Aisha(R.A.)

Aisha (R.A.)

For my 3rd write up, I’ve chosen to

speak about Aisha (R.A.), as I’ve received many requests about her, and her

age of marriage and thought I’d give you a glimpse of her life as best I

could.

The reason I took so long with this one, is because I’ve been reading and

reading about her and there is so much written about her that I really

didn’t know what to leave out. I was astounded at the amount of intellectual

caliber she possessed and also the amount of generosity she harbored but at

the same time she made me realize that she was not perfect but because she

so lovingly followed the actions of her dear husband Muhammad (S.A.W.) she

became an extraordinary person, who tirelessly recounted stories of his life

for us.

Aisha (R.A.) said “: Angel Jibra’eel (A.S) brought my picture wrapped in the

cover of green silk in his dream and said: “She is your wife in this world

and the hereafter.”

Her age of marriage to the Prophet (S.A.W.)

The Prophet (S.A.W.) did not marry Aisha (R.A.) for her charm or beauty, but

rather for her great intellect and truthfull ways, which is where her

nickname “Siddiqah” (The truthfull one) stems from. Now , when it comes to

the topic of her age, there is a general misconception because she was young

around the age of 6 or 7 when  the Prophet (S.A.W.) was engaged to her, many

writers have come up with misleading tales about the Prophet (S.A.W.) which

really upsets me and I will not even talk about what they write because if

they studied his outstanding character they would know that he is the

greatest example by far.

Anyways, as I was saying, from researching this topic over and over, it is

clear that in Arab times back then, the girls from as early age  as 3 were

engaged, and that age difference was not important in marriage as this was

tradition and only started living with their future husbands when they

reached puberty.

Well, it is known that Aisha’s (R.A.) sister Asma, who was born in 595, was

15 when she became a Muslim. This indicates the year 610, when the Prophet

started to receive the revelation and this then shows that Aisha was at

least 5, 6 or 7 that day and that she was at least 17 or 18 when she married

the Prophet in Medina.

Another matter worth mentioning here is that while describing that day,

Aisha (R.A.) stated, “I was a girl playing games.” The word she used to

describe herself, is “jariya”, and this term is  used to describe the entry

 into puberty. Ibn Yara, who is an Arab poet, describes this term as

follows: “When a girl becomes 8 years old, she is not a ‘jariya.’ She is a

bridal candidate that I can marry to Utba or Muawiya.” Some scholars say

that it is used for girls who are older than 11.

So basically my point that I want to stress here is that when Aisha (R.A.)

started living with the Prophet (S.A.W.) she was already physically and

mentally developed and even though,  Hadiths state she was nine, scholars

argue that those are secondary text and her age of marriage is not written

in the Quran which could mean she was 14/15 as dates  were not accurately

recorded in those days .

Her Remarkable Memory

She had a memory like a computer which never failed her and her wisdom was

so great, that someone once said that if the knowledge of Aisha (R.A.) were

placed on one side of a scale and on the other side the knowledge of all

other women, Aisha’s side would outweigh the other.

Her soft heart

Aisha (R.A.) had a very soft heart. She was pure, and would cry

easily if something upset her.  Her voice was soft which

made her  gentle spoken. Musa ibn Talha once said “I have not seen anyone

more eloquent than Aisha (R.A.) She would give away all her fortune in

charity and I’ve read countless times that no beggar would ever leave her

door, empty handed.  At the same time she had a very intelligent trait of

speaking her mind and despite her soft heart, she was a lady of strong

character and strong will. She always had a quick reply to everything even

as a child, once she was playing with a toy horse which had wings, and on

walking by the Prophet (S.A.W.) asked her *“:Do horses have wings Aisha?”

“Why not?” was *the quick reply “had not the horses of Hadhrat Sulayman

wings?”

The Prophet’s (S.A.W.) love for Her

It was clear that it was Aisha (R.A.) that he loved the most from his wives

in Madina.  From time to time, one or the other of his companions would ask

him, this question, and his reply would be Aisha (R.A.).

The Prophet (S.A.W.) loved to listen to her talk and would smile and listen

intently. When she told him stories, he would sit totally engrossed but the

moment the Athan was heard, he would rush to prayer as if she was not there.

She loved him so much and would become jealous when the Prophet (S.A.W.)

would give his attention to others more than her. She would often ask him,

“How is your love for me?” “Like a rope’s knot,” was his reply and she would

often remind him that, she was his only wife who had not been with any other

man compare to his other wives and to this the Prophet (S.A.W.) would just

smile and say nothing. Whenever Aisha (R.A.) beat someone in an argument,

the Prophet (S.A.W.) would smile and say “: She is the daughter of Abu

Bakr!”

His affection for her remained till his last when he had his final illness

and wanted to live in her house, at the suggestion of his wives. When Aisha

(R.A.) would drink water from a cup, he would place his lips on the same

place when he drank the water, so much was his love for her .When I read

this I thought that many husbands could learn from the Prophet (S.A.W.) and

the way love should be between a husband and a wife.

Her Generosity

Aisha (R.A.) was a generous soul with a lot of patience. Once when she was

fasting, she received a large amount of money, about a hundred thousand

Dirham’s and even though she had nothing in her house she distributed the

entire amount to the poor. It is reported that one day, a beggar came to

knock on the door of Aisha (R.A.) and she was fasting. She told her maid to

give the beggar a piece of bread that she had in the house.  The maid

answered saying that there was nothing else left to break  fast with that

night. Aisha (R.A.) didn’t care, and that evening, miraculously food was

sent to her door which was better than the piece of bread that she gave

away.

Her passing on

When Aisha (R.A.) passed away, never was such a vast gathering seen at a

funeral.  After a brief illness, she died at the age of 66 on the 17th of

Ramadaan to leave this earthly life for Paradise.  Abu Hurairah (R.A.) led

the funeral prayers and she was put to rest, the same night in “Jannatul

Baqi”, in the the City of Light and refused to be buried near the two great

people her husband, and her father.

Aisha (R.A.) has left us with an unforgettable memory of the Prophet

(S.A.W.) as she was the only person who was that close to him on a personal

level. She was a leader in every field, in society, in knowledge politics

and war and was at the same time feminine and pure.

May Allah (S.W.T) grant us all to be noble and pure as Aisha (R.A.).

Inshallah Ameen.

*Love, Ayesha*