Hazrat Aisha bint Abi Bakr r.a.

Awais Rabbani

“The greatness of Aisha^ra over the rest of the wives is like thareed”, i.e. the superiority that meat has over ordinary food. (The Holy Prophet^sa)

Full name: Aisha bint Abi Bakr

Father: Abdullah bin Abi Qahafa (Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq^ra)

Mother: Umme Ruman Zainab bint Amir

Appellation (kuniyat): Umme Abdullah

Ahadith Narrated: 2,210

Introduction

Hazrat Aisha^ra was the daughter of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq^ra, who was the closest companion of the Holy Prophet^sa and the first Khalifa of the Holy Prophet^sa.

Her life is proof of Islam’s progressive stance on women. She was a prominent figure who challenged the prevalent stereotypes and taboos of society. She is proof that women share egalitarian rights in Islam. Her life ascertains that Islam does not discriminate between sexes, nor does it mandate marginalisation of women. A wife, stateswoman, scholar and an enlightened thinker; she was an astute woman who exhibited exemplary moral qualities and became one of the most influential persons of the Islamic history.

A divine marriage

After the demise of Hazrat Khadija^ra, the Holy Prophet^sa carried on with his mission and did not pursue to marry anyone for a while. However, he had dreamt that an angel had presented something to him wrapped in silk. He was told that it was his wife in this life and the Hereafter. When he unveiled the silk cover, he saw it was Hazrat Aisha^ra.

When Hazrat Khaulah bint Hakim^ra advised him to remarry and offered Aisha’s^ra name, the Messenger^sa of Allah took it as a divine sign and asked her to send the proposal.

Hazrat Aisha^ra was first betrothed to Jubair, son of Mutim bin Adi, a non-Muslim friend of Hazrat Abu Bakr^ra. Hazrat Abu Bakr^ra went to his house and enquired if Jubair wished to continue with the marriage. However, Mutim nullified the engagement citing that they would not marry a Muslim.

Hazrat Aisha^ra was then married to the Holy Prophet^sa, though the union would not be consummated for several years.

A question briefly answered

Her age at the time of her marriage has been a controversial topic of debate. There is only one hadith narrated by Hisham which suggests that Hazrat Aisha^ra was nine years old. With reference to her age, the Promised Messiah^as stated in one of his writings:

“It has been written that she was nine years of age. Firstly, there is no evidence that the Holy Prophet^sa stated this, nor has there been any revelation in regard to this, nor is it substantiated from the Akhbare-Mutawatirah, [sayings of the Prophet Muhammad^sa reported by a large number of people] that she was certainly nine years old. It has only been taken from one narrator.” (Nur-ul-Quran, No. 2, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 9, pp. 377-378)

Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad^ra also discoursed in The Life and Character of the Seal of the Prophets that she may have been 12 years old.

Modern researchers have debated on the veracity of this Hadith and inferred that she was much older. According to one of the scholars, Hisham mistakenly left out the word “ashara” i.e. “ten”, after the word “tis‘ah”, which means “nine” in Arabic; insinuating that she was 19 years old when she entered the household of her husband.

Moreover, it is narrated by Hazrat Anas^ra that in the Battle of Uhud, Hazrat Aisha^ra and Hazrat Umm-e-Sulaim^ra would carry water and tend to the wounded on the field. The Holy Prophet^sa specifically forbade young boys or girls to partake in the battle. The Battle of Uhud took place in 3 AH, and Hazrat Aisha^ra bade farewell to her parents’ home in the second year of Hijrah. If it is to be presumed that she was only 11 years old at the Battle of Uhud, it is incongruous with the command of the Holy Prophet^sa.

The fact of the matter is, the Holy Prophet^sa did not marry Hazrat Aisha^ra out of lasciviousness or carnal passion (God forbid) as certain orientalists imply; rather, he saw in Hazrat Aisha^ra the future religious scholar who, owing to her young age, would receive a longer opportunity to educate and train Muslim men and women alike. And as the history would later unfold, she became one of the most prolific scholars of her time.

The question about Hazrat Aisha’s age in light of the Sunni-Shia conflict

The first mention of Hazrat Aisha^ra is found in the Tabaqat of Ibn Saad who prepared this collection of biographical accounts 150 years after hijrah. By then, the Sunni-Shia conflict had not only manifested but was rife. Where, on the one hand, Hazrat Ali^ra, Hazrat Fatima^ra and their progeny were presented as the closest and most beloved to the Messenger^sa of Islam, there were attempts on the other to prove Hazrat Abu Bakr^ra to be the rightful successor (khalifa).

Imams from the Sunni school of thought emphasised the superiority of Hazrat Abu Bakr^ra and Hazrat Aisha^ra, whereas Shia Imams and scholars highlighted the traditions which made served to venerate and exalt of the stature of Hazrat Ali^ra and Hazrat Fatima^ra.

Ibn Khaliqan, writing about Allama ibn Jawzi, mentions in his book Wafayat-ul-Ayaan that a group of Sunni and Shia people approached him and asked him to resolve their dispute. The contention was who was more superior, Hazrat Abu Bakr^ra or Hazrat Ali^ra?

Allama Jawzi replied: 

افضل صحابة الرسول الذی بنتہ فی بیتہ

That is, superior was “he whose daughter married the other.” 

Although this event, which highlighted the intelligence and sharp nature of Ibn Jawzi, is from the 12^th or 13^th century CE, it clearly shows the tension between the Sunnis and Shias regarding the status of the Companions^ra.

Recording events in pre- and early-Islamic Arabia

Another factor which is essential to be considered in this regard, is that there was no common calendar for the pre-Islamic Arabia.

The calendars used in pre-Islamic Arabia were those partly borrowed from Egypt, Abyssinia, Iran and Syria. These too were not for the general public but the bureaucrats of various tribes who worked on engineer the months of every year in a way that certain festivals fell in certain desired seasons. The Hajj, for instance, was made to occur in autumn or around it – a time when trade caravans would pass through Hijaz – to fully benefit from the economic aspect of festivals. (For details: Al-Asaar al-Baqiya, by Abu Rehan al-Biruni)

Therefore, in an age when there was no calendar for the common people and the concept of numbers was as vague as was limited, recording dates or even years of birth was out of the question. To mark an event of personal biographical importance, it was tied to another event of greater historical importance: “A year before or after the Year of the Elephants (Aam al-Fil), so and so many months before or after the reconstruction of the Ka‘bah” etc. 

Estimates derived from other historical events

Now we glance into some historical events, for instance the Battle of Uhud which was fought in 3 AH. Describing the battlefield, Hazrat Anas^ra is reported to have said:

وَلَقَدْ رَأَيْتُ عَائِشَةَ بِنْتَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ، وَأُمَّ سُلَيْمٍ وَإِنَّهُمَا لَمُشَمِّرَتَانِ، أَرَى خَدَمَ سُوقِهِمَا تَنْقُزَانِ القِرَبَ، وَقَالَ غَيْرُهُ: تَنْقُلاَنِ القِرَبَ عَلَى مُتُونِهِمَا، ثُمَّ تُفْرِغَانِهِ فِي أَفْوَاهِ القَوْمِ، ثُمَّ تَرْجِعَانِ فَتَمْلَآَنِهَا، ثُمَّ تَجِيئَانِ فَتُفْرِغَانِهَا فِي أَفْوَاهِ القَوْمِ

“I saw Aisha, daughter of Abu Bakr, and Umm Sulaim with their robes tucked up so that their anklets were visible. They hurriedly walked, carrying water skins on their backs, pouring water in the mouths of the wounded, would go back to fill the skins again and return to pour water in the mouths of people.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Jihad wa al-Asir)

If the narration stating her age as nine at the time of marriage was to be followed, she would only have been 10 at the time of Uhud. In the case of other estimates suggesting her to be 12 at marriage, she would have not been older than 13 at Uhud. Where it is a known fact that the Holy Prophet^sa strictly took not even male children along to the battleground, it seems highly implausible that he would allow a small girl to be facing the combat. However, Allah knows best.

A source of blessings

Her abode was a treasure house of blessings. The Holy Prophet^sa used to say that among all his wives, it was only in her abode that he received revelation. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith no. 3775)

Their union was a product of divine inspiration and the angels would descend upon her and convey their salutations to her. Hazrat Abu Salama narrates the Holy Prophet^sa said to Aisha^ra:

“Aisha, Gabriel conveys his Salam to you” to which she returned his greetings. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith no. 3217)

It is reported by Ibn-e-Abbas^ra that once, the Holy Prophet^sa enquired from Gabriel^as as to why he did not visit him more often. To this, the following verse was revealed, “We [angels] do not come save by the command of thy Lord. [Surah Maryam, Ch.19: V.65]” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith no. 3218)

It can be deduced from the aforementioned ahadith that it was under the command of God Almighty that angels would relate their salutations to her. This further sheds light on the lofty status she held in the eyes of God and the Prophet^sa of Islam. It is owing to this that the Holy Prophet^sa used to say:

“The greatness of Aisha^ra over the rest of the wives is like thareed”, i.e. the superiority that meat has over ordinary food. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith no. 3769)

Once Hazrat Aisha^ra lost her necklace and the Muslim army had to camp at a place where there was no water. At the moment, God conferred upon the Muslims the convenience of tayammum. Hazrat Uzair^ra bin Huzair told her:

“Whenever you encounter a difficulty, Allah took you out of it and brought with it a blessing for the Muslims.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith no. 3773)

The last companion

A unique distinction she holds over the rest of the Prophet’s^sa wives is that the Holy Prophet^sa spent his last days and hours at her house. The wives of the Messenger^sa of Allah had unanimously agreed that considering his illness, it was in his best interest to live the rest of his days in Hazrat Aisha’s^ra house.

His last words were, “[I now go to] Allah, the Most Noble Companion” as his head rested on the bosom of his beloved wife, Aisha^ra. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith no. 4463)

Knowledge

After the Messenger^sa of Allah passed away, she played a critical role in the transmission of knowledge she acquired from her husband. She is the narrator of more than 2,200 ahadith, which today shape the Islamic legal traditions. She is one of the most compelling figures in the mainstream of Islamic intellectual history. She helped the companions of the Holy Prophet^sa in resolving intricate issues and the Holy Prophet^sa instructed the believers to learn half of religious knowledge from her. Her nephew, Hazrat Urwa^ra bin Zubair attested to her knowledge in the following words:

“I have never met anyone whose knowledge surpassed Hazrat Aisha’s^ra. She was the most scholarly person of her time in the Quran, fundamentals of religion, fiqh, poetry, medicine, Arabian history and genealogy.”

Scholars believe that one fourth of Islamic jurisprudence is based on her accounts. Such was her knowledge, which she passed on to the Muslim world.

Demise

Hazrat Aisha^ra passed away in 678 AD. In accordance with her wishes, she was buried in Jannat-ul-Baqi alongside the rest of the noble wives of the Holy Prophet^sa. It is narrated on the authority of Hazrat Amr bin Al ‘As^ra:

“I came to the Holy Prophet^sa and asked, ‘Who is the most beloved to you?’ He replied ‘Aisha.’ ‘And who among men?’ I asked. He replied, ‘Her father.’” (Sahih al Bukhari, Hadith no. 3662)