference for them in Hadeeth, the Sunnah and Islamic Jurisprudence; even the most eminent Companions of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) used to come to her and ask her about the obligatory acts of worship.

Urwah bin Az-Zubair (RA) said: "I have not seen anyone with a greater knowledge of the Qur'an, or its obligations, or the lawful and the unlawful, or of poetry or the sayings of the Arabs, or of genealogy than Aishah."

Abu Burdah bin Abu Musa Al-Ashree (RA) reported from his father that he said: "There was never a problem which we-The Companions of Muhammed (SAW) were unable to solve and referred to Aishah (RA) except that we found knowledge of it from her."

Abu Umar bin Abdul Barr said: "Aishah was unique in her time, being knowledgeable in three sciences: The science of Islamic Jurisprudence, the science of medicine and the science of poetry."

Az-Zuhri said: " If the knowledge of Aishah was compared with the knowledge of all of the other wives of the Prophet and with all women, the knowledge of Aishah would be greater."

Ata' bin Rabad said: "Aishah was the best of people in Islamic jurisprudence, the most knowledgeable of people and the best of them in giving opinions in general."

Al-Miqdad bin Al-Aswad said: "I did not know anyone among the companions of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) who had more knowledge of poetry or religious obligations than Aishah."

Adh-Dhahabi siad: "Aishah was the most knowledgeable woman in Islamic Jurisprudence in the whole Muslim nation."

Mu'awiyah bin Abu Sufyan (RA) said: "O Ziyad! Who is the most knowledgeable person?" Ziyad replied: "You, O Commander of Faithful!" He said: "I insist that you answer me truthfully and do not flatter me.: He replied: "If you press me, I would say it is Aishah."

So great was her knowledge than Umar bin Al-Khattab and Ali bin Abu Talib (RA) used to consult her in many matters of Islamic Jurisprudence.

Aishah (RA) narrated 2210 Alhadeeth, 297 of which were reported in Sahih Al Bukhari and Sahih Al Muslim, no one narrated more Alhadeeth except Abu Huraira (RA) and she is one of those who narrated more than a thousand Ahadeeth.

Nine Blessings of Aishah (RA)

• Angel Jibril had presented her portrait wrapped in green silk to Muhammad (SAW) and told him that this was the picture of the lady chosen by Allah to be his bride in this world and in the next.
• She was the only virgin to have become the wife of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
• When the Prophet (SAW) passed away, he was resting on 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 (SAW) when they were lying together resting in peace and tranquility.
• She was the daughter of the loyal and true friend of the Prophet (SAW), Abu Bakr Siddique (RA).
• Ayat acquitting her of any wrongdoing 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 former years with the purest and best of creatures, Prophet (SAW).
• Allah, promised her divine forgiveness and abundant bounties.

Aishah's (RA) Death

Aishah (RA) passed away in the year 58 Hijrah on the 17th of Ramadan at the age of 66. She was buried in the graveyard at Al-Madinah, Jannatul Baqi.

 The End!

The Story of Umm Habeebah bint Abu Sufyan (RA) shall be posted soon, insha Allah...

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The Affair of the Slander

Aishah (RA) lived in the house of the Prophet (SAW), where she was respected and honored and nothing disturbed the tranquility of her life apart from the incident of the slander, an incident in which the hypocrites falsely accused the pure and noble Aishah (RA) of having committed adultery. The hypocrites did not intend by this wicked accusation to harm Aishah (RA); rather their intention was to harm the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and to attack Islam and its Messenger, for Aishah (RA) was the most beloved of his wives to him and her father was the most beloved of men to him, so whatever harmed Aishah (RA) would hurt him also- this was the intention of the hypocrites who spread this slander- and the Muslims unintentionally became involved in it.

In brief, the story was that when the Messenger of Allah (SAW) heard that Banu Al-Mustaliq were preparing to attack him, he decided to launch a surprise attack against them before they could attack Al-Madinah. So he set out with his army, but before doing so, he drew lots among his wives-as was his custom when he set out for a battle- in order to decide which of them he would take with him. The lot fell to Aishah (RA) and so she climbed into her howdah (A seat, usually fitted with a canopy and railing, placed on the back of an elephant or a camel)
and set out with him.

The two armies met at a well belonging to Banu Mustaliq, known as Al-Muraisee and the battle ended in defeat for them and victory for the Muslim army.

Following their victory, the Muslim army headed for Al-Madinah and when they were only a short distance from it, they stopped to rest and while they were resting, Aishah (RA) left the camp in order to answer the call of nature and walked on until she passed the Muslim army and went far from it. When she finished attending to her business, she decided to return to the place where she had left the army, but upon touching her hand to her chest, she found that she had lost the necklace she had been wearing, so she retraced her steps in order to find it and while she was absent, the Messenger of Allah (SAW) decided to go on and the men responsible for raising and lowering her howdah came and lifted it onto the camel, thinking that she was inside it. The army moved off and when Aishah (RA) returned, having found the necklace, she discovered that the army had left and that she was now alone in that empty place. She decided to remain where she was, thinking that when the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and his Companions found that she was missing, they would come back to look for her in the place where they had lost her, so she wrapped herself in her cloack and lay down to sleep where she was.

Fortunately she did not have long to wait, for a young Muslim man named Safwan ibn al-Mu'attal, who had fallen behind the army after taking a rest, reached the camp during the night and found her lying fast asleep. Safwan immediately recognizing her, because he had seen her in the early days before Allah had commanded Muslim women to wear the hijab.

"Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un!" - "Surely we come from Allah and surely to Him we return!" he exclaimed in surprise, waking 'A'isha up with the loudness of his voice. He did not say anything else, and 'A'isha put the scarf that had fallen off her head while she was asleep back on, Safwan made his camel kneel down close to her so that she could climb up on to it; and then, leading the camel with his hand, he set off on foot after the army, hoping that they would soon catch up with it which they eventually did later the next morning, since the army had halted for a rest during the hottest part of the day. Unfortunately, some hypocrites who had seen Safwan and 'A'isha arrive alone together began to gossip and spread slanderous lies about them. Eventually the story reached the Prophet himself (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and by then the whole community was talking about what might or might now have happened before the two young Muslims. Naturally the muminun were certain that noting bad had happened, but the munafiqun thought otherwise and were not afraid to insinuate that was the case.

As a result of all this gossip, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his household came under a great strain, and in fact 'A'isha herself fell ill, not because she was aware of what the hypocrites were saying about her, but because the Prophet did not seem to care for her as much as he had done before the campaign against the Banu al Mustaliq. Finally, someone told her what some people were saying. This made 'A'isha even more ill, so with the Prophet's permission, she went to stay at the house of her parents. When she arrived, she said to her mother, Umm Ruman, "Mother! What are the people saying?" She replied "O my daughter! Do not make too much of the business. By Allah, seldom has there been a woman of beauty with a husband who loves her and who has co wives but that people say a lot against her." A'isha said, "Glory be to Allah! The people have really been saying this?" 'A'isha said, "I have spent the entire night until morning unable to stop weeping and could not sleep at all. Morning found me still weeping." In the meantime, when Safwan was confronted with the allegations that had been made, he replied, "Glory be to Allah! By Allah, I have never removed the veil of any woman!" Since there had been no revelation to clarify the matter, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked Barira, who was 'A'isha 's maid servant, if she had seen anything in 'A'isha' s behavior that was at all doubtful. "By Him who sent you with the truth," she replied, "I have not seen nothing wrong with her, other than that she is a young girl and sometimes she falls asleep while she is kneading the dough and a lamb comes along and eats it!" Some of the companions who were present scolded Barira and told her to come to the point. "Glory be to Allah!" she replied. "I know as much about her as a jeweler knows about a piece of pure gold!"

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) then tried to vindicate A'isha's honor by calling everyone to the mosque and publicly defending her reputation, but the hypocrites who had started the trouble in the first place only made matter worse, so that arguments broke out all over the mosque, and people had almost come to blows over the matter before the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) calmed them down and silenced them.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) then came to Abu Bakr's house, where A'isha had been crying her heart out, and in the presence of her parents said the shahada, and then continued, "If you are innocent, then Allah Himself will protect your honor, and if by accident there has been a lapse on your part, then seek the forgiveness of Allah and He will pardon you, for when a slave admits a fault and turns to Him in repentance, then Allah also turns and accepts that repentance."

A'isha said, "When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) finished what he was saying, my tears stopped so that I was not aware of a single tear. I said to my father, 'Answer the Messenger of Allah for me regarding what he has said.' He said, 'By Allah, I do not know what to say to the Messenger of Allah,' I said to my mother, 'Answer the Messenger of Allah for me regarding what he has said.' She said, 'By Allah, I do not know what to say to the Messenger of Allah.'"

A'isha said, "I am a young girl who does not yet recite much of the Qur'an. By Allah, I know that you have heard this story that people are saying and it has become fixed in yourself and you have believed it. If I were to say to you that I am innocent, you would not believe me. If I were to confess to something to you and Allah knows that I am innocent you would believe me. By Allah, I can only say what the father of Yusuf said,

"Patience is beautiful, and Allah is my protection against what you describe." (Quran 12:18)

 Then I turned over on my bed, Allah knowing that I was innocent and hoping that Allah would proclaim me innocent. However, by Allah, I did not think that any revelation would be sent down regarding me. I thought too little of myself that something would be said in the Qur'an regarding me, however I hoped that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would have a dream in which Allah would exonerate me. She had hardly finished speaking when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) received a direct revelation of some more ayahs of the Qur'an, and when it was over, he smiled and said, "Do not worry, 'A'isha, for Allah has revealed proof of your innocence." (Bukhari)

A'isha's mother, who had been standing next to her, said, "Get up and thank him."(Bukhari)

"By Allah," exclaimed A'isha, whose title, 'Siddiqa', means 'the truthful one', "I will not thank him and praise him but rather Allah Who has given the revelation that has protected my honor!" Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) went to the mosque and recited what had just been sent down:

Surely those who fabricate the lie are a group from among you. Do not think it is bad thing for you; no it is good for you. Every man will receive what he has earned for this sin, and whoever had the greater part in it will have a great punishment. Why did the men and women believers, when they heard it, not think good in their selves and say: 'This is clearly a lie?' Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they did not produce witnesses, they are certainly liars in the sight of Allah. If it were not for the grace of Allah, and His mercy on you in this world and in the next world, an awful doom would have overtaken you for what you repeated. Since you received it with your tongues, and repeated what you did not know anything about with your mouths, you thought it was a trifle, but in the sight of Allah it is serious. Why, when you heard it, did you not say: 'It is not for us to repeat this, Glory be to You (O Allah), this is a serious rumor.' Allah warns you to never repeat anything like this again, if you are indeed believers and Allah makes the signs clear to you; and Allah is Knowing, Wise. Surely those who love to spread around slander about those who believe will have a painful punishment in this world and in the next world; and Allah knows and you do not know. (Quran 24:11-19).

When this Qur'anic verse was revealed regarding Aishah (RA) and those who had accused her, Abu Bakr (RA) who had previously supported Mistah ( Mistah was the cousin of As-Siddiq, the son of his maternal aunt, and he was a poor man with no wealth except whatever Abu Bakr spent on him. He was one of those who had migrated for the sake of Allah. He had invented the lies and the slander, but then Allah accepted his repentance from that and the prescribed punishment was carried out on him. As-Siddiq was known for his generosity and he did favors to his relatives and strangers alike) financially, due to him being a relative and being in need-said: "By Allah, I will never provide anything for Mistah because of what he has said about Aishah." Then Allah, The Most High revealed:

"Let not those among you who are endued with grace and amplitude of means resolve by oath against helping their kinsmen those in want, and those who have left their homes in Allah's cause: let them forgive and overlook: do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? For Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful." (24:22)

Upon hearing this Verse, Abu Bakr (RA) said: "Yes, by Allah, I love that Allah should forgive me," and he began once again to provide for Mistah as he had done before and he said: "I will not take it away from him again."

A'isha forgave those who had let themselves be caught in the slander and in later years would not hear anything bad said about them. The fact that A'isha' s honor and reputation had been protected by a revelation from Allah could not be ignored by anyone, and from then on everyone was more aware of her high station with Allah. It was also during the course of A'isha's marriage with the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that the Muslim commexpanded so rapidly that Mecca was eventually conquered by the Muslim army, and preparations were made for the first of the many battles that were successfully fought against the Greeks and the Persians after the letters from Muhammad inviting Heraclius and Choroes to embrace Islam and worship Allah alone had been contemptuously ignored.

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The Marraige of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) to Aisha (RA)

• The Muslims felt the pain of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and the sadness caused to him by the loss of Khadeejah (RA) and they hoped that he would marry a virtuous woman who would help him through the ups and downs of life.
• One day Khawlah bint Hakeem, the wife of Uthman bin Mazun came to him and opened the discussion about marriage.
• Khawlah asked Him (SAW) if he would marry Aisha bint Abu Baqr or Sawdah as she is a virtuous Muslim woman.  He (SAW) told that Aisha was very young.
• Khawlah said: "You may propose to her, then leave her in her parent's house until she is of marriageable age." He (SAW) said: " Then go and mention my proposal to them."
• Khawlah informed Abu Baqr (RA) of what Prophet (SAW) had told. Abu Baqr (RA) told Him (SAW) to go and meet him.
• Then the Prophet (SAW) made the contract to marry Aisha.
• He (SAW) gaver Aisha (RA) a dowry (mahr) of 400 dirhams.
• This took place three years before the hijrah.
• The Prophet (SAW) did not marry any virgin except Aishah (RA) and his marriage to her was by Allah, following the death of Khadeejah (RA), for Al-Bukhari and Muslim have narrated that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said:
  
  Narrate Aisha: Allah's Apostle said (to me), "You were shown to me in a dream. An angel brought you to me, wrapped in a piece of silken cloth, and said to me, 'This is your wife.' I removed the piece of cloth from your face, and there you were. I said to myself. 'If it is from Allah, then it will surely be.' "

Aisha (RA) moves into the household of Prophet (SAW)

• The house consisted of a single chamber, it was constructed from mud, bricks and date palm leaves.
• Aisha's (RA) house is where the Prophets (SAW) grave is now.
• The furnings in the house consisted of a leather mattress, stuffed with palm fibers.
• There were none of the signs of worldly wealth and pomp, but this little house was filled with spiritual treasures.

Aisha (RA) as a Wife

• She (RA) loved Prophet (SAW) very sincerely.
• She used to bear with him poverty, hunger and hardships of life to such an extent that sometimes many long days would pass in the house of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) without a fire being kindled to bake bread or cook food.
• They lived only on dates and water, she was not discontented, nor did she complain, in spite of the fact that she came from a house of wealth and ease.
• He (SAW) loved her affectionately and treated her in the best way a noble man may treat is wife, valuing her loyalty towards him and her patience with him in bearing the burdens of propogating Islam.
• He (SAW) always tried to please her.

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Her Name and Her Birth

• She is the Mother of the Believers, the wife of the master of the Prophets, the scholar, the eloquent speaker, the believing woman, daughter of the believing man, Aishah bint Abdullah bin Uthman bin Amir bin Amr bin Ka'b.
• Her father was known as Abu Baqr and her grandfather Uthman was known an Abu Quhafah.
• She was born in Makkah in 614 CE, after the start of the Messenger of Allah's (SAW) Mission.
• She was born into Islam and did not live a single day in the Days of Ignorance (Jahliyyah).

Her Father

• He was Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq. He hastened to believe in the Messenger of Allah (SAW).
• He was one of the wealthiest men in Makkah and was well known for his generosity and his high moral character.
• He was known as the most kindhearted of men and the most compassionate towards the poor and needy.
• Abu Bakr (RA) possessed innumerable virtues; He was the first person to believe the Messenger of Allah (SAW), He spent more of his own wealth in Allah's Cause than any other person, He (RA) was the most beloved of Allah's Creation to the Messenger of Allah (SAW), He (RA) was one of the ten persons given the glad tidings of Paradise, He was one of the most God fearing of people and the most pious of them, He fought the apostasy wars against those who apostatized and He (RA) was the first to collect the Chapters and Verses of the Qur'an in one volume.
• He (RA) died on a Tuesday night, at the age of 63 years.
• He (RA) was buried beside the Messenger of Allah (SAW).

Her Mother

• Her mother was Umm Ruman bint Amir bin Uwaimir.
• She was a God fearing and virtuous woman.
• She died during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) in the year 6 A.H

The Years of Sorrow

• When the Messenger of Allah (SAW) began to preach his Message openly, the leaders of Quraish belied him and declared their oppostion to him.
• They inflicted great harm on him and they mocked him and leveled false accusations against him.
• They used to throw thorns and filth on Him (SAW) while he was prostrating, one of them even threw the afterbirth of a sheep on him while He was praying.
• The unlce of the Prophet (SAW), Abu Talib used to defend him and protect him from the tyranny and oppression of Quraish.
• In these harsh circumstances, his heart was filled with sadness due to the treatment he encountered from his people, he would turn to Khadeejah (RA) and he would find with her kindheartedness and sympathy and his sadness would be lessened and her gentle hand and kind words would wipe away his sorrows and remove his distress and anxiety.
• During these hard times, Abu Talib died and the Messenger of Allah (SAW) lost his greatest supporter in propagating the Message of Islam.
• And in these difficult times, his wife, Khadeejah (RA) also died and the Messenger of Allah (SAW) was greatly saddened by her death, which caused him deep pain.
• Her absence meant that he had lost a loyal wife, who had supported him in dificult times and calmed him down by her tenderness and compassion.

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The Prophet's (SAW) Marriage to Sawdah (RA)

• The Muslims felt the pain of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and the sadness caused to him by the loss of Khadeejah (RA) and they hoped that he would marry a virtuous woman who would help him through the ups and downs of life.
• One day Khawlah bint Hakeem, the wife of Uthman bin Mazun came to him and opened the discussion about marriage.
• Khawlah asked Him (SAW) if he would marry Aisha bint Abu baqr or Sawdah as she is a virtuous Muslim woman.  He (SAW) told that Aisha was very young. He (SAW) thought about what she had told him and considered that it was sensible, for Sawdah (RA) was a Muslim woman who observed her religion strictly, had a good reputation and was able to take care of matters in the house.
• This was particularly important since he had daughters who had lost their mother Khadeejah (RA).
• Khawlah bint Hakeem then went to the house of Sawdah and said to her: "What a great goodness and blessing Allah has bestowed upon you!" She said: "What is that, oh, Khawlah?" She said, "The Messenger of Allah (SAW) has sent me to propose marriage to you."
• Sawdah (RA) was overjoyed, for she would be a wife of the Messenger of Allah (SAW). She consented immediately and told Khawlah to inform her father about it.
• Khawlah went to her father and told about the proposal for his daughter. He asked if Sawdah had agreed for it. Then he informed Khawlah to tell Prophet (SAW) to go to his house.
• The blessed marriage took place in the month of Ramdan.
• He gave her 400 dirhams as dowry (Mahr).

Sawdah (RA) in the House of the Messenger of Allah (SAW)

• She (RA) moved into the house of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and became one of the Mothers of the Believers, because any woman who married the Prophet (SAW) became a Mother to the Believers. Allah says in the Qur'an:
  
  "The Prophet is closer to the Believers than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers." (33:6)


• Sawdah (RA) attained this high honor and lived in the house of the Prophet (SAW) happily and contentedly, doing everything within her power to please him and to provide him with all comforts and lightening for him the worries of life.
• She would remove His (SAW) sadness and worries he encountered while preaching through her playfulness and good humor.
• She would often relate her experiences in Abyssiniah and the Prophet (SAW) would listen with great interest.

Sawdah's (RA) Character

• She (RA) was a woman of praiseworthy character, with a good heart and a pure soul, who loved goodness and was full of kindness and compassion towards those in need.
• She (RA) was a likeable person who liked to joke and make innocent fun.
• Aisha (RA) said: "I have not seen any woman whom I wish to be like more than Sawdah bint Zama'ah-although she had a quick temper." (Muslim)
• Sawdah (RA) was well known for her great generosity, she would spend all of the money that came to her on the poor and needy.

The Verse of Al-Hijab

• It was regarding Sawdah (RA) that the verse of Al-Hijab was revealed; "Umaar (RA) had said to the Messenger of Allah: "Veil your wives," but the Messenger of Allah (SAW) did not do so. Then one night, Sawdah (RA) went out at Isha time- and being a tall woman, she was recognized by Umar (RA) who called out: "We have recognized you, O Sawdah!"
• He did this out of a sense of eagerness for an Edict to be revealed from Allah ordering the wearing of the veil and Allah, the Most High did reveal an Edict to that effect. Allah says in the Qur'an:
  
  "O Consorts of the Prophet! ye are not like any of the (other) women: if ye do fear (Allah), be not too complaisant of speech, lest one in whose heart is a disease should be moved with desire: but speak ye a speech (that is) just. And stay quietly in your houses, and make not a dazzling display, like that of the former Times of Ignorance; and establish regular Prayer, and give regular Charity; and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you, ye Members of the Family, and to make you pure and spotless.  And recite what is rehearsed to you in your homes, of the Signs of Allah and His wisdom: for Allah understands the finest mysteries and is well-acquainted (with them)." (33:32-34)

Sawdah (RA) Gives up her Night to Aishah (RA)

• Sawdah (RA) lived a happy and blessed life in the house of the Prophet (SAW), who surrounded her with his kindness and compassion and treated her well.
• When She began to feel that she was getting old and that she was no longer able to undertake the marital duties expected of a wife, she feared that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) would divorce her and she was keen to remain close to him, seeing him every day, hearing his words and acquiring knowledge from him.
• She was keen to die while married to the Prophet (SAW) so that on the Day of Resurrection, she would be brought forth as his wife.
• For these reasons she requested him not to divorce her and that her night with him be given to Aishah (RA).
• The Messenger of Allah (SAW) agreed to the request of this virtuous woman, who was possessed of noble sensibility.
• It is narrated by At-Tirmidhi, on the authority of Ibn Abbas that he said: "Sawdah feared that she would be divorced by the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and so she said: 'Do not divorce me; keep me with you and give my day with you to Aishah."
• So Sawdah (RA) continued to live in the house of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) until he died and she did not bear him any children.

The Death of Sawdah (RA)

• After the death of Prophet (SAW), she stayed in her house and did not leave it at all.
• She did not even go for Hajj and Umrah and she would say: "I have performed Hajj and Umrah during the time of the Messenger of Allah (SAW), so I will remain in my house, as Allah, the Almighty, the All Powerful commanded me to do."
• Sawdah (RA) passed away during the caliphate of Umar bin Khattab (RA).

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Her Genealogy

• She is Sawdah bint Zam'ah bin Qais bin Abd shams bin Abd Wadd bin Nasr bin Malik bin Hisl bin Amir bin Lu'ayy Al Qurashiyah.
• Her mother was Ash-Shamus bint Qias bin Zaid bin Amr Al Ansariyyah.

Her Migration to Abyssinia

• When Allah, Most High commanded His Messenger (SAW) to preach Islam openly and to call upon all the people to worship Allah alone, the Messenger of Allah (SAW) obeyed his Lord's command and called upon the people to abandon the worship of idols and to worship Allah alone.
• When she heard of this new religion, Sawdah's (RA) heart was opened to it and she believed in the Message which Muhammad (SAW) brought.
• When Muhammad (SAW) began to preach openly, the torments inflicted by the pagans on the weak Muslims were cruel and severe to such an extent that some of them died, while others were tortured for the sake of their religion.
• When the Messenger of Allah (SAW) observed what had befallen them and how they were being severely tormented, he said to them: "If you were to leave for Abyssinia, you would find there a king in whose land no one is treated unjustly and it is a land of sincerity. You could stay there until Allah makes a way out for you from the oppression you are being subjected to here."
• So a number of Muslims departed for the land of Abyssinia, among them the venerable Companion, Sawdah and her husband, As-Sakran bin Amr. They left their family, their property and their land and embarked on a boat, facing the terrors of the sea and accepting all of the dangers therein-even death- for Allah's sake.
• Her husband settled in Abyssinia and Allah, the Most High blessed them with four children. As-Sakran even though he was in a strange land, worked hard with his hands to feed his wife and children and he refrained from begging from the people.

The Death of Her Husband

• While in Abyssinia, As-Sakran fell ill and when he and his family returned to Makkah, the illness became worse and a short time later, he died.
• She was now alone with four children whom she had to feed and clothe.
• But in spite of these difficult situations, Sawdah (RA) remained a God fearing woman, pure, chaste, guarding her honor and her reputation.

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Revelation began during His (SAW) marriage with Khadeejah (RA)

• It is reported on the authority of Urwah bin Az-Zubair from Aishah (RA) that the commencement of the Divine Inspiration to Allah's Messenger (SAW) was in the form of good dreams which came true like bright daylight, and then the love of seclusion was bestowed upon him.
• He (SAW) used to go in seclusion in the cave of Hira where he used to worship (Allah alone) continuously for many days before his desire to see his family.
• He (SAW) used to take food for the stay and then come back to (his wife) Khadeejah (RA) to take his food again till suddenly, the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira.
• The angel came to him and asked  him to read. The Prophet (SAW) replied: "I do not know how to read."
• The Prophet added: The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied: "I do not know how to read"
• Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied: "I do not know how to read."
• Thereupon, he caught me for the third time and pressed me, then he released me and said:

Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists), He has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood). Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous, (96:1-3)

• Then the Messenger of Allah (SAW) fled from the cave, but when he was halfway down the mountain, he heard a voice in the heaven saying: "O Muhammad! You are the Messenger of Allah and I am Gabriel." He looked upwards and saw Gabriel (AS) in the form of a man, putting his feet on the horizon. He said: "O Muhammad! You are the Messenger of Allah and I am Gabriel (AS)."
• He stopped and looked at him, but Gabriel (AS) neither advanced nor retreated. The Prophet (SAW) turned his gaze from the horizon, but no matter which way he looked, he saw him.

Khadeejah (RA), a picture of loyalty and serenity

• The Prophet (SAW) returned to Khadeejah (RA) in a state of fright, his heart trembling with fear, and said: "Wrap me up! Wrap me up!" So they wrapped him up until the terror had departed from him, then he informed Khadeejah (RA) of what had happened and said to her: "I was afraid for myself."
• She  consoled him by saying: "No! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your kith and kin, help the poor and needy, serve your guests generously and assist those afflicted with calamity who deserve to be helped."

The effect of Khadeejah's (RA) words

• These soothing and encouraging words of sympathy and understanding from Khadeejah (RA) gave him immeasurable strength and confidence.
• His (SAW) onward experiences of revelation became easy for him due to the support and comfort of his beloved wife.

Waraqah- Khadeejah's (RA) cousin

• Khadeejah (RA) took him to her cousin Waraqah bin Nawful bin Asad bin Abdul Uzza, who, used to write in Hebrew letters. He was an old man who had lost his eyesight.
• Khadeejah (RA) said to Waraqah: "Listen to the story of your nephew, O my cousin!" Waraqah asked: "O my nephew! What have you seen?" The Messenger of Allah (SAW) described what he had seen. He said. "By Him in Whose Hand is the soul of Waraqah, An- Namus Al-Akbar (The bringer of revelation, the angel Gabriel) who used to come to Moses has come to him. I wish I were young and could live up to the time when your people would turn you out."
• The Messenger of Allah (SAW) asked: "Will they drive me out?"  Waraqah replied in the affirmative and said: "Anyone who bought something similar to what you have brought was treated with hostility; and if I should remain alive till the day when you will be turned out, I would support you strongly." But after few days Waraqah died and the Divine Inspiration was also paused for a while." (Bukhari)

Khadeejah's home a Centre of Islam

• Khadeejah (RA) was an ideal wife and mother.
• She supported the Messenger of Allah (SAW), strengthening him, encouraging him, supporting him with her ideas, her wealth and her sincere affection.
• She believed in the Prophet (SAW) and in the Message he bought.
• The Prophet (SAW) lived in her house which became a blessed place due to his presence and the fact that Gabriel (AS) came often to visit him there with Quranic revelations.
• It became the centre of Islam, where the companions and women companions visited often to partake of the hospitality of Muhammad (SAW) and his wife Khadeejah (RA).

The Prophet's Praise for Khadeejah (RA)

• Khadeejah (RA) had a special place in the heart of the Messenger of Allah (SAW).
• He used to say good things about her, praising her, acknowledging her virtues and how she had stood by him at the start of his Mission and how she had strengthened and supported him.
• Aishah (RA) said:  I did not feel jealousy towards any of the Prophet's wives as I did towards Khadeejah. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) would almost never leave the house without mentioning Khadeejah and he would praise her highly. One day, he mentioned her and I was overcome by jealousy and I said: "Was she anything more than an old woman? Allah has given you in her place one better than she." Upon hearing this, the Prophet (SAW) became extremely angry and said:
  
  "No, by Allah, Allah has not given me one better than she! She believed in me when the people disbelieved, she believed me when the people belied me, she shared her wealth with me when the people prevented me and Allah blessed me with children from her when the (other) women did not give me any."
  
  Aishah (RA) said to herself: "I will never say anything bad about her."

Khadeejah (RA) Death

• She passed away just three years before the hijrah.
• She died at the age of sixty five, having given twenty five years to Muhammad (SAW) and the cause of Islam.
• When Muhammad (SAW) saw her in the throes of death, he consoled her saying, Allah has so ordained it, and that the thing she was dreading, would prove favorable for her.
• Her eyes lit up and as she gazed at her beloved husband, her soul left her earthly body.

The Prophet (SAW) buries his beloved Wife

• Khadeejah (RA) grave was prepared at a place called Hujjoon near Makkah.
• Muhammad (SAW) himself stepped into the grave to see that everything was as it should be, and with his own hands lowered her gently into it.
• Thus passed away the Mother of all Muslims, the one who had sacrificed her all for Islam.

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