Aisha bint Abi Bakr (RA)
Aisha’s Special Place in the Prophet’s Heart:
Aisha bint Abi Bakr was the wife that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ loved the most.
Once Aisha asked him: How is your love for me? The Prophet ﷺ replied: Like the rope’s knot. (Ahmad, Ibn Majah).
This meant that it was strong and secure.
Aisha would then ask him occasionally: How is the knot? The Prophet would reply: it is in the same condition.
Aisha’s Jealousy:
Aisha said regarding her jealousy: I was not jealous of any other wife of the Prophet as I was jealous of Khadijah because of his constant mentioning of her and because Allah had commanded him to give her good tidings of a mansion in Paradise of precious stones
And whenever he sacrificed a sheep he would send a fair portion of it to her family members and friends, Aisha would say to him: It is as if there had never been any other woman in the world except Khadijah.
Once when Aisha complained and asked why he spoke so highly of Khadijah. The Prophet ﷺ was hurt and said: I swear by Allah, she believed in me when people didn’t. She believed in my truthfulness, when people were calling me a liar. She supported me with her wealth, and Allah SWT gave me children with her. (Ahmad, Bukhari, Muslim)
Despite her feelings of jealousy, Aisha was a generous and patient woman.
The Prophet’s Advice to His Wives:
Once the Prophet ﷺ stayed away from his wives for a month because they had upset him.
When he returned, he went to Aisha’s house, who was happy to see him but the Prophet informed her of a revelation which required him to put two options before her.
The Prophet Muhammad 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. (Quran, 33:28-29)
Aisha’s reply was: Indeed I desire Allah and His Messenger and the abode of the Hereafter.
She stuck with this choice during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and after he passed away.
Aisha’s Generosity:
When the Muslims amassed a lot of wealth later on in her life, 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, even though she had no provisions in her house.
Final Days of the Prophet:
During his final illness, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ stayed in the house of Aisha bin Abi Bakr.
Aisha took a Miswak from her brother Abdur-Rahman and she chewed on it to soften it, before giving the Miswak to the Prophet.
Despite his weakness, the Prophet rubbed his teeth with it vigorously.
not long after this, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ lost consciousness and Aisha thought that he was going to pass away, but eventually, he opened his eyes.
When the Prophet ﷺ opened his eyes again, Aisha remembered him saying 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 die.
Aisha said to herself: He will not choose us! Then, she heard the Prophet say: Rather I want high companionship. (Bukhari, Muslim)
These were the last words Aisha bint Abi Bakr ever heard the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ say.
Aisha’s Legacy and Scholarship:
Aisha lived for almost fifty years after the death of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Most of this time she spent learning and gaining knowledge of the two most important sources, the Quran and the Sunnah.
Aisha was one of three wives, the others being Hafsah and Umm Salamah, who memorised the Quran.
Aisha is one of four people, the others being Abu Hurayrah, Abdullah ibn Umar, and Anas ibn Malik, who transmitted more than two thousand Hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Abu Musa al-Ashari once said: If we companions of the Prophet had any difficulty on a matter, we asked Aisha about it.
One of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, Al-Ahnaf ibn Qays said about Aisha: I have heard speeches of Abu Bakr and Umar, Uthman and Ali and the Khulafa up to this day, but I have not heard speech more persuasive and more beautiful from the mouth of any person than that from the mouth of Aisha.
Recognition and Death:
After Khadijah and Fatimah, Aisha bin Abi Bakr is regarded as the best woman in Islam.
She died in the year 58 AH in the month of Ramadan and as she instructed, was buried in the Jannat al-Baqi graveyard, next to other companions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Hadiths on Aisha bint Abi Bakr:
Once Aisha asked him: How is your love for me? The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ replied: Like the rope’s knot. (Ahmad, Ibn Majah)
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: The superiority of Aisha over other women is like the superiority of Tharid (a dish) over all other food. (Bukhari, Muslim)
The Prophet once told Aisha: Angel Jibril sends you greetings and peace. Aisha replied: May peace and mercy of Allah be upon him. (Bukhari, Muslim)
In the incident of slander, after Allah revealed Aisha’s innocence in the Quran, (24:11-26), the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: O Aisha! Be happy, for Allah has declared your innocence. (Bukhari, Muslim)