'Ummu ^Abdi l-Lah: the exemplary life of Lady ^A'ishah

والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

Our Lady ^A'ishah was a woman companion of great merit. She was the daughter of the companion Abu Bakr and the wife of the Prophet ﷺ. She was admired for her extensive knowledge and was considered one of the greatest saints. Allah honoured her with the vision of the angel Jibril.

^A'ishah, the daughter of Abu Bakr

Lady ^A'ishah, the daughter of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, was one of the wives of the Prophet Muhammadﷺ. She was known for her great knowledge and wisdom. The Prophet ﷺ married her after the death of his first wife, Khadijah bintu Khuwaylid.

The Prophet ﷺ did not have any children with Lady ^A'ishah. He named her after his sister Asma's son, ^Abdu l-Lah, who was also the son of Az-Zubayr, a great companion of the Prophet and Asma's husband. From then on, Aisha was affectionately known as " 'Ummu ^Abdi l-Lah," which means "the mother of ^Abdu l-Lah."

A generous saint

Lady ^A'ishah was renowned for her generous nature. One notable incident that highlights her benevolence is when her nephew, ^Abdu l-Lah Ibnu z-Zubayr, sent her two jars filled with 100,000 dirhams to use for charitable causes. On the day she received the money, she was fasting, as was her usual practice. She proceeded to empty the jars, placing them on a tray in front of her, and then carefully distributed the coins into purses that she sent to people in need.

When the time of Maghrib prayer arrived, Lady ^A'ishah had already given away all her money in charity. She had not a single dirham left. She then called her servant, 'Ummu Durrah, and asked her to bring some bread and oil. Ummu Durrah asked her, "Madam, could you not have bought a little meat for just one dirham to break the fast?" Lady ^A'ishah replied, "If you had reminded me, I would have done so."

One day, someone offered Lady ^A'ishah baskets of grapes. She shared them with others, but one of her servants had hidden a bunch of grapes for themselves without telling Lady ^A'ishah. When night came and the servant brought the basket of grapes, Lady ^A'ishah asked her, "What is this?" The maid replied, "O Madam, I had hidden one for us to eat." Lady ^A'ishah declared, "I won't eat even a single bunch, by Allah, I won't eat anything! Go and give them as alms to the poor." The servant followed Lady ^A'ishah 's orders and gave the grapes to the needy.

The wife of the best of men

Abu Nu^aym reported that one day the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was at home repairing his sandals while Lady ^A'ishah was spinning wool and watching him. She saw his blessed forehead sweating and light emanating from the perspiration, which amazed her. The Prophet ﷺ noticed her observation and said:

ما لك بهتّ

(ma laki buhitti)

This means: "What is the cause of your astonishment?"

She told him about what she had seen, and then she recited a verse of poetry by Abu Kabir Al-Hudhaliyy. The verse means:

When the Prophet-Elect’s features come into view,

He gleams like lightning 'midst clouds' hue.

Then the Messenger put down what he had in his honoured hands, he approached her, gently kissed her forehead and said:

جزاك الله يا عائشة خيرًا، ما سررتِ مِنّي كسروري منك

(jazaki l-Lahu ya ^A’ishah khayran, ma surirti minni ka-sururi minki)

This means: "May God reward you well O ^A'ishah for the happiness I brought to your heart as well as for the joy you brought to mine."

Her vision of the angel Jibril (Gabriel)

Allah honoured the noble ^A'ishah with the vision of the Angel Gabriel during his visit to the Prophet ﷺ. On one occasion, ^A'ishah observed the Prophet standing and conversing with a man on horseback. The man had a white turban on his head, with one end reaching his shoulders. The Messenger ﷺ had placed his blessed hand on the horse's mane. When ^A'ishah inquired about this incident, as he knew that she had seen him, he replied:

ذاك جبريل وهو يقرئك السلام

(dhaka Jibril wa huwa yuqri’uki s-salam)

She replied, "Wa ^alayhi s-salam! May God reward him with good! He's such a great companion and guest of honour."

May Allah accept Lady ^A'ishah 's deeds, the daughter of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, and may Allah grant them satisfaction and elevate their status in Paradise.