Muslim Women to Look up to: Hazrat Aisha

It's important that as Muslimahs we have our own role models to look up to. We don't look to the latest stars, celebrities, models and politicians for our examples. Instead we look to the Muslimahs of yesterday and today. We are beautiful, strong, intelligent women with voices to be heard. Always have been and always will be. We are the mothers, the teachers, the listeners, the supporters and the backbone of our Ummah.

Hazrat Aisha (Radi’Allahu Anha)

Her name and lineage
Her name was Aisha Siddiqah and Humaira was her surname, the daughter of Abu Bakr (Radi’Allah Anhu), the first Caliph of Islam. Her mother’s name was Zainab (Radi’Allah Anha) who belonged to the tribe of Ghanam-bin-Maalik.

Marriage to the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam)
Out of all the wives of the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam), Aisha (Radi’Allahu Anha) was the only wife who had not been married before. The dower money was fixed at 500 Dirhams. With this marriage, a number of old Arab traditions were corrected:

• The Arabs did not marry the daughter of a man who had been declared as brother without any blood relationship. This was the cause of astonishment on the part of her father Abu Bakr (Radi’Allah Anhu) when the marriage was first proposed. However, the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, “You are my brother in Islam and not in blood relationship.”
• Another wrong tradition was that Arabs did not get married in the month of Shawwal because in the ancient past, a plague had broken out during this month. Again this tradition was finished as the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) and Aisha (Radi’Allahu Anha) had got married in this blessed month.

Her Qualities
She was a scholar of great eminence, superior in knowledge not only in comparison to the other Wives of the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) and other female companions, but also to most of the male companions. Imam Zehri, a Tabie’e of great renown said, “Aisha was the greatest among the living scholars. Many of the illustrious companions approached her as students and made enquiries on points of knowledge.” He also mentioned, “If the knowledge of all male scholars was collectively assessed, the knowledge of Hazrat Aisha (Radi’Allahu Anha) was far more than theirs”.

Her knowledge of medicine was unparalleled, largely having learnt directly from the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam). She was eloquent par excellence and sweet of speech. Musa Bin Talha is reported by Imam Tirmidhi to have said, “I never saw a person more eloquent in speech than Aisha (Radi’Allahu Anha).”

Character and Conduct
Hazrat Aisha (Radi’Allahu Anha) was a person of perfect boldness and self-respect. She avoided backbiting, and her most distinctive virtue was her generosity and large heartedness. Once Amir Mo’awiya sent her a hundred thousand Dirhams from Syria, she gave them away in charity before sunset and kept nothing back for herself.

She was God-fearing, compassionate and consistent with optional prayers. She used to get up at midnight and pray Tahajjud (midnight prayer) in the company of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam). She was so regular in this, that after the demise of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam), she never missed it.

She frequently kept voluntary fasts and performed the Hajj every year. She was kind and compassionate to slaves and used to set them free after purchasing them. The number of her freed slaves stood at sixty-seven.

*** Article from http://issmstudents.org.uk***



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