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WOMEN HAVE PLAYED a critical role in Islamic history. Some became famous for their courage and learning, while others contributed immensely to the development of Islam as a faith, culture and civilisation. Islamic history is replete with heroic deeds performed by Muslim women. In addition to being wives, mothers and sisters, they distinguished themselves as advisors to caliphs, sultans and military leaders, as well as teachers of some of the most renowned and acclaimed thinkers of the Muslim world. Of all the illustrious Muslim women who had played an instrumental role in the emergence and development of Islam as a religion, culture and civilisation, one stands out over all others. That outstanding woman was Aishah bint Abu Bakr. She was a truly gifted lady who, by the strength of her multi-dimensional personality, prodigious learning and unusual intellectual ability carved out a unique position for herself in the annals of Islam. Aishah was an all-rounder, and her achievements were so varied and startling that no other woman in Islamic history can be compared to her. She is, therefore, the most influential single Muslim woman in history.
Aishah bint Abi Bakr ibn Abi Quhafah was born into the Banu Taym clan of the Quraysh tribe of Makkah. Her father, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, and her mother, Umm Ruman, became Muslims very early on. After Muhammad announced his Prophethood in 610, Abu Bakr was one of the first people to embrace Islam and, as such, Aishah grew up in a Muslim family. Even as a youngster, she became known for her remarkable ability to learn poetry and narrate genealogical information about her ancestors. She was so intelligent that one day while the Prophet was passing by Abu Bakr’s house, he saw her playing with her dolls and a winged horse. When the Prophet asked her what it was that she was playing with, she replied that it was her favourite winged horse. When the Prophet told her that horses did not have wings, she responded saying that Prophet Solomon’s horses had wings. Aishah’s quick thinking, sharp intellect and apt reply brought a bright smile to the Prophet’s face.
Furthermore, Aishah became well known for her sublime personal qualities and attributes even when she was in her early teens. She not only possessed a photographic memory; she was also a gentle and cultured lady. Her memory power was such that she could even recollect some of the most remote incidents which happened during her early years. For instance, she related that verse 46 of chapter 55 (Surat al-Qamar) of the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet while she was playing with her toys. And, if the popular saying that all marriages are made in heaven is true, then one cannot blame Aishah for being proud of the fact that her marriage was literally decreed by God. According to a hadith (Prophetic tradition) recorded in the Mustadrak of al-Hakim, on one occasion the Prophet saw a vision in which an angel brought him a present wrapped up in silk. When he asked the angel what it was, he was informed that it was his wife. After opening the wrapping, the Prophet discovered that it was none other than Aishah.
Aishah was married to the Prophet when she was very young, although at the time she had matured both intellectually and physically way beyond her age. Later, she related that her marriage dowry (mahr) was around five hundred dirhams. Her marriage to the Prophet had profound socio-cultural ramifications within the Makkan society of the time. It directly led to the abolition of a number of Arab customs and taboos. For instance, according to the custom of the day, the Arabs refused to marry their daughters to those they considered to be their brothers for cultural reasons, even though they were not biological brothers. Since Abu Bakr used to call the Prophet a brother, this marriage clarified that a brother in faith was not same as a real blood-brother. The Arabs also considered the month of Shawwal (the tenth month of the Islamic calendar) to be an inappropriate time for the bride to move into her husband’s house. Aishah’s marriage to the Prophet also consigned this taboo to the dustbin of history. After her marriage, Aishah became the youngest wife of the Prophet; she was also much wiser than, and intellectually far superior to, the others. She was the only wife of the Prophet who was a maiden. Being literate and having also learned Arab history and genealogy from her father, she became a highly respected authority on those subjects. In short, she was the jewel in the Prophet’s crown. Though the Prophet always treated his wives fairly and equitably, he could not hide his affection for Aishah because it was a natural feeling. God, he said, has implanted such love and affection within all human beings and we all experience such feelings, and do so without being aware of them.
When Aishah went to live with the Prophet in the small apartment attached to his mosque in Madinah, she was perhaps around thirteen years old. However, according to another account, she was married to the Prophet when she was around sixteen and went to live with him at the age of nineteen. Either way, the Prophet’s apartment was far from being a bed of roses. The Prophet led a very simple, scruplously clean and spiritually enriched life without any trace of luxury, wealth or pomp. The roof of his tiny apartment frequently leaked rainwater, the walls were made of clay and the apartment only had one door, which was kept open most of the time with a blanket hung as a curtain. He had no possessions other than a straw mat, a thin mattress, a pillow made of dry tree barks and leaves, a leather water container, a small plate and a cup for drinking water. These were all the ‘luxuries’ Aishah found in the Prophet’s apartment when she moved in. Even though the Prophet was the most powerful man in Madinah at the time and he could have chosen to live in an impressive mansion if he wished, he deliberately chose to live a very simple and Godly life.
The Prophet not only occupied himself in prayers and meditation, but also reminded his wives, children and followers not to become lured by the wealth, glitter and riches of this world. He often prayed to God to allow him to die in poverty and be resurrected in the company of the poor and needy. He therefore disliked all forms of pomp, pride and power associated with ostentatious display of wealth and profligate living. He made it very clear to all his family members (ahl al-bayt) and companions (sahabah) that this life was transient and that it would be foolish to become too preoccupied with the lures and attractions of this world. Aishah understood this better than anyone else, and was only too happy to live with the Prophet in his simple but clean apartment. She was not only an exceptionally intelligent and gifted lady; she was also very tender-hearted and frequently broke into tears. Once a poor woman appeared at her door with her two young children and asked for something to eat. Aishah only had three dates in the house, which she handed over to the lady to feed her children. The woman gave one date to each of her daughters and started to chew one herself. Meanwhile, one of her daughter had quickly eaten her share and began to stare at her mother. The mother immediately stopped chewing the date and broke it into two halves and gave them to her daughters. Moved by the mother’s love and affection for her daughters, Aishah burst into tears.
If students are to be judged by the quality of their teachers, then Aishah could have claimed to be the best of all students because she was taught by the best of all teachers. Since the Prophet used to visit Abu Bakr frequently, Aishah knew the Prophet very well even before their marriage. During the subsequent decade or so that she spent with the Prophet until his death in 632, she became intimately acquainted with all aspects of his life, conduct and behaviour. No other person claimed to know the Prophet as well as Aishah. Her prodigious intellect and retentive memory enabled her to assimilate Islamic teachings with ease, becoming one of the most famous repositories of Islamic knowledge and wisdom, especially about the life and teachings of the Prophet. Aishah’s enquiring mind and willingness to learn and disseminate knowledge endeared her to the Prophet. Indeed, whenever the Prophet prepared to deliver a sermon in the mosque, Aishah always made it a duty on herself to listen to him attentively and, if she was unsure about any issues, she never hesitated to ask for clarification. For instance, on one ocassion, the Prophet remarked, “Whosoever was subjected to accounting in the next life, punishment was his lot.” If that was the case, reasoned Aishah, how is one to explain this Qur’anic verse, “Whoever is given his record in his right hand will have an easy reckoning.”? (Holy Qur’an: Surat al-Inshiqaq, verses 7-8) The Prophet explained that this verse referred to individual accountability. That is to say, according to this verse, each individual will be presented with their own records in the hereafter and that should they be subjected to cross-examination and found wanting, then they would be in trouble. Thanks to Aishah, today we have a clear understanding of numerous Divine injunctions; in fact, some Qur’anic verses, including
