AYSHAH BINT ABU BAKR
Ayshah
(may Allah be pleased with her) 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 (may Allah be pleased with him).
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 (peace be upon him).
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 (peace and blessings be upon him) 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 (may Allah be pleased with him).
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 (peace be upon him) 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 (may
Allah be pleased with her) 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 (may Allah be
pleased with her) maintained this tradition up to her last days.
Ayshah
(may Allah be pleased with her) 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 (may Allah be pleased with her)
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 (may Allah be pleased with her) 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
(may Allah be pleased with her) was soft-hearted. On one occasion when a
beggar carrying two children came to her door; Ayshah (may Allah be
pleased with her) 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 (may Allah be pleased with her)
saw this heart-rending scene she could not control her tears.
In
the month of Sha'ban, Ayshah (may Allah be pleased with her)
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 (may Allah be
pleased with her) 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 (may
Allah be pleased with her) 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 (may Allah be pleased with
her) 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 (may Allah be pleased with her) 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 (may Allah be pleased
with her) 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 (may Allah be pleased with
her) 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 (may Allah be
pleased with her) 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 (may Allah be pleased with her) 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 (may Allah be pleased
with her) increased even more. 'Amr bin 'Aas (may Allah be pleased with
him) once asked Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) who he loved
most in this world, and he replied that he loved 'Ayshah (may Allah be
pleased with her) 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 (may
Allah be pleased with her) 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 (may Allah be pleased with him) 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 (may Allah be pleased with
her) 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 (may Allah be pleased with her).
In two recorded incidents Ayshah (may Allah be pleased with her) saw Jibril (peace be upon him) personally.
On
one occasion, 'Ayshah (may Allah be pleased with her) saw the Noble
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 (peace be upon him)as human and
sent greetings to you. She prayed that Allah give reward to the honored
guest and to noble host.
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) 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
(may Allah be pleased with her) 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 (may Allah be pleased with her) 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 (may Allah be
pleased with her) 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 (may Allah be pleased with him) 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 (may Allah be
pleased with her) 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
(may Allah be pleased with her) 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
(may Allah be pleased with them) 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 (may Allah be pleased with her).
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.
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