Mother of the Believers Sayyidah Ayesha Siddiquah (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anha)
Historical records bear ample testimony to the fact that Sayyidah Ayesha (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anha) was a precocious genius & was developing both in mind & body with rapidity peculiar to such rare personalities. This marriage is significant in the history of Islam in so many aspects.
Secondly: by this marriage, a lady of eminent qualities came under the direct influence of the Holy Prophet (Peace & Blessings Be Upon Him) at a highly impressionable age & this provided her ample opportunities to penetrate into the innermost recesses of the sacred heart of the Beloved Habib (Peace & Blessings Be Upon Him). She shared his company & thus was able to develop her potentialities & refine her taste perfectly in accordance with the teachings of Islam under the direct supervision of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (Peace & Blessings Be Upon Him).
This young age was in fact very opportune for marriage as it has been clearly shown in the researches of psychoanalysts that much of the emotional of a mature person & most of those seemingly unaccountable leanings, tastes & tendencies comprised in the term idiosyncrasies can be traced to the experience of his or her highly formative age of either later childhood or early adolescence.
Thirdly: All the wives of the Holy Prophet (Peace & Blessings Be Upon Him) with the exception of Sayyidah Ayesha (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anha) were of advanced age & thus could neither share the feelings of the younger generation nor could they properly appreciate their point of view. The difference of age always stood as a barrier between them & the ladies of the younger ages. The only lady with whom young women could frankly enter into conversation & discuss problems without any reserve could be none but Sayyidah Ayesha (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anha). Thus, the marriage of the Holy Prophet (Peace & Blessings Be Upon Him) with Sayyidah Ayesha (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anha) at an age when she was at the threshold of puberty was a great necessity, as it was through her that instructions could successfully be imparted to the young ladies who had newly entered the fold of Islam.
Moreover, this marriage struck at the root of a wrong notion that had firmly taken hold of the minds of the people that it was contrary to religious ethics to marry the daughter of a man whom one declared to be one’s brother. The Messenger of Allah (Peace & Blessings Be Upon Him), with the help of his personal example, showed to the people that there is a great difference between a brother-in-faith & the brother in relation to blood. The marriage, which is forbidden in Islam, is with the daughter of the brother in blood & not with the daughter of the brother-in-faith.
Sayyidah Ayesha (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anha) lived on almost fifty years after the passing away of the Messenger of Allah (Peace & Blessings Be Upon Him). She passed away in the year 58 A.H. in the month of Ramadaan & was buried in the sacred graveyard Baqi al-Garqad of Madina-tul-Munawwara.
Sayyidah Ayesha (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anha) used to play with dolls in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (Peace & Blessings Be Upon Him) & when her playmates came to her they left (the house) because they felt shy of the Holy Prophet (Peace & Blessings Be Upon Him) whereas Allah's Messenger (Peace & Blessings Be Upon Him) sent them to her. People sent their gifts when it was the turn of Sayyidah Ayesha (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anha) seeking thereby the pleasure of Allah's Messenger (Peace & Blessings Be Upon Him).
Sayyidah Ayesha (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anha) (further) said:
"The wives of Allah's Apostle (Peace & Blessings Be Upon Him) sent his daughter Faatima (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anha) to him. She sought permission to get in as he had been lying with me in my mantle. He gave her permission & she said: "Allah’s Messenger (Peace & Blessings Be Upon Him)! Verily, your wives have sent me to you in order to ask you to observe equity in case of the daughter of Abu Quhafah." She Ayesha (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anha) said: "I kept quiet". Thereupon, Allah's Messenger (Peace & Blessings Be Upon Him) said to her Faatima (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anha):
"Faatima (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anha) then stood up as she heard this from her father & went to the wives of Allah's Apostle (Peace & Blessings Be Upon Him) & informed them of what she had said to him & what he had said to her. Thereupon, they said to her: "We think that you have been of no avail to us. You may again go to Allah's Apostle & tell him that his wives seek equity in case of the daughter of Abu Quhafah". Faatima (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anha) said: "By Allah I will never talk to him about this matter".
This Hadees gives a clear glimpse of the home life of the Glorious Messenger of Allah (Peace & Blessings Be Upon Him). The wives of the Holy Prophet (Peace & Blessings Be Upon Him) were all eminent ladies having deep Allah-consciousness, but they, after all, belonged to the human race & thus, could not completely banish those minor human weaknesses, which are ingrained in the very nature of the fair sex. They were all deeply attached to the Holy Prophet (Peace & Blessings Be Upon Him) & every one of them had, therefore, an earnest desire that she should get the maximum love & affection from the Prophet of Allah (Peace & Blessings Be Upon Him). It was out of this spirit of envy, rather than jealousy, that they put forward this demand. It was a natural expression of their humanly feelings born of their love for the Beloved Habib (Peace & Blessings Be Upon Him) & not an objection against the attitude & behaviour of the "Mercy of the Worlds" & they could not even conceive of it & how could they, when all of them had been receiving the most beneficent treatment at his hand?
Sayyidah Ayesha (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anha) is one of the four persons (the others being Sayyiduna Abu Hurayra (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anhu), Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anhu) & Sayyiduna Anas bin Maalik (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anhu) who transmitted more than two thousand sayings of the Holy Prophet (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anhu). The Holy Prophet (Peace & Blessings Be Upon Him) referring to her extensive knowledge of Islam is reported to have said: "Learn a portion of your religion from this Humayra (red coloured lady)."
Sayyidah Ayesha (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anha) not only possessed great knowledge but also took an active part in education & social reform. As a teacher she had a clear & persuasive manner of speech & her power of oratory has been described in superlative terms. Men & women came from far & wide to benefit from her knowledge.
- To spend for your guests is not extravagance.
- Good deeds are to refrain from bad deeds.
- A believer of truth never becomes disgrace even if the whole World turns against him while a believer in falsehood never gains respect even if the moon comes out on his forehead.
- Wherever the torch of truth shines it is advantageous to all & it must not be seen who the torchbearer is.
- A very good trait of character is to protect your tongue.
- When the stomach becomes full the faculty of thought becomes weak, wisdom & understanding become mute.
- Gluttony is the root of all illnesses & abstinence is it's remedy.
- Magnificence is gained in 1% friendship & 99% hard work & physical exertion.
Purity of Syeda Ayesha & Prophets Knowledge
Dear Readers, We received a forwarded email few days back in which an accusation was made regarding the blessed knowledge of the Unseen of the Beloved Prophet (Salla Allaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam) & few Ignorant Idiots linked it to the Quranic verse which tells us of the accusation of immorality made on our beloved Mother Umm al-Momineen Sayyidatuna Ayesha (Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anha). According to them, the beloved Prophet (Salla Allahu Alaihi wa Sallam) was disturbed by it & didn't say anything before the revelation (wahi) was made (i.e. whether the accusation was true or not). If he had knowledge of the unseen, why did he remain silent for so many days?
So before the revealing of innocence, it was compulsory on Muslims to think good of her & haram upon them to be suspicious & the Prophet is definitely free (ma'sum) from haram. Thus, he was not suspicious of Sayyidah Aisha (Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anha) in the least. Yes, for him to say that it was a clear lie was not compulsory on him immediately because this was a domestic matter.
Now remains Rasoolullah (Salla Allaho Alaihi wa Sallam) being distressed & why he remained silent. Not knowing was not the cause of this. Consider an innocent person who is wrongfully accused of something. He knows that it’s a lie, but will still be distressed due to the fear of defamation. People spreading these rumours, was also the reason for this dilemma. If the Holy Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allah be Upon Him) did not wait for the revelation of the ayats but immediately informed people of Sayyidah Aisha (Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anha's) innocence, the hypocrites would have said, "See how he protects his family members." & Muslims would not have come to know of the rules of wrongful accusation. Also, the method of researching cases would not have been known & Sayyidah Ayesha (Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anha) would not have received the reward of patience that she demonstrated during this time. In short, there were many wisdoms behind this delay in revealing her innocence.
It is also a rule of Islamic beliefs that the wife of a Prophet cannot be immoral. Allah states in the Holy Quran,
The impurity spoken of here refers to fornication (zina). In other words, the consort of a Prophet can never be a fornicator. Yes, she can become a disbelievers (kafirah) because, although disbelief (kufr) is a major offense, it is not an immoral act. People think of fornication to morally incorrect, not kufr. This is why the wives of the Prophets do not experience nocturnal dreaming (ihtilam). A hadees states that Umme Salma was surprised to know that women also experience ihtilam - (Mishkat, Kitab al-Ghusl).
So does the Holy Prophet not know this rule of Beliefs (that a wife of a Prophet cannot be immoral)? Is he unaware that Sayyidah Aisha (Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anha) is the wife of the Leader of the Prophets & that this type of behaviour cannot be displayed by her? No, it was the Will of Allah to Himself to testify to the innocence of Sayyidah Aisha (Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anha) through the ayahs revealed so that all Muslims of the entire world can proclaim her chastity & greatness, even in Salaat. Thus, if Rasoolullah (Salla Allaho Alaihi wa Sallam) personally revealed her innocence, all of these excellences would not have been obtained. In short, he had knowledge but did not reveal it.
The grace of this matter is that when Zulaikha laid an accusation against Hazrat Yusuf (Alaihis Salam), Allah Himself did not directly reveal his innocence but revealed it through an infant. Similarly, when Sayyidah Maryam was wrongfully accused, He revealed her innocence through the infant Ruhullah. However, when the beloved of His Beloved was accused, Allah did not proclaim her innocence through any angel or infant but Himself gave witness & recorded it in the Holy Quran! This testimony came to be part of Iman & for the creation to understand the proximity of the Holy Prophet to Allah through it.
- Jahl (ignorance) - To absolutely not know something
- Nisyan (forgetfulness) - to previously have known something which did not stay in memory.
- Zuhul (abstractedness) – To have something in memory but not pay attention to it.
Therefore, there are three types of people that can be deduced from the above. The first do not learn the Quran, the second memorize it but forget it & the third are complete huffaz of it, though if you ask them about any ayah, they will not answer because their concentration is not directed towards it. They are termed Jahil, Nasi & Zahil of the Holy Quran respectively.
At some instances, the Prophets can experience forgetfulness about particular things though they do not remain as such. The Holy Quran speaks about Sayyiduna Adam,
The vision of Hazrat Adam (Alaihis Salam) was fixed on the Lawh-e-Mahfuz & all of these things before him. However, it was the Divine Will that he experiences forgetfulness (nisyan).
In search for an intercessor on the Day of Qiyamat, all Muslims, including the Muhaddisin, Mufassirin & Fuqaha will approach the Prophets & request them to intercede (Shafa'at). Neither will they do so not will they tell the people to go to Shafi'al-Muznabin Muhammad Mustafa directly. They will say, "Go to Nuh", "Go to Ibrahim", etc. "Maybe they can intercede for you people," even though all of them have the belief in this world that only Muhammad-ur-Rasulullah (Salla Allaho Alaihi wa Sallam) is the intercessor on the Day of Qiyamat. This is an example of abstractedness (zuhul i.e. not paying attention to something). Thus, if the Prophet is questioned about something & immediately does not answer, zuhul is a possible reason for this,
"Ghafil" was the word used, "Jahil". A ghafil is someone who has knowledge of an incident but does not pay any attention towards it.
Haji Imdadullah Makki (Alaihir rahmah) (whom the Opponents in Indo-Pak believe to be their Spiritual Guide & Leader) says: "People say that the Prophets (Alaihim as-Salam) & Auliya (Alaihim ar-Rahmah) do not possess the Knowledge of the Unseen. I say that the men of truth perceive the Unseen whenever they cast their eyes around them. In fact, this perception is the knowledge of truth. Those who say that the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace & Blessings of Allah be Upon Him) did not know about Hudaibiyah & Hazrat Ayesha (Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anha) are misguided. Attention is the pre-requisite for any knowledge." (Shamaim-e-Imdadiyah, Page 110 - Anwaar-e-Ghaibiyah, Page 125)
Gulistan states that Hazrat Ya'qub (Alaihis Salam) was asked, "You have smelt the fragrance of Yusuf’s kurta from Egypt but did not know that he was in the well of Kinan?" He replied, "Our condition is like the fury of lightning, sometimes it is visible & sometimes it is not."
It is proven from Quranic verses that Hazrat Ya'qub (Alaihis Salam) has knowledge that the Moon of Kinan, Hazrat Yusuf (Alaihis Salam), was shining in Egypt. He said,
Commentating on verse 59, of Surah Aa'raf - Allamah Ismail Haqqi writes that Allah loves the crying of His beloveds. Hazrat Nuh cried so hard that his name became Nuh (the person who extensively weeps). The separation from Hazrat Yusuf (Alaihis Salam) was the visible cause of Hazrat Ya'qub (Alaihis Salam's) crying, but in fact, this crying was the means of the extensive grandeur to be elevated. Hence, Hazrat Ya'qub (Alaihis Salam's) crying was not because of being unaware of Hazrat Yusuf (Alaihis Salam) - rather,
Hazrat Yusuf (Alaihis Salam) kept Benyamin back in Egypt through & artifice (hila). His brothers returned to swear that Benyamin had become a royal prisoner & even presented the testimony of the travellers in caravans. However, it was said,
In other words, Hazrat Ya'qub (Alaihis Salam) was trying to say, "Hazrat Yusuf (Alaihis Salam) was separated from me by my children & Benyamin has also been separated from me by child (Hazrat Yusuf (Alaihis Salam) though a hila)." This proves that he had true knowledge of the incident. To the uniformed, there were two sons of Hazrat Ya'qub (Alaihis Salam), remaining in Egypt (Benyamin & Yahuda), but Hazrat Ya'qub (Alaihis Salam) said,
Who was the third person? Of course it was Hazrat Yusuf (Alaihis Salam).
When Zulaikha locked Hazrat Yusuf (Alaihis Salam) in the house to express bad thoughts., Hazrat Ya'qub (Alaihis Salam) came inside & pressing his finger beneath his teeth, gestured to the following, "O my son, this is not your action. You are the son of a prophet." The Holy Quran states about it,
It should be kept in mind that the brothers of Hazrat Yusuf (Alaihis Salam) informed Hazrat Ya'qub (Alaihis Salam) that wolves had eaten his son. However, through the shirt of Hazrat Yusuf (Alaihis Salam) & the message of the wolves, Hazrat Ya'qub (Alaihis Salam) knew that they were false. The wolves submitted to him, "The fleshes of the Prophets are haram for us." - (Tafsir Khazin & Ruh-ul-Bayan, Surah Yusuf)
So, is it possible that Hazrat Ya'qub (Alaihis Salam) is aware of the actions of his sons yet Sayyiduna Rasulullah (Salla Allaho Alaihi wa Sallam) has no clue of the condition of Sayyidah Aisha (Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anha)? Verily, Allah grants him insight but blesses him with measures to control his knowledge. In other words, he does not disclose any secret without Allah’s wish.
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