The following is excerpted from Morning and Evening Invocations, a collection of du’a and dhikr from the Qur’an and hadith, published by IGP in 2021.
Beloved wife of the Prophet ﷺ and daughter of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq رضي الله عنه, she رضي الله عنها is honoured as umm al-mu’minin (mother of the believers).
The Prophet ﷺ cemented his relationship with his bosom friend Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq رضي الله عنه by marrying her رضي الله عنها.
She رضي الله عنها was bestowed the agnomen Umm ‘Abd Allah by the Prophet ﷺ due to her nephew ‘Abd Allah b. Zubair رضي الله عنه, who was the son of her sister ‘Asma رضي الله عنها.
In her early childhood in Mecca, she رضي الله عنها was brought up by her father رضي الله عنه who was greatly liked and respected.
Her Status رضي الله عنها
After Sayyidatuna Khadija al-Kubra رضي الله عنها and Sayyidatuna Fatima az-Zahra’ رضي الله عنها, she is regarded as the best woman in Islam. Due to the strength of her personality, she was a leader in every field: knowledge, society, politics and war. She often regretted her involvement in war but lived long enough to regain her position as the most respected woman of her time.
She رضي الله عنها is proof that a woman can be far more learned than men and that she can be the teacher of scholars and experts. Her life is also proof that a woman can exert influence over men and women and provide them with inspiration and leadership. Her life is also proof that the same woman can be totally feminine and be a source of pleasure, joy and comfort to her husband.
She رضي الله عنها did not graduate from any institutions. Yet, her utterances are studied in faculties of universities and her legal pronouncements are researched by students and teachers all over the world.
She رضي الله عنها became the wife of the Prophet ﷺ in Mecca and had the wedding in Medina after the hijra.
Her Disposition رضي الله عنها
The bulk of her vast treasure of knowledge was obtained while she was still young رضي الله عنها. In her early childhood she was brought up by her father رضي الله عنه who was greatly liked and respected, for he was a man of wide knowledge, gentle manners, and an agreeable presence. Moreover, he was the closest friend of the Prophet ﷺ who was a frequent visitor to their home since the very early days of his mission.
In her youth رضي الله عنها, already known for her striking beauty and her formidable memory, she came under the loving care and attention of the Prophet ﷺ himself. As his wife and close companion, she acquired from him knowledge and insight such as no woman has ever acquired. She رضي الله عنها became the wife of the Prophet ﷺ in Mecca and had the wedding in Medina after the hijra.
Before and after her wedding, she maintained a natural jollity and innocence and did not seem at all overawed by the thought of being wedded to him who was the Messenger of Allah ﷺ whom all his companions—including her own mother and father رضي الله عنهم—treated with such love and reverence as they gave to no one else.
Once she رضي الله عنها asked the Prophet ﷺ: “How is your love for me?” He ﷺ replied: “Like the rope’s knot” (meaning it was strong and secure).
Her early life رضي الله عنها
Her early life in Medina also had its more serious and anxious times.
Once her father and two companions رضي الله عنهم who were staying with him fell ill with a dangerous fever that was common in Medina at certain seasons. One morning she went to visit him and was dismayed to find the three men lying completely weak and exhausted. She asked her father رضي الله عنه how he was and he answered her in verse but she did not understand what he was saying. The two others also answered her with lines of poetry, which seemed to her to be nothing but unintelligible babbling.
She رضي الله عنها was deeply troubled and went home to the Prophet ﷺ saying:
They are raving, out of their minds, through the heat of the fever.”
The Prophet ﷺ asked what they had said and was somewhat reassured when she repeated almost word for word the line they had uttered and which made sense although she did not fully understand them then. This was a demonstration of the great retentive power of her memory which, as the years went by, preserved so many of the priceless sayings of the Prophet ﷺ.
Time after time thereafter, she رضي الله عنها would ask the Prophet ﷺ: “How is the knot?” He ﷺ would reply: “In the same condition.”
Her marriage رضي الله عنها
Of the Prophet’s wives in Medina, it was clear that she was loved by the Prophet ﷺ most.
From time to time, one or the other of his Companions would ask:
O Messenger of Allah, whom do you love most in the world?
He ﷺ did not always give the same answer to this question for he felt great love for many—for his daughters and their children, for Abu Bakr, for ‘Ali, for Zaid and his son Usama رضي الله عنهم. But of his wives, the only one he named in this connection was her. She too loved him greatly in return and often would seek reassurance from him that he loved her.
Once she رضي الله عنها asked the Prophet ﷺ:
How is your love for me?
He ﷺ replied:
Like the rope’s knot. (meaning it was strong and secure).
And time after time thereafter, she رضي الله عنها would ask the Prophet ﷺ:
How is the knot?”
He ﷺ would reply:
In the same condition.
She رضي الله عنها bore with the rest of the Prophet’s household رضي الله عنهم poverty and hunger, which often lasted for long periods. For days on end no fire would be lit in the sparsely furnished house of the Prophet ﷺ for cooking or baking bread and they would live merely on dates and water.
Her Life رضي الله عنها in the Household of the Prophet ﷺ
As she رضي الله عنها loved the Prophet ﷺ, so was her love a jealous love and she could not bear the thought that the Prophet’s attentions should be given to others more than seemed enough for her.
Of her jealousy, she رضي الله عنها would say in her later years:
I was not jealous of any other wife of the Prophet ﷺ as I was jealous of Khadija, because of his constant mentioning of her and because Allah Most High had commanded him to give her glad tidings of a mansion in Paradise of precious stones. And whenever he sacrificed a sheep he would send a fair portion of it to those who had been her intimate friends.
Many a time I said to him:
“It is as if there had never been any other woman in the world except Khadija.”
IGP’s Morning and Evening Invocations contains a du’a that the Prophet ﷺ gave to Sayyidatuna ‘A’isha رضي الله عنها. (Available both in paperback and as a free ebook)
Despite her feelings of jealousy which nonetheless were not of a destructive kind, she رضي الله عنها was really a generous and patient soul. She bore with the rest of the Prophet’s household رضي الله عنهم poverty and hunger, which often lasted for long periods. For days on end no fire would be lit in the sparsely furnished house of the Prophet ﷺ for cooking or baking bread and they would live merely on dates and water. Poverty did not cause her distress or humiliation; self-sufficiency when it did come did not corrupt her.
Once the Prophet ﷺ stayed away from his wives for a month because they had distressed him by asking of him that which he did not have. This was after the Khaibar expedition when an increase of riches whetted the appetite for presents.
Returning from his self-imposed retreat, he went first to her apartment. She was delighted to see him ﷺ but he said that he had received Revelation, which required him to put two options before her.
He ﷺ then recited the verses:
O Prophet, say to your wives: “If you desire the life of this world and its adornments, then come and I will bestow its goods upon you, and I will release you with a fair release. But if you desire Allah and His Messenger and the abode of the Hereafter, then verily Allah has laid in store for you an immense reward for such as you who do good.” (Surat al-Ahzab, 33:28-29)
Her reply رضي الله عنها was:
Indeed, I desire Allah and His Messenger and the abode of the Hereafter,
Her response was followed by all the others.
She رضي الله عنها stuck to her choice both during the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ and afterwards.
Her Generosity رضي الله عنها
Later, when the Muslims were favoured with enormous riches, she was given a gift of one hundred thousand dirhams. She was fasting when she received the money and she distributed the entire amount to the poor and the needy even though she had no provisions in her house.
Shortly after, a maidservant said to her:
Could you buy meat for a dirham with which to break your fast?
She replied:
If I had remembered, I would have done so.
She it was رضي الله عنها who, during the Prophet’s ﷺ final illness, took a tooth stick [miswak] from her brother, chewed upon it to soften it and gave it to the Prophet ﷺ. Despite his weakness, he ﷺ rubbed his teeth with it vigorously.
The Prophet’s ﷺ Love for Her رضي الله عنها
The Prophet’s ﷺ affection for her رضي الله عنها remained to the last.
During his final illness, it was to her apartment that he ﷺ went at the suggestion of his wives. For much of the time he lay there on a couch with his head resting on her breast or on her lap. She it was رضي الله عنها who took a tooth stick [miswak] from her brother, chewed upon it to soften it and gave it to the Prophet ﷺ. Despite his weakness, he rubbed his teeth with it vigorously.
Imam al-Tirmidhi’s Al-Shama’il al-Muhammadiyya contains many ahadith transmitted from Sayyidatuna ‘A’isha رضي الله عنها
Not long afterwards, he ﷺ lost consciousness and she thought it was the onset of death, but after an hour he opened his eyes. She it is رضي الله عنها who has preserved for us these last moments of the most honoured of Allah’s creation ﷺ.
When the Prophet ﷺ opened his eyes again, she remembered his having said to her:
No Prophet is taken by death until he has been shown his place in Paradise and then offered the choice to live or to die.
She said to herself:
He will not now choose us.
Then she heard the Prophet ﷺ murmur:
With the supreme company in Paradise, with those upon whom Allah has showered His favour—the Prophets, the martyrs and the righteous...
Again she heard the Prophet ﷺ murmur:
O Lord, with the supreme company...
And these were the last words she heard the Prophet ﷺ speak. Gradually his head grew heavier upon her breast رضي الله عنها, until others in the room began to lament, and she laid his head on a pillow. In the floor of her room where the Prophet ﷺ was, a grave was dug in which was buried the Seal of the Prophets ﷺ amid much bewilderment and great sorrow.
The green dome which marks the resting place of the Prophet ﷺ is above the site of the house of ‘A’isha رضي الله عنها.
Her Later Years رضي الله عنها
She lived on رضي الله عنها almost fifty years after the passing away of the Prophet ﷺ. She had been his wife for a decade. Much of the time was spent in learning and acquiring knowledge of the two most important sources of Allah’s guidance viz. the Qur’an and the Sunna of His Prophet ﷺ.
She رضي الله عنها was one of three wives (the other two being Hafsa رضي الله عنها and Umm Salama رضي الله عنها) who memorised the Revelation. Like Hafsa رضي الله عنها, she had her own mushaf (codex) of the Qur’an written after the Prophet ﷺ had entered the isthmus.
As for the ahadith or sayings of the Prophet ﷺ, she رضي الله عنها is one of four (the others being Abu Huraira, ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Umar, and Anas b. Malik رضي الله عنهم) who transmitted more than two thousand sayings. Many of these pertain to some of the most intimate aspects of personal behaviour, which only someone in her position could have learnt.
What is most important is that her knowledge of ahadith رضي الله عنها was passed on in written form by at least three persons, including her nephew ‘Urwa رضي الله عنه, who became one of the greatest scholars among the generation after the Companions.
As she رضي الله عنها had instructed, she was buried in the Baqi’ Graveyard.
Her Status as a Teacher رضي الله عنها
Many of the learned companions of the Prophet ﷺ and their followers benefited from her knowledge رضي الله عنها.
Abu Musa al-Ash’ari رضي الله عنه once said:
If we companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had any difficulty on a matter, we asked ‘Aisha رضي الله عنها about it.
Her nephew ‘Urwa رضي الله عنه asserts that she رضي الله عنها was proficient not only in fiqh but also in medicine [tibb] and poetry. Many of the senior companions of the Prophet ﷺ came to her to ask for advice concerning questions of inheritance—a subject which required a highly skilled mathematical mind.
Scholars regard her رضي الله عنها as one of the earliest fuqaha’ of Islam along with persons like ‘Umar b. al-Khattab, ‘Ali, and ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Abbas رضي الله عنهم.
The Prophet ﷺ referring to her extensive knowledge of Islam is reported to have said:
Learn a portion of your religion [din] from this red-hued [humaira] lady.
“Humaira” meaning “red-hued” was an epithet given to her by the Prophet ﷺ.
Sayyiduna Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه, the governor of Medina under the Caliph Marwan b. al-Hakam, let her funeral prayer رضي الله عنها.
Her Role in Early Muslim Society رضي الله عنها
She not only possessed great knowledge, but took an active part in education and social reform.
As a teacher she had a clear and persuasive manner of speech and her power of oratory has been described in superlative terms by al-Ahnaf, who said:
One of the narrations in The Forty Hadith of Imam al-Nawawi is transmitted from Sayyidatuna ‘A’isha رضي الله عنها
I have heard speeches of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, ‘Uthman and ‘Ali and the Khulafa’ رضي الله عنهم up to this day, but I have not heard speech more persuasive and more beautiful from the mouth of any person than from the mouth of ‘Aisha رضي الله عنها.
Men and women came from far and wide to benefit from her knowledge. The number of women is said to have been greater than that of men.
Besides answering questions, she took boys and girls, some of them orphans, into her custody and trained them under her care and guidance. This was in addition to her relatives who received instruction from her.
Her house thus became a school and an academy. Two of her outstanding students were her nephew ‘Urwa and ‘Umra bint ‘Abd ar-Rahman رضي الله عنهم were two distinguished reporters of ahadith. The latter is regarded by scholars as one of the trustworthy narrators of ahadith and is said to have acted as Lady ‘Aisha’s secretary رضي الله عنها, receiving and replying to letters addressed to her.
She رضي الله عنها entered the isthmus in 57 or 58 AH (676/7 or 677/8) in the month of Ramadan. Sayyiduna Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه, the governor of Medina under Marwan b. al-Hakam, prayed over her.
As she رضي الله عنها had instructed, she was buried in the Baqi’ Graveyard.
Du’a Transmitted from Her رضي الله عنها
Invocation 29 from Imam Ghazali Publishing’s Morning and Evening Invocations is a du’a known as:
Sayyidatuna ‘A’isha’s رضي الله عنها Complete Supplication
It is translated as follows:
O Allah, I beseech You for all the good in this world and the hereafter, what I know and what I do not know. And I seek refuge with You from all evil in this world and the hereafter, what I know and what I do not know.
I beseech You for the Garden, and for that which brings one closer to it, in word and deed. And I seek refuge with You from Hell and from that which brings one closer to it, in word and deed.
I beseech You for the good of what Your peerless-bondsman and Prophet ﷺ asked for. And I seek refuge with You from all evil which Your peerless-bondsman and Prophet ﷺ sought refuge in.
And I beseech You to make every decree You pronounce concerning me, good!
This du’a is recorded in multiple collections:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to Lady ‘Aisha رضي الله عنها: ‘You must use this perfect prayer whose use is general. Say, “O Allah, I beseech You for all the good in this world and the hereafter...”’
(Musnad Ahmad: 24590)
It was narrated from ‘Aisha رضي الله عنها that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught her this supplication: “O Allah, I beseech You for all the good in this world and the hereafter...”
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Morning and Evening Invocations contains a famous du’a transmitted from Sayyida ‘A’isha رضي الله عنها. (Also available as a free ebook)