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.
 
No comments:
Post a Comment