Āishah bint Abī Bakr (613/614 – 678 CE; Arabic: عائشة‎‎, also transcribed as A'ishah, Aisyah, Ayesha, A'isha, Aishat, Aishah, or Aisha) was one of Muhammad's wives. In Islamic writings, her name is thus often prefixed by the title "Mother of the Believers" (Arabic: أمّ المؤمنين umm al-mu'minīn), per the description of Muhammad's wives in the Qur'an.

Her other name was Hadisa. Aisha had an important role in early Islamic history, both during Muhammad's life and after his death. In Sunni tradition, Aisha is thought to be scholarly and inquisitive. She contributed to the spread of Muhammad's message and served the Muslim community for 44 years after his death. She is also known for narrating 2210 hadiths, not just on matters related to the Prophet's private life, but also on topics such as inheritance, pilgrimage, and eschatology. Her intellect and knowledge in various subjects, including poetry and medicine, were highly praised by early luminaries such as al-Zuhri and her student Urwa ibn al-Zubayr.

Quotes

• يَغْفُلُونَ عَنْ أَفْضَلِ الْعِبَادَةِ: التَّوَاضُعِ
• People are paying no attention to the best act of worship: Humility.
  • Collected by Ibn Abee Shaybah (13/360) Ibn Hajr graded this Athar as being Saheeh.

• Allah's Apostle said, "O Aisha! This is Gabriel sending his greetings to you." I said, "Peace, and Allah's Mercy be on him." 'Aisha added: The Prophet used to see things which we used not to see.
  • Narrated 'Aisha, in Sahih Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 73, Number 220

• Allah's Apostle said to me, "You were shown to me twice (in my dream) before I married you. I saw an angel carrying you in a silken piece of cloth, and I said to him, 'Uncover (her),' and behold, it was you. I said (to myself), 'If this is from Allah, then it must happen.' Then you were shown to me, the angel carrying you in a silken piece of cloth, and I said (to him), 'Uncover (her), and behold, it was you. I said (to myself), 'If this is from Allah, then it must happen.'
  • Sahih Bukhari 9:87:140

• Narrated 'Aisha: I asked the Prophet, "O Allah's Messenger! Should the women be asked for their consent to their marriage?" He said, "Yes." I said, "A virgin, if asked, feels shy and keeps quiet." He said, "Her silence means her consent."
  • Sahih Bukhari, 9:85:79

• Narrated 'Aisha: I used to play with the dolls in the presence of the Prophet, and my girl friends also used to play with me. When Allah's Apostle used to enter (my dwelling place) they used to hide themselves, but the Prophet would call them to join and play with me. (The playing with the dolls and similar images is forbidden, but it was allowed for 'Aisha at that time, as she was a little girl, not yet reached the age of puberty.)
  • Sahih Bukhari 8:73:151 Sahih Bukhari

• Narrated Aisha: I bought a cushion having pictures on it. When Allah’s Apostle saw it, he stopped at the gate and did not enter. I noticed the signs of hatred (for that) on his face! I said, "O Allah’s Apostle! I turn to Allah and His Apostle in repentance! What sin have I committed?" He said, "What about this cushion?" I said, ‘I bought it for you to sit on and recline on." Allah’s Apostle said, "The makers of these pictures will be punished (severely) on the Day of Resurrection and it will be said to them, ‘Make alive what you have created.’" He added, "Angels do not enter a house in which there are pictures."
  • Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 72, Number 844

• Narrated Aisha: The Prophet entered upon me while there was a curtain having pictures (of animals) in the house. His face got red with anger, and then he got hold of the curtain and tore it into pieces. The Prophet said, "Such people as paint these pictures will receive the severest punishment on the Day of Resurrection."
  • Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 73, Number 130

• The Prophet said: Prayer in congregation is twenty-five levels better than a prayer offered on one’s own.
  • Nasai hadith 840

• The actions which the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, loved most were those which were done most constantly.
  • Muwatta hadith 92

• The Prophet and I used to take a bath from a single pot while we were Junub. During the menses, he used to order me to put on an Izar (dress worn below the waist) and used to fondle me.
  • Sahih Bukhari 1:6:298

• Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours that is not part of it, will have it rejected.
  • Hadith 5 Sunan Ibn Majah

• The Messenger of Allah commanded that places of prayer be established in villages, and that they be purified and perfumed.
  • Hadith 759 Sunan Ibn Majah

• The Messenger of Allah said: ‘Ten things are connected to the Fitrah: trimming the moustache, letting the beard grow, using the tooth stick, rinsing out the nostrils with water, clipping the nails, washing the joints, plucking the armpit hairs, shaving the pubic hairs, washing the private parts with water. (One of the narrators) Zakariyya said: Musab said: I have forgotten the tenth thing, but it may have been rinsing out the mouth.
  • Hadith 293 Sunan Ibn Majah

• The Messenger of Allah said: If the people knew what there is in the Isha prayer and Fajr prayer, they would come even if they had to crawl.

• Hadith 796 Sunan Ibn Mājah

• Al-Harith bin Hisham asked Allah’s Apostle O Allah’s Messenger How is the Divine Inspiration revealed to you? Allah’s Messenger replied, Sometimes it is like the ringing of a bell, this form of Inspiration is the hardest of all and then this state passes off after I have grasped what is inspired. Sometimes the Angel comes in the form of a man and talks to me and I grasp whatever he says. Aisha added: Verily I saw the Prophet being inspired Divinely on a very cold day and noticed the Sweat dropping from his forehead.
  • Sahih Bukhari vol 1 book 1 hadith 2

• The Prophet said, All drinks that produce intoxication are Haram.
  • Sahih Bukhari 1:4:243

• Whenever Allah’s Messenger saw the rain, he used to say, O Allah! Let it be a strong fruitful rain.

• Bukhari hadith 142

About Aisha

• Allah's Apostle said, "The superiority of 'Aisha over other women is like the superiority of Tharid to other meals."
  • Narrated Anas bin Malik, in Sahih Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 57, Number 114

• If the knowledge of 'Aishah were to be gathered up and compared to the knowledge of all the other wives of the Prophet and all other women, 'Aishah's knowledge would be greater.
  • Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, (Al-Hakim, Al-Mustadrak, vol. 4, p. 11)

• The so-called Muslim women’s movement is predicated on the idea that Muslim men, not Islam, have been responsible for the suppression of women’s rights. For this reason, Muslim feminists throughout the world are advocating a return to the society Muhammad originally envisioned for his followers. Despite differences in culture, nationalities, and beliefs, these women believe that the lesson to be learned from Muhammad in Medina is that Islam is above all an egalitarian religion. Their Medina is a society in which Muhammad designated women like Umm Waraqa as spiritual guides for the Ummah; in which the Prophet himself was sometimes publicly rebuked by his wives; in which women prayed and fought alongside the men; in which women like Aisha and Umm Salamah acted not only as religious but also as political—and on at least one occasion military—leaders; and in which the call to gather for prayer, bellowed from the rooftop of Muhammad’s house, brought men and women together to kneel side by side and be blessed as a single undivided community.
  • Reza Aslan as quoted in Joseph, Suad, ed. (2007). Encyclopedia of Women and Islamic Cultures: Volume 5 Practices, Interpretations and Representations. Brill Online. p. 227

• Her special knowledge of significant acts of prayer, ablution, and cleanliness performed by the Prophet Muhammad made her an especially valued source of ritually significant information for the Sunni Muslim community, who in all matters looked to the Prophet’s human example in the performance of their daily life.
  • Denise A. Spellberg (1994). Politics, Gender, and the Islamic Past: The Legacy of 'A'isha Bint Abi Bakr. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 37. 

External links