Aisha Bint Abi Bakr

Aisha bint Abi Bakr (عائشہ بنت ابی بكر) was one of The Mothers of The Believers, and the only virgin wife of the

Muhammad . ¹ She was born in the age of Jahilia i.e., before the declaration of Prophethood by Prophet Muhammad . ² She was given many titles, one of which was ‘Al-Siddiqah bint Al-Siddique’ or ‘The Truthful Woman, daughter of The Truthful Man.’ ³ Her (teknonym) was Umm Abdullah, though she had no son or daughter. ⁴ She was the most loved by Prophet Muhammad ⁵ and had the highest status amongst the wives after Khadijah .

Lineage

She was Aisha bint Abi Bakr ⁶ ibn Abi Quhafah ibn ‘Amir ibn Ka’b ibn Saad ibn Taym ibn Murra ibn Ka'b ibn Luayy ibn Ghalib. ⁷ Her mother’s name was Umm Rouman ibn ‘Amir ibn ‘Uwaimar ibn Abd Al-Shams ibn Attab ibn Uzina ibn Subai’ ibn Duhman ibn Al-Harith ibn Ghanam ibn Malik ibn Kinana Al-Kinaniyyah. ⁸

Betrothal with the Holy Prophet

After the demise of Khadijah (Prophet Muhammad’s wife), Khawla bint Hakeem suggested that Prophet Muhammad should marry Aisha along with Sawda bint Zama’ . Prophet Muhammad was content with her suggestion and suggested her to go to Abu Bakr and ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage. When she gave Prophet Muhammad’s message to Abu Bakr , he replied that he had already promised to give her hand to Mut'im ibn Addi's son, who was a pagan. Still, Abu Bakr went to Al-Mut’im’s house and met his wife, who told him that he should be aware that she would not allow her son to follow the religion of Muhammad after marrying Aisha . Instead of answering her, Abu Bakr turned to Al-Mut’im and inquired what his wife was referring to. Al-Mut’im replied that it meant exactly what he had heard. ⁹ Thus, Abu Bakr decided that he longer needed to wed his daughter with Al-Mut'im's son, and could accept the proposal of the Holy Prophet . So, he left their house and gave the good news to Khawlah so that she could inform the Holy Prophet . Hence, the Holy Prophet was engaged to her. ¹⁰

The reason why Prophet Muhammad agreed to this proposal was due to the fact that he had received divine signs in his dreams before the marriage. ¹¹ Ibn Athir states that the dream was shown to him after the demise of Khadija . ¹² The dream is narrated as:

  أريتك فى المنام مرتين، أرى أن رجلا يحملك فى سرقة حرير فيقول: هذا امرأتك فأكشف فأراك فأقول إن كان هذا من عند الله يمضه. ¹³

  I (Prophet Muhammad ) saw you (Aishah ) in my dream twice. I saw that a man (angel) brought your picture to me in a piece of silk and said: This is your wife. I uncovered your picture and I said: If this is Allah’s will, it will be fulfilled.

Another narration is narrated from Aisha that she said:

  ما تزوجنى النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم حتى أتاه جبريل بصورتى وقال:هذه زوجتك. ¹⁴

  The Messenger of Allah () did not marry me until Gabriel (Jibrail ) showed my picture to him and said: This is your wife.

Hence, when Khawlah mentioned her name to the Holy

, he agreed. The of Makkah, who did not waste any opportunity to slander the Holy Prophet , did not criticize this betrothal and accepted it, because it was a norm.

Age at Marriage

It is quoted that Aisha’s age at betrothal was 6 years and at consummation of marriage, 9 years. ¹⁵ The primary source which all the historians, biographers, orientalist and Islamic scholars quote as proof of Aisha’s age, are the 10 narrations quoted in Al-Bukhari, Al-Muslim and Sunan Abi Dawood. These narrations exist in many other books of Ahadith and history as well, but Al-Bukhari, Al-Muslim and Abi Dawood are considered to be their primary sources. However, if the researchers analyze the evidence given in the books, verify the details of the narrators of Al-Bukhari and Al-Muslim and check the situational factors of that time, the reality of Aisha’s age at marriage changes significantly.

Verification of the Narrators

Regarding Aisha’s age, five narrations are recorded in Al-Bukhari, ^{16 17 18 19 20} four in Al-Muslim ^{21 22 23 24} and one in Abi Dawood. ²⁵ In appearance, these seem to be ten different narrations, however, five narrations of Al-Bukhari, two narrations of Al-Muslim and one narration of Abi Dawood are narrated from a single narrator, known as Hisham who narrates from Urwa who narrates it from Aisha . Among the remaining two narrations of Al-Muslim, one is narrated by Zuhri, who narrates it from Urwa, who narrated it from Aisha , while the other hadith is narrated by Ibrahim, who heard it from Aswad, who narrated it from Aisha . Hence, these ten narrations are actually three narrations.

Regarding Hisham, it is known that he was the son of Urwa, who was the son of Zubair, the nephew of Aisha . Hisham was born in 61 A.H. ²⁶ and spent his initial years in Madinah where he became a scholar of Hadith, ²⁷ and his narrations have been quoted in almost every book of Hadith. However, later on, when he started to visit Iraq, he started to indulge in tadlees. As Imam Al-Zahabi quotes Yaqoob ibn Shaibah and states:

  وقال عبد الرحمن بن خراش: بلغني أن مالكانقم على هشام بن عروة حديثه لأهل العراق، وكان لا يرضاه ثم قال قدم الكوفة ثلاث مرات قدمة كان يقول فيھا حدثنى أبى قال سمعت عائشة، والثانية فكان يقول أخبرنى أبى، عن عائشة، وقدم الثالثة فكان يقول أبى، عن عائشة يرسل، عن ابيه. ²⁸

  Abd al-Rahman ibn Khurash said: It reached me that Mālik (ibn Anas) was critical of Hisham ibn Urwah’s narration for the people of Iraq, and he did not approve of him. He then said: 'He (Hisham) came to Kufa three times. The first time, he used to say, 'My father told me that he heard from Aisha ().' The second time, he said, 'My father informed me from Aisha ().' And the third time, he would say, 'My father from Aisha (),' transmitting (the narration while removing the other narrators and directly mentioning) his father.'

  هشام ثبت لم ينكر عليه إلا بعد صار إلى العراق، فانه انسبط فى الرواية وأرسل عن ابيه بنا كان سمعه من غير ابيه عن ابيه. ²⁹

  Hishām was reliable, and he was not criticized until after he went to Iraq, where he became more relaxed in his narrations and attributed to his father what he had heard from others (who had narrated) from his father (and he had not heard it from his father).

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Regarding the Ahadith quoted from the people of Iraq, Hisham’s own view was:

  قال هشام بن عروة: إذا حدثك العراقى بألف حديث فألق تسعمائة وتسعين وكن من الباقى فى شك. ³⁰

  Hisham ibn Urwa said: If an Iraqi narrates one thousand Ahadith to you, throw nine hundred and ninety-nine away, and be suspicious of the rest.

Imam Shafi states that if a hadith has no basis in the Hijaz (where Makkah and Madinah are located), its essence is lost and if it has come from Iraq and has no basis in Hijaz, it should not be accepted. ³¹ Strangely, in the hadith regarding Aisha’s marriage age, all the narrators in the chain are from Iraq. None of the narrators of this hadith are from Makkah or Madinah. ³². This creates further doubt about how a hadith, in which Aisha herself is narrating something, could have originated from Iraq while no one in Makkah or Madinah knew about it. Furthermore, Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani states:

  هشام بن عروة بن الزبير بن العوام تابعى صغير مشھور ذكره بذالك أبو الحسن القطان وأنكره الذهبى وابن القطان فان الحكاية المشھورة عنه أنه قدم العراق ثلاث مرات ففى الاولى حدث عن أبيه فصرح بسماعه وفى الثانية حدث بالكثير فلم يصرح بالقصة وهى تقتضى انه حدث عنه بما لم يسمعه منه وهذا هو التدليس. ³³

  Hisham ibn Urwa ibn Zubair Al-Awwam was a famous younger Tabai’ . This was mentioned by Abu al-Hasan al-Qattan, but it was rejected by al-Dhahabi and Ibn al-Qattan. The well-known account about him is that he traveled to Iraq three times. On the first visit, he narrated from his father and clearly stated that he had heard from him. On the second visit, he narrated much but did not specify the details, which implies that he narrated what he had not heard directly from his father. This is considered tadlis (concealment of sources).

At another place Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani further states:

  هشام ابن عروة ابن الزبير ابن العوام الأسدى ثقة فقيه ربما دلس من الخامسة. ³⁴

  Hisham ibn Urwa ibn Al-Awam Al-Asadi was a Thiqa (trustworthy) Islamic jurist however he did Tadlees in the place of the fifth narrator.

Al-Baghdadi quotes Imam Malik and states:

  مالك بن أنس: هشام بن عروة كذاب. ³⁵

  Malik ibn Anas stated: Hisham ibn Urwa was a liar.

Imam Zahabi states:

  حجة إمام، لكن فى الكبر تناقص حفظه، ولم يختلط أبدا، ولا عبرة بما قاله أبو الحسن بن القطان من أنه وسھيل بن أبى صالح اختلطا، وتغيرا. نعم الرجل قليلا ولم يبق حفظه كھو فى حال الشبيبة، فنسى بعض محفوظه أووهم، فكان ماذا! أهو معصوم من النسيان! ³⁶

  He was a leader, an authenticator (of Hadith), but in his old age, his memory became weak but he never mixed things up and there is no evidence that he mixed Ahadith or made changes in them as quoted by Abu Al-Hasan ibn Al-Qattan and Suhail ibn Abi Saleh. However, his memory was not the same as it was in his youth. He used to forget somethings or became doubtful, so he changed alike! (so) how was he protected from (the disease of) forgetting?

These quotations allude to the fact that Hisham was involved in Tadlees, his memory became weak, and he quoted many Ahadith from the people of Iraq, which, according to himself were unreliable and unacceptable. Hence, it is established that eight narrations quoted by Hisham regarding Aisha’s age which are quoted in Al-Bukahri, Al-Muslim and Abi Dawood are deemed to be unreliable and unacceptable as well.

The second narration which is quoted by Al-Muslim consisted of 6 narrators in its chain, out of which one is Zuhri who narrated this Hadith from Urwa. Scholars of the Hadith are sure on this fact that Zuhri did not narrate anything from Urwa. ³⁷ Moreover, another narrator in this chain of narration is Abdul Razzaq. About this individual, some scholars of Hadith state that he was a reliable and Thiqa person, however others state that he was a liar. Abbas ibn Al-Azeem, who was from the same city as Abdul Razzaq i.e., Sana’a, swore by

and stated:

  والله الذى لا اله الا هو ان عبدالرزاق كذاب. ³⁸

  I swear by Allah who is the only God, that Abdul Razzaq is a Liar.

The same has been endorsed by Imam Zahabi as well. ³⁹ Since, it is established that Zuhri did not narrate any hadith from Urwa and the Thiqahat (Truthfulness) of Abdul Razzaq is questionable, it means that two of the 6 narrators become doubtful, which leads to the conclusion that this narration is unreliable as well.

His third narration, which is also quoted by Al-Muslim, is as follows:

  حدثنا أبو معاوية، عن الأعمش، عن إبراهيم، عن الأسود، عن عائشة، قالت: تزوجھا رسول الله صلى الله علية وسلم وهى بنت ست، وبنى بھا وهى بنت تسع، ومات عنھا وهى بنت ثمان عشرة. ⁴⁰

  … Abu Muawiya narrated from A’mash, who narrated from Ibrahim who narrated it from Aisha who said: The Prophet of Allah betrothed me when I was six years old and consummated the marriage when I was nine years old and he passed away when I was eighteen years old.

In this narration, one of the narrators is Abu Muawiya. Regarding him, scholars of Hadith state:

  وكان حافظا متقنا ولكنه كان مرجئا. ⁴¹

  He was a Hafiz (Memorizer of Ahadith), pious individual, but he was a Murjiite.

Al-Suyuti quotes Abu Dawood and states:

  وقال أبو داؤد كان رئيس المرجئة بالكوفة. ⁴²

  Abu Dawood stated that He (Abu Muawiya) was the leader of Murji’ites in Kufa.

Imam Zahabi quotes Yaqoob ibn Shaibah and states:

  ثقة، ربما دلس، كان يرى الإرجاء. ⁴³

  He was Thiqa, but sometimes he used to indulge in Tadlees (while quoting hadith) and was a Murji’ite.

Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani quotes Ibn Saad and states:

  قال بن سعد كان ثقة كثير الحديث يدلس وكان مرجئا. ⁴⁴

  Ibn Saad states that he (Abu Muawiya) was Thiqa, practiced Tadlees in many Ahadith and was a Murji’ite.

Since he was a Marjiite by belief and also indulged in Tadlees (skipping narrators), his narration becomes unreliable and unacceptable. Hence, it can be seen that all three narrations have technical issues in their chains of narration, therefore, according to standards set for the narration of Hadith by Muhadditheen, they are deemed to be unreliable and unacceptable. However, this does not mean that all narrations or most of the narrations quoted in these books are unreliable. It only alludes to the fact that Al-Bukhari, Al-Muslim and Abi Dawood were human beings, and despite their best efforts, it is possible that some unreliable narrations made their way in their books due to some mistakes or miscalculations. Another, more appropriate explanation for this is that they simply followed the rule established by the teacher of Imam Bukhari. Al-Bayhaqui quotes Abdul Rehman and states:

  عن عبدالرحمن بن مهدى أنه كان يقول: إذا روينا عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم فى الحلال والحرام والأحكام، تشددنا فى الأسانيد، وانتقدنا الرجال، وإذا روينا فى فضائل الأعمال والثواب والعقاب، تساهلنا فى الأسانيد، وتسامحنا فى الرجال. ⁴⁵

  It is narrated from Abd Al-Rahman ibn Mahdi that he used to say: When we narrate from the Holy Prophet () regarding what is lawful and unlawful, and legal rulings, we are strict with the chains of narration and critical of the narrators. However, when narrating about the virtues of actions, rewards, and punishments, we are lenient with the chains of narration and more forgiving of the narrators (at times hide or overlook some of the traits).

Abd Al-Rehman ibn Mahdi was Imam Bukhari’s teacher and is considered as an expert when it comes to checking the people in the chain of narration. He is stating as an authority that when it comes to virtues, which may belong to a person or an act or an event, the chain of narration is not checked thoroughly or the checking method is relaxed. Probably, this could be one of the reasons that the chain of narration of the hadith which states Aisha’s age was 6 or 9 years was not thoroughly checked. It could also be the reason that Imam Bukhari, Al-Muslim and Abi Dawood adopted the rule quoted by Abdul Rahman and included this Hadith in their books.

Aisha’s Age at Marriage according to Historical Records

The year of Aisha’s birth is uncertain, however, keeping in mind the narration of Aisha’s consummation of marriage, which states that she was 9 years old at that time, it means that she was born 5 years after the declaration of prophethood by

Muhammad . However, since this age is based upon the unreliable narrations quoted in Al-Bukhari and Al-Muslim, it means that she was not born 5 years after the declaration of prophethood. Her real age can be estimated if we look at the narrations quoted by Ibn Ishaq who lived almost a century before Imam Bukhari. Ibn Ishaq states:

  ثم اسلم ناس...اخت عمر بن خطاب، واسماء بنت ابى بكر، وعائشة بنت ابى بكر وهى صغيرة... ⁴⁶

  Then, the people who accepted Islam… Sister of Umar ibn Al-Khattab, Asma bint Abi Bakr and Aisha bint Abi Bakar who was a small girl at that time.

These people were among those who accepted

in the initial years. This narration shows that Asma bint Abi Bakr and Aisha bint Abi Bakr accepted Islam just after Fatimah bint Al-Khattab , who accepted Islam around the third year of the declaration of prophethood. Ibn Ishaq narrates that Aisha was a small girl at that time. This means that she was 5 years old at the time of the declaration of Prophet hood and 7-8 years old when she accepted Islam. ⁴⁷ This is why she was able to accept Islam consciously. According to this narration, she was around at least 14-15 years at the time she was betrothed to Prophet Muhammad as that was done in the 10th year of prophethood, and 17-18 years at the time of the consummation of the marriage, as that occurred in the 1st year of Hijra.

Determining Aisha’s Age by Comparing to Asma bint Abi Bakr

Asma was the elder sister of Aisha . As per the books of history, it is an established fact that she was ten years older than Aisha . Ibn Kathir states:

  وهى اكبر من اختھا عائشة بعشر سنين... وبلغت من العمر مائة سنة...ثم ماتت فى سنة ثلاث وسبعین. ⁴⁸

  She was 10 years older than her sister Aisha… she reached 100 years of age… then passed away in 73 A.H.

Al-Qurtabi ⁴⁹ and Al-Jazri ⁵⁰ also quoted that she passed away at the age of 100 in 73 A.H. Since Asma was 100 years old when she passed away in 73 A.H., it means that at the time of emigration, her age was 27 years. Then, since she was 10 years older than Aisha , it become clear that at the time of emigration, Aisha was 17 years old.

Situational Factors which Refute Al-Bukhari’s and Al-Muslim’s Narration

After the death of Khadijah , Khawlah bint Al-Hakeem went to the Holy Prophet and urged him to marry again. ⁵¹ The situation at Prophet Muhammad’s house required someone who could take care of Fatima , the affairs of the house and support Prophet Muhammad . When Prophet Muhammad asked Khawlah whom should he marry, she gave him two names, Sawdah and Aisha , which meant that if he married one of them or both, each was capable of managing the situation of the house. This alludes to the fact that if Aisha was only 6 years old at that time, Khawlah would not have mentioned her name as a candidate for marriage as she was a minor at that time, ⁵² and was not capable of managing house affairs.

It is also said that Aisha’s name came to Khawlah’s mind because Prophet Muhammad had been shown her picture by Gabriel (Jibrail) , however, in that revelation, Prophet Muhammad was only shown her face and no word or part of the narration of that revelation indicates that Aisha’s age was 6 years at the time of betrothal. That age was quoted only by the people when the narrations mentioned above were quoted by Al-Bukhari, Al-Muslim and Abi Dawood.

Age at the Revelation of Surah Al-Qamar (The Moon)

According to a narration of Al-Bukhari, Aisha was a young girl when verses of Surah Al-Qamar (The Moon) were revealed. Yusuf ibn Maahak narrates:

  ...قال: إنى عند عائشة ام المؤمنين، قالت: لقد انزل على محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم بمكة وإنى لجارية ألعب، بل الساعة موعدهم والساعة أدهى وأمر... ⁵³

  He (Yusuf ibn Mahak) said that I was in the house of Aisha, The Mother of The Believers, she said: when the revelation ‘But their (actual) promise is the Last Hour, and the Last Hour is extremely terrible and most agonizing.’ was revealed to Prophet Muhammad at Makkah, I was a little girl.

This surah was revealed when the event of ‘Shaq Al-Qamar’ (the splitting of the Moon) took place five years before Hijrat. ⁵⁴ In this hadith, Aisha narrates that she was a ‘Jariya’ at that time, which refers to a little girl who is nearing puberty. ⁵⁵ This means that at that time, she was at-least 10 years old. If this age is accepted then, at the time of betrothal her age comes out to be 12-13 and at the time of consummation, 15-16 at least.

Birth of Abu Bakr’s Children

All of Abu Bakr’s children, namely Abdullah, Asma, Abdul Rahman and Aisha were born in the age of Jahiliyah i.e., before the declaration of prophethood by Prophet Muhammad . Al-Tabari states:

  فكل هؤلاء الأربعة من أولاده، ولدوا من زوجتيه اللتين سمينا هما فى الجاهلية. ⁵⁶

  All four children of (Abu Bakr), whose names have been mentioned above were born from his two wives in the age of Jahiliyah.

The details mentioned above allude to the fact that since Aisha she was born before the declaration of prophethood by Prophet Muhammad , she was at least 9-10 years old when the verses of Surah Al-Qamar were revealed, which makes her 12-13 at the time of betrothal and 15-16 at the time of the consummation of marriage.

The Use of Word Bikr (بِکر) and Thayyab (ثیِّب)

When Khawlah requested

Muhammad to marry again, he asked her if she had anyone in mind. Upon this, Khawlah asked him if he wanted to marry a ‘Thayyabah’ (married woman who has been divorced or made a widow) or a Bikr (virgin, un-married girl). The word Bikr is not used for a minor girl in Arabic, for that, the word ‘Jariyah’ is used. Since, the word Bikr was used for Aisha and not Jariyah, it shows that although Aisha was un-married at that time, but she had attained puberty and was ready for marriage. ⁵⁷

The details mentioned above allude to the fact that since many errors pertaining to Riwayat and Dirayat have been found in the narrations regarding Aisha’s age at betrothal and consummation of marriage, it is unreasonable to accept those narrations on their face value. The scholars of Hadith need to ponder on this topic so that the real facts become accessible for everyone. However, the details mentioned above allude to the fact that her age at the consummation of marriage ranged from 16-17 years at least.

Migration to Madinah

When

commanded Prophet Muhammad to leave Makkah, he emigrated to Madinah on the night fixed by Allah and left Ali ibn Abi Talib on his bed. ⁵⁸ A few days after Prophet Muhammad reached Madinah, he and Abu Bakr sent messages to their families to come to Madinah as well. When Aisha heard this news, she was extremely happy and started preparing for the journey ahead. Abu Bakr sent Abdullah ibn Uraiqat to his son Abdullah and asked him to bring his family to Madinah. He brought Abu Bakr’s family including Umm Rouman, ⁵⁹ Asma, Aisha and Abd Al-Rahman . Aisha stayed with her family for several months after migrating to Madinah. They stayed at the lodging of Al-Haritha ibn Nauman in the beginning. After the completion of Masjid-e-Nabawi at Madinah, Prophet Muhammad built a residential area for Sawdah and Aisha and consummated his marriage with Aisha in the month of Shawwal. ⁶⁰

Consummation of Marriage

Aisha’s marriage with Prophet Muhammad was consummated in the 1st year of Hijra, ⁶¹ around Eight months after the migration. Abu Bakr discussed the consummation of the marriage with the Holy

, at which Prophet Muhammad responded positively, and went to Abu Bakr’s house, accompanied by men and women for the wedding ceremony. The wedding ceremony was simple. The bride had taken a shower and was dressed in clean clothes. When she was ready, her mother Umm Rouman took her to a room where the women of Madinah were waiting for the bride. When she arrived there, the women prayed for her. ⁶²

She was given a dowry of 400 dirhams. ⁶³ When the wedding ceremony was over, Aisha was moved to her house, which was a simple room beside the mosque. The interior of her room was simple as well. It contained a leather mattress filled with straw, a mat on the floor and across the door was a curtain made from camel’s hair. She was extremely content after moving in with him.

Prophet Muhammad was never offended by her inclination to play games. Instead, she was a source of joy and relaxation for him. Her companionship at that time was the best opportunity for Prophet Muhammad to educate her about the teachings of

for future propagation and guidance. ⁶⁴ Therefore, she was nurtured significantly and became a source of goodness to herself and the Islamic world at large.

The Slander and Aisha’s Patience

During Ghazwat (war campaigns), the Holy

used to take one of his wives with him. In the 6th year of Hijrah, Prophet Muhammad took Aisha and Umm Salmah as his companions, when he set for the expedition of Banu Mustaliq. The Muslims were victorious and, on the way back, they encamped at a location near Madinah so that everyone could recover their energy. While they were staying there, Aisha went somewhere near to relieve herself. When she came back, she realized that she had dropped her necklace over there, hence, being a young girl, she retraced her footsteps and found her necklace. When she returned to the campsite, she was horrified to see it empty. The reason nobody checked for Aisha was that she was travelling in a howdah, mounted on her camel, and no one suspected that the howdah was empty as she was young, slim and light in weight. Hence, the army departed without knowing that she was left behind. ⁶⁵

Helpless, she wrapped herself with her mantle and sat down in location of the encampment. She hoped that some people might return to get her and fell asleep. After a short while, Safwan ibn Al-Muattil who was coming behind the army, came to this location and saw her sleeping. When Safwan saw her, he recognized that she was Aisha , as he had seen her before

had imposed the Hijab on Muslim women. When he came near, she woke up, and when she saw that he had seen her, she recited istirja (inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'oon) and covered herself properly. He was surprised to see that she was left behind, so he offered her his camel to mount, stepped aside so that she could mount it and then, without saying a word to her, he walked behind the camel. They travelled as fast as they could, hoping to join the Muslim caravan before they reached Madinah. However, the Muslims were travelling at a fast pace and had reached Madinah before them. ⁶⁶

Safwan and Aisha reached Madinah in broad daylight and the Holy Prophet was relieved to see her, happy that she was unhurt. Aisha told him her about her ordeal and Prophet Muhammad listened to her without any suspicion. However, the major hypocrites of Madinah, led by Abdullah ibn Ubayy used this event as an opportunity to conspire against

Muhammad and the Muslims. Hence, they started slandering Aisha by spreading false rumors against her, which were accepted by some Muslims as well. Those Muslims included Mistah ibn Usasah, a relative of Abu Bakr , Hassan ibn Thabit and Hamnah bint Jahsh . ⁶⁷

The rumors reached Prophet Muhammad and Aisha’s parents, but they did not mention them to her as she had become ill. Still, since she was accustomed to the care and kindness of Prophet Muhammad , she felt some coldness in his behavior. She thought the reason for this behavior could be the burden of establishing a new nation, so she waited patiently, hoping that all would be well soon. Instead, the situation worsened and she could no longer endure it. Thus, she asked for his permission to go to her parent’s house so that her mother could look after her as she was very ill. Prophet Muhammad allowed her to go, so she moved to her parent’s house where she was confined to her bed for over twenty days, unaware that people were discussing her in the city. ⁶⁸

When her health was restored, she went outside with Mistah’s mother and met other women, who told her about the vile rumors which the people were spreading about her. She felt extremely sad and cried her heart out. Aisha narrates that she cried to the extent that she thought that her liver would split. She then prayed and supplicated to

. Her mother also tried to console her, but to no avail because Aisha had realized that the reason for Prophet Muhammad’s disaffection towards her was due to these rumors. She was extremely upset, but she was not alone. Prophet Muhammad was suffering in the same way as well. In his heart, he knew that she was innocent and was a victim of a grave allegation. He had also gone to the Masjid-e-Nabawi and categorically stated to the people that some of the people of Madinah were trying to hurt him through his wives by accusing them of awful things that were not true. He then swore by y Allah and that said that he knew nothing about them except good things. Then he emphasized that Safwan ibn Mu'attal was a good man, and he was upset that the people were slandering him as well. ⁶⁹

After hearing this, some of the companions stated that the instigator of this incident was from the Khazraj tribe. This led in to an argument, which almost led to a war between the two clans. Both clans were silenced by the intervention of the Holy Prophet , who then descended from his pulpit and left the mosque. He called for Usama ibn Zayd and Ali ibn Abi Talib , and asked for their opinions. Usama assured the Holy

that it was a lie, however, Ali advised to get more information from Bareerah , the maid servant of Aisha . Bareerah confirmed that she knew nothing but goodness of Aisha , except for the fact that when she made dough and left it in Aisha’s care, she would sleep and the sheep would eat it. Then, he went to Abu Bakr’s house and found Aisha with swollen eyes, as she had been crying for two days. ⁷⁰

He sat next to Aisha, testified to the Oneness of Allah, and addressed her, saying that she was surely aware of what the people were saying about her. He urged her to fear Allah and, if she had done something wrong as the people claimed, to repent to Allah, for He accepts the repentance of His believers. At this, Aisha’s tears completely stopped. She waited for her parents to respond, but when they remained silent, she spoke firmly, swearing by Allah that she would never repent for something she had not done. She explained that if she agreed with the accusations, it would mean admitting to something untrue, and yet if she continued to deny the allegations, it seemed no one would believe her. Left with no other recourse, she concluded with the words of the father of Joseph: ⁷¹

  فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ ۖ وَاللَّهُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَىٰ مَا تَصِفُونَ 18 ⁷²

  So better it is to be patient (over this tragedy), and I seek only Allah’s help against whatever you are narrating.

It was on this moment that a revelation came to the Holy

which acquitted Aisha from the vile accusations of the people. Prophet Muhammad looked at Aisha and told her to rejoice as had revealed her innocence. ⁷³

After hearing this, Aisha’s parents were relieved and they told their daughter to thank Allah and his Prophet . Aisha was extremely happy and praised and thanked Allah Almighty for his help. Prophet Muhammad then went to Masjid-e-Nabawi and recited the verses of Surah Al-Noor (24: 11-21) which Allah Almighty had revealed for Aisha’s innocence. It was on this occasion as well that the punishment for false accusation of Adultery (Had-e-Qazf) was imposed. Allah revealed:

  إِنَّ الَّذِينَ جَاءُوا بِالْإِفْكِ عُصْبَةٌ مِّنكُمْ ۚ لَا تَحْسَبُوهُ شَرًّا لَّكُم ۖ بَلْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ ۚ لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مِّنْهُم مَّا اكْتَسَبَ مِنَ الْإِثْمِ ۚ وَالَّذِي تَوَلَّىٰ كِبْرَهُ مِنْهُمْ لَهُ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ11 لَّوْلَا إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ ظَنَّ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بِأَنفُسِهِمْ خَيْرًا وَقَالُوا هَٰذَا إِفْكٌ مُّبِينٌ 12 لَّوْلَا جَاءُوا عَلَيْهِ بِأَرْبَعَةِ شُهَدَاءَ ۚ فَإِذْ لَمْ يَأْتُوا بِالشُّهَدَاءِ فَأُولَٰئِكَ عِندَ اللَّهِ هُمُ الْكَاذِبُونَ13 وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ لَمَسَّكُمْ فِي مَا أَفَضْتُمْ فِيهِ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ 14 إِذْ تَلَقَّوْنَهُ بِأَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَتَقُولُونَ بِأَفْوَاهِكُم مَّا لَيْسَ لَكُم بِهِ عِلْمٌ وَتَحْسَبُونَهُ هَيِّنًا وَهُوَ عِندَ اللَّهِ عَظِيمٌ15 وَلَوْلَا إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ قُلْتُم مَّا يَكُونُ لَنَا أَن نَّتَكَلَّمَ بِهَٰذَا سُبْحَانَكَ هَٰذَا بُهْتَانٌ عَظِيمٌ16 يَعِظُكُمُ اللَّهُ أَن تَعُودُوا لِمِثْلِهِ أَبَدًا إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ17 وَيُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ ۚ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ18 إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَن تَشِيعَ الْفَاحِشَةُ فِي الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ ۚ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ19 وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ20 يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ ۚ وَمَن يَتَّبِعْ خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْمُرُ بِالْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ ۚ وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ مَا زَكَىٰ مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَدًا وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يُزَكِّي مَن يَشَاءُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ21 ⁷⁴

  Those who brought forward the lie are a body among yourselves: think it not to be an evil to you; On the contrary it is good for you: to every man among them (will come the punishment) of the sin that he earned, and to him who took on himself the lead among them, will be a penalty grievous. Why did not the believers - men and women - when ye heard of the affair, - put the best construction on it in their own minds and say, "This (charge) is an obvious lie". Why did they not bring four witnesses to prove it? When they have not brought the witnesses, such men, in the sight of Allah, (stand forth) themselves as liars. Were it not for the grace and mercy of Allah on you, in this world and the Hereafter, a grievous penalty would have seized you in that ye rushed glibly into this affair. Behold, ye received it on your tongues, and said out of your mouths things of which ye had no knowledge; and ye thought it to be a light matter, while it was most serious in the sight of Allah. And why did ye not, when ye heard it, say? - "It is not right of us to speak of this: Glory to Allah! this is a most serious slander!" Allah doth admonish you, that ye may never repeat such (conduct), if ye are (true) Believers. And Allah makes the Signs plain to you: for Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom. Those who love (to see) scandal published broadcast among the Believers, will have a grievous Penalty in this life and in the Hereafter: Allah knows, and ye know not. Were it not for the grace and mercy of Allah on you, and that Allah is full of kindness and mercy, (ye would be ruined indeed). O ye who believe! Follow not Satan's footsteps: if any will follow the footsteps of Satan, he will (but) command what is shameful and wrong: and were it not for the grace and mercy of Allah on you, not one of you would ever have been pure: but Allah doth purify whom He pleases: and Allah is One Who hears and knows (all things).

Hence, Mistah ibn Usasah, Hassan ibn Thabit and Hamnah bint Jahsh , who were involved in sharing these rumors were flogged with eighty lashes whereas Abdullah ibn Ubayy, the leader of the hypocrites was humiliated among his people as his conspiracy had been exposed in front of the public. ⁷⁵

After this victory, Aisha returned to her apartment beside Masjid-e-Nabawi and lived with the Holy Prophet for as long as he lived. After the farewell pilgrimage, Prophet Muhammad got ill, and when his illness got severe, he desired to spend his last days in the house of Aisha . No other wife objected to it as they knew that he was ill and they wanted him to be treated where he wished. So, he stayed in Aisha’s chamber where she looked after him with devotion and care. When the time of his departure from this world came near, she leaned him against her, and he passed away while his head was leaning between her head and chest. Aisha used to say that it was one of the favors of

that Prophet Muhammad passed away in her house while leaning against her. ⁷⁶

Distinctive Qualities of Aisha

Aisha stated that she was given ten distinctive qualities which were not given to any other wife of Prophet Muhammad .They were as follows:

1. Only virgin amongst all the wives of the Holy
   Prophet
   .
2. Both the parents were immigrants.
3. Allah sent proof of her innocence by the verses of the
   Holy Quran
   .
4. Gabriel (Jibrail) appeared to Prophet Muhammad with her picture covered in silk, and told him to marry Aisha .
5. Prophet Muhammad and Aisha took bath from the same pot.
6. Prophet Muhammad would offer prayer while she was sleeping in front of him.
7. Revelation was sent to him while Prophet Muhammad was with her.
8. Prophet Muhammad passed away while his head was leaning between her neck and chest.
9. Prophet Muhammad passed away on the day of her turn.
10. Prophet Muhammad was buried in her house. ⁷⁷

Aisha lived for 47 years after his demise ⁷⁸ and served the cause of

. She is known to have transmitted a large number of Ahadith. She is reported to have narrated around 2210 Ahadith. 174 of her narrations are agreed upon by Al-Bukhari and Al-Muslim. Among them, 54 are recorded in Al-Bukhari while 66 are recorded in Al-Muslim. She was the most knowledgeable among the wives of Prophet Muhammad and all other women. She was an expert of medicine and poetry. ⁷⁹ She used to express her opinion in matters of Jurisprudence during the caliphate of Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman . ⁸⁰ Prophet Muhammad also loved her a lot. It is narrated as:

  أن عمرو بن العاص، قال: يا رسول الله أي الناس أحب إليك؟، قال: عائشة ، قال: من الرجال، قال: أبو بكر ⁸¹

  Once, Amr ibn Al-As asked him: O

Prophet

of Allah, who is the most beloved person to your heart, he said Aisha . Amr asked, and from men? The Holy Prophet replied, her father, Abu Bakr .

The Battle of Camel

When Caliph Uthman was assassinated, his killers fled and entered the army of Ali ibn Abi Talib , who became the next Caliph. Uthman’s followers and other people wanted the assassins punished. At that time, Aisha was returning to Madinah after performing the pilgrimage. In Madinah, she met Talhah ibn Ubaydullah and Al-Zubair ibn Al-Awam who asked her to mediate and demand Ali ibn Abi Talib to bring the murderers to face justice. Aisha agreed and she, along with Talha, Zubair and other Muslims departed to Iraq. ⁸²They reached Basra and waited for Ali to arrive. He came and tried his best to resolve the issue with talks and unite the Muslims. In these negotiations, Al-Qa’qa’ah ibn Amir played an important part and both parties agreed to a solution. Hence, both parties went to their camps and slept peacefully. However, the assassins stayed up and plotted to start a war among the Muslims. For this purpose, they attacked both camps separately. Resultantly, The People of the Camel (Aisha’s group) thought that Ali’s army had attacked them and Ali’s army thought that Aisha’s group had attacked them. This led to a war between the two parties, which ended when Ali slaughtered Aisha’s camel, that was carrying her howdah. Then he came to meet her and said: ‘I ask

to forgive you.’ Aisha replied: ‘I ask the same thing for you. I wanted nothing else but unity and peace amongst the Muslims.’ ⁸³ Then, she left the battlefield and went to Madinah where she spent rest of her life away from the political issues.

Demise

Aisha Al-Siddiqa , The Mother of the Faithful, was a woman of knowledge, piety and intellect. She passed away on 17th of Ramadan 58 A.H. Abu Hurairah led her funeral prayer and she was buried in Jannat Al-Baqee. ⁸⁴

 

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• ¹³ Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Yasar Al-Madani (2009), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Ishaq, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 280.
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• ¹⁶ Muhammad ibn Ismail Al-Bukhari (1999), Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith: 3894, Dar Al-Salam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 655.
• ¹⁷ Ibid, Hadith: 3896.
• ¹⁸ Ibid, Hadith: 5133, Pg. 918.
• ¹⁹ Ibid, Hadith: 5134.
• ²⁰ Ibid, Hadith: 5158, Pg. 922.
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• ²² Ibid, Hadith: 3480.
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• ⁵⁸ Safi Al-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri (2010), Al-Raheeq Al-Makhtum, Dar Ibn Hazam, Beirut, Lebanon Pg. 182-184.
• ⁵⁹ Abu Hatim Muhammad ibn Habban Al-Tamimi Al-Darmi (1417 A.H.), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah wa Akhbar Al-Khulafah, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Thaqafiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 144.
• ⁶⁰ Abu Al-Fatah Muhammad ibn Sayyid Al-Naas (1993), ‘Uyoon Al-Athar fi Funoon Al-Maghazi wal Shamail wal Siyar, Dar Al-Qalam, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 2, Pg. 368.
• ⁶¹ Ahmed ibn Yahya ibn Jabir ibn Dawood Al-Baladhuri (1996), Jumal min Ansab Al-Ashraf, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 409.
• ⁶² Muhammad ibn Ismail Al-Bukhari (1999), Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith: 3894, Dar Al-Salam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 655.
• ⁶³ Abd Al-Malik ibn Hisham (1955), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Hisham, Shirkah Maktabah wa Matba’a Mustafa Al-Babi, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 2, Pg. 644.
• ⁶⁴ Faridah Masood Debas (2009), The Wives of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, International Islamic Publishing House, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 71-72.
• ⁶⁵ Abd Al-Malik ibn Hisham (1955), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Hisham, Shirkah Maktabah wa Matba’a Mustafa Al-Babi, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 2, Pg. 297-298.
• ⁶⁶ Muhammad ibn Ismail Al-Bukhari (1999), Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith: 4141, Dar Al-Salam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 701-702.
• ⁶⁷ Faridah Masood Debas (2009), The Wives of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, International Islamic Publishing House, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 74-75.
• ⁶⁸ Abd Al-Malik ibn Hisham (1955), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Hisham, Shirkah Maktabah wa Matba’a Mustafa Al-Babi, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 2, Pg. 298-299.
• ⁶⁹ Muhammad ibn Ismail Al-Bukhari (1999), Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith: 4141, Dar Al-Salam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 703.
• ⁷⁰ Abd Al-Malik ibn Hisham (1955), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Hisham, Shirkah Maktabah wa Matba’a Mustafa Al-Babi, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 2, Pg. 300-301.
• ⁷¹ Abd Al-Malik ibn Hisham (1955), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Hisham, Shirkah Maktabah wa Matba’a Mustafa Al-Babi, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 2, Pg. 301-302.
• ⁷² Holy Quran, Yousuf (Prophet Joseph) 12: 18.
• ⁷³ Abd Al-Malik ibn Hisham (1955), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Hisham, Shirkah Maktabah wa Matba’a Mustafa Al-Babi, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 2, Pg. 302.
• ⁷⁴ Holy Quran, An-Nur (The Light) 24: 11-21.
• ⁷⁵ Muhammad ibn Ismail Al-Bukhari (1999), Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith: 4141, Dar Al-Salam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 704.
• ⁷⁶ Muhammad ibn Ismail Al-Bukhari (1999), Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith: 4450-4451, Dar Al-Salam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 756-757.
• ⁷⁷ Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1968), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Sadir, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 8, Pg. 63-64.
• ⁷⁸ Ibid, Pg. 77.
• ⁷⁹ Abu Al-Abbas Ahmed ibn Ali Al-Hussaini (1999), Imta’ Al-Asma bima lin Nabi Min Al-Ahwal wal-Amwal wal-Hafadah wal-Mata’a, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 6, Pg. 43.
• ⁸⁰ Ahmed ibn Yahya ibn Jabir ibn Dawood Al-Baladhuri (1996), Jumal min Ansab Al-Ashraf, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 418.
• ⁸¹ Abu Al-Qasim Sulaiman ibn Ahmed Al-Tabarani (1994), Al-M’ujam Al-Kabir lil-Ṭabarani, Al-Maktab Ibn Taimiyah, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 23, Pg. 43.
• ⁸² Muhammad ibn Jareer Al-Tabari (1387 A.H.), Tareekh Al-Tabari, Dar Al-Turath, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 4, Pg. 458-460.
• ⁸³ Faridah Masood Debas (2009), The Wives of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, International Islamic Publishing House, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 84-85.
• ⁸⁴ Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1968), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Sadir, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 8, Pg. 76-77.