Ayshah

Ayshah (r): A Source of Knowledge

In this article, I do not intend to give a detailed account of the life of Ayshah (r) nor re-count her many achievements. Yet, Insha'Allah, by reading this article I hope the reader may have a better understanding of how Ayshah (r) played an integral part in the propagation of Islam during the life of the Prophet (s), after his death to this present day and in the times ahead of us.

Ayshah (r) was most probably born in the 5th year of prophethood to Abu Bakr(r), the Companion of the Prophet (s), and Umm Rooman. Notably, she had a full brother named Abdul Rahman and a half sister Asma(r). Ayshah (r) herself, after marriage had no children but was also known as Umm Abdullah, after her step sister Asma's son Abdullah.

According to Nadvi (1993, p5), Ayshah's (r) intellect was apparent from the time she was a small child and by the age of seven or eight she could "remember every significant matter of her childhood, could explain their meaning and purpose and if any verse of the Holy Qur'an was recited in her presence, she used to memorise it". Additionally "at the time of emigration to Medina she was only eight years old but in spite of her tender age no comparison had a better recollection of the most minute details of that event".

Ayshah (r) was six years old when she was married to the Prophet (s). However, the marriage was not consummated until Shawwal in Madinah, seven months after Al-Hijra, at the age of nine.

Prior to her marriage to the Prophet (s), as noted above, she already showed the brilliance bestowed upon her by Allah (swt). She had learnt genealogy and poetry from her father. Most importantly, she had learnt the Qur'an, Shariah and Hadith from the Messenger of Allah (s) himself. As is said in "The Sealed Nectar" al-Mubarakpuri (1995), the wives of the Prophet were not chosen at random, rather without question, were guided by Allah so as to achieve the needs of spreading and making Islam accepted by generations of that time and in the future times to come. Hence, the Prophets' wives were known as Mothers of Believers and Ayshah (r) "was the only virgin he married, and the most beloved creature to him. As a woman she was the most learned woman in jurisprudence" p483.

One of the purposes Allah (swt) chose Ayshah (r) to be the Prophet's (s) wife was to educate her so in turn she could educate others. As al-Mubarakpuri says: An essential fundamental rule of the Muslim society is to prohibit mixing of men and women. Providing direct education for women, though highly compelling, is impossible in the light of this Islamic norm. Therefore, the Prophet (s) indoctrinated Ayshah (and other wives systematically in order to educate she-bedouins and townswomen, old and young and thus furnish them with the instruments of propagating the true faith. The mothers of believers were in such a convenient position that they could convey the state of the Prophet and his affairs to people (men and women). Being educated and taught the teaching and rules of Islam, his wives, especially those who outlived him, played a very important role in conveying Prophetic traditions Ahadeeth to the Muslims (p487).

Ayshah(r), for instance, related 2210 hadeeth and "only Abdullah bin Abbas could match Ayshah in the number of narrations side by side with knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence, power of interpretation, thinking and capacity of deduction. Her distinction is that besides narrating the commands, injunctions and the events, she also described the causes, reasons and the prudence lying behind them" (Nadvi, p60). Hence, Ayshah's (r) talents and knowledge are not limited to Qur'an, obligatory duties, lawful and unlawful matters, poetry, literature, Arab history, and genealogy. Her repertoire extends to medicine. According to Doi (1989), her profound knowledge of medicine was learnt from foreign delegations who came to the Prophet (s) and discussed various remedies for illnesses. She was so well versed in mathematics that important Sahabah used to consult her on the problems concerning inheritance and the calculation of the shares.

This goes to show that Allah (swt) blessed Ayshah (r) with high intellect, a keen sense of learning, photogenic memory and the ability to think laterally. Since we Muslim women regard Ayshah (r) as a mother figure, we need to emulate her in her pursuits for useful knowledge; her uninhibited nature of asking questions (from the Prophet) regarding Islamic practise, Islamic law and the meaning behind Qur'anic verses until it is fully understood in both the heart and mind.

Nowadays, women feel inferior in asking questions; concerned that it may look foolish or be embarrassing. Although one should not thoughtlessly ask questions but after trying to find an answer by your own means without success, one should not feel restricted in asking someone more learned. We need to learn from everyday situation. As was the case with Ayshah (r), she learned from informal and formal sources. Which was all the will of Allah (swt). We, as Muslim women, must continue to learn especially the Qur'an, Hadith and Shariah so that we may live our life according to it and transmit our knowledge to our children (as will please Allah) or to others whenever we may meet them.

References:
Al-Mubarakpuri, S., "Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhutum (The Sealed Nectar: Biography of the Noble Prophet (PBUH))", Maktaba Dar-us-Salam: Saudi Arabia, 1995.
Doi, A R I., "Woman in Shariah", Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd: London, 1996.
Nadvi, S S, "Hazrat Ayesha Siddiqa; her life and works", Islamic Book Publishers: Kuwait, 1993.