Hazrat Aisha Siddiqa (RA) as an empowering woman

INTRODUCTION:-
Hazrat Ayesha, born in Makkah in the year 614 CE, is known as the mother of
believers and is the daughter of one of the Holy Prophet’s closest companion, Hazrat
Abu Bakar Sidiqque. She was the youngest among the wives of the Holy Prophet.
She was married to the Prophet at the age of six. Prophet (SAW) used to receive
revelations when around Hazrat Ayesha. Prophet was buried in Hazrat Ayesha’s
apartment which is still the only remaining room among the Prophet’s (SAW)
household.
Hazrat Ayesha is said to be the most beloved wife of the Prophet only after his first
wife Hazrat Khadija. There are numerous hadiths and stories which support this
claim. Once when a companion asked Muhammad that, “who is the person you love
most in the world?” he replied, “Ayesha”.
The story where Hazrat Ayesha was accused of adultery led to revelations specifying
punnishments for the false accusers and adultery. The incident is narrated as, hazrat
Ayesha left her caravan in search for a necklace that she had lost. While still on the
search, the caravan forgot about her and moved forward. She remained at the camp
until a nomad and member of Muhammad’s army, Safwan, found her and brought
her back to the caravn. There rumors were spread that Hazrat Ayesha and Safwan
had committed adultery. Prophet came to Hazrat Ayesha directly to speak about the
rumors. He was still with her when he announced that Allah had revealed upon him
the truth and that Ayesha was innocent. Surah 24 details the Islamic laws and
punishment regarding slander and adultery. Aisha's accusers were subjected to
punishments of 80 lashes.
Aisha remained Muhammad's favorite wife throughout his life. When he became ill
and suspected that he was probably going to die, he began to ask his wives whose
apartment he was to stay in next. They eventually figured out that he was trying to
determine when he was due with Aisha, and they then allowed him to retire there.
He remained in Aisha's apartment until his death, and his last breath was taken as he
lay in the arms of Aisha, his most beloved wife.
LITERATURE: -
In relation to interpretation of Holy Quran, traditions of Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H), theology,
commands and injunction, her name is mentioned along with Umar Farooq and Abdullah bin
Abbas. From the view point of knowledge, she excelled even the companions with only few
exceptions.
Muslim records that the Prophet had said, "I am leaving two supreme things amidst you. One is
the Book of God and the other is my family." Ayesha occupies a high position because of the
intelligence and talent bestowed by God on her, her training under the care of the Prophet and his
appreciation of her qualities. Others saw the Prophet in congregations. She saw him in assemblies
as also in privacy.
Amir Muawiyah asked one of his courtiers 'Who is the most teamed among the people? He said,
"Amir-ul-Mominin, you are the most learned," Amir Muawiyah said, "I put you to oath. Tell me
correctly." The courtier replied, 'In that case it is Ayesha. ‘Urwa bin Zubair said, "In the matter of
lawful and unlawful in knowledge, poetry and medicine, I saw no one better versed .than Ummul
Mominin Ayesha." The companions used to go to her to discuss problems and learn about Holy
Prophet (P.B.U.H). Tirmizi records that Abu Musa Ashari said: “We Companions were never
presented with a problem to which Ayesha did not present a satisfactory solution.”

Interpret the Quran: -

During the lifetime of Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H), Holy Quran was not compiled in a book form so
Hazrat Ayesha had it recorded by her literate slave, Abu Yunus. While looking for a solution she
used to refer to Holy Quran first and then to the hadith of Prophet (P.B.U.H). A few examples will
illustrate how she used to interpret the Qur'an.
There is a verse of the Qur'an regarding covering of the distance between the hillocks of Safa and
Marwa as one of the rites of Hajj. It reads: "Verily, 'Safa' and `Marwa' are among the signposts of
God, whoever then performeth the Hajj or the Umra, and no blame will lie on him if he goes round
the two posts." Urwa said, "Auntie! This would mean that there would be no harm if the distance
between the two hillocks is not traversed." Ayesha replied, "It is not the meaning. Had it been so
the verse would have been differently worded. The verse has to do something with the Ansar.
Before their acceptance of Islam, they used to worship the idol "Menet" installed over these hills
and, therefore, after embracing Islam they hesitation in going round the hills and asked the
Prophet what was his order in relation to this practice. Then the verse came "Go round the two
posts, there is no harm in it." This meaning is confirmed by the practice of the Prophet and it has
become an integral part of the rites of Hajj.
Surah Yusuf contains a verse; "Till the apostles have lost all hopes and been called liars and our
help reached them and save whom We would (from among their people)." She was asked whether
the word was tkuzzabo' i.e. they were belied or 'kuzaibo' i.e. a false promise was extended to them.
Ayesha replied, "God save us. The prophets could never think that God had made false promise to
them. The verse is in relation to the disciples of the prophets who had believed and testified the
apostleship and their people persecuted them and they saw delay in the extension of Divine
assistance so much so that the prophets had lost all hopes that the disbelievers will ever believe
and feared that the believers might also go back when suddenly Divine assistance came down."
The verse of Surah An-Nisa (number 128) runs as follows, "But if a woman fears from her
husband ill treatment or estrangement, then it shall be no fault in them if they settle things between
them amicably; an amicable settlement is always better." For removing acrimony, an amicable
settlement is always good. So the need of this revelation, was the question. Ayesha explained that
the reference is to that woman whose husband does not visit her. In such an event if she does not
want a divorce and gives up her conjugal rights, then the amicable settlement is not wrong and is
better than divorce.

Narration of Hadith:-
When it comes to narration of hadith, barring four or five Companions, the number of Hadith
narrated by Ayesha is larger than the number narrated by anyone else. She narrated 2210 traditions.
It’s not about the number but the capacity to understand and explain difficult and intricate points.
Keeping that in mind her contributions are most remarkable. Moreover besides narrating the
commands, injunctions and the events, she also described the causes, reasons and the prudence
lying behind them. For example Bukhari records a Hadith narrated by Abdullah bin Umar, Abu
Saeed Khudri and Ayesha about bathing on Friday. lbn Umar says, 'I heard the Prophet saying:
"who comes for Friday (prayers) should come after a bath".' Abu Saeed Khudri says, 'The Prophet
said that it is obligatory on every adult to bathe on Friday'. Ayesha says 'People used to come
from their houses and even from outside Medina and they were covered with dust and soaked in
perspiration. One day such a person came while the Prophet was sitting near me. The Prophet
said that it would be better if you bathe on this day.'
Companions also used to approach her and ask about authenticity of a hadith. It is reported that
lbn Abbas relates that the Prophet had seen God twice. Masrooq Tabaii enquired about it from
Ayesha. She replied, "You have said something which makes my hair stand on end. Whoever has
said this, has lied," Then she recited the verse "No vision can take Him in and He takes in all
visions and He is the Subtle, the All-informed" (Q. 6:104) and the verse, "nobody can possibly
speak to Him except through inspiration or from behind the veil." Muslim records that the Prophet
had said, "God is Light. How can I see Him?"
Umar and several Companions said that prayers (Salat) should not be observed after the morning
and afternoon prescribed prayers. Ayesha said, 'May God have mercy on Umar. He misunderstood
things. The Prophet (P.B.U.H) had said that one should not do the Salat at the time of sunset and
sun-rise." Looking at another example, Abu Huraira had said that whosoever does not say the
Witr prayers, it is as if he had said no prayers. Ayesha commented that they had all heard the
Prophet saying, 'Whoso observes the five daily prayers after ablution and performs the kneeling
and prostration well without any deficiency, has taken a guarantee from God that he would not be
punished; whosoever does not enter into this covenant, it is up to God to forgive him or to punish
him.' His deliverance is thus not certain. Neglect of obligatory duties will entail punishment but
not of what are Sunnah. Witr is only Sunnah.

Personal Knowledge:-
Furthermore, there are many matters in which the Companions gave their opinions on the basis of
their interpretation or deduction and Ayesha rejected them on the basis of her own observation:
(a) Ibn Umar gave a verdict that in taking a bath a woman should open the plaits of the hair of
the head and wash them thoroughly. When Ayesha heard of it she observed 'Why does not
 lbn Umar say that women should shave off their head. I used to bathe before the Prophet
and often I did not open the plaits of my hair and poured water over them.'
(b) Ibn Umar used to say that kissing nullifies ablution. Ayesha said that the Prophet did not
perform ablutions again after kissing.
(c) She heard that Abu Huraira had said that if a donkey, dog or woman crosses in front of the
man saying prayers, the prayers are nullified. Ayesha got angry and said, 'You have equated
us women with donkeys and dogs.' I used to lie before Prophet while he was praying (as
there wasn't much space in the room) and he would push me with his hand when Fie was
to do the prostration and I would pull up my legs and would spread them again when he
stood up. Sometimes I would go across the prayer mat.”

Jurisprudence and Theology: -

From the academic point of view the Book and the Sunnah are the Foundation of the Faith and
Jurisprudence and theology are the deductions. In the time of the Prophet (P.B.U.H) he was himself
the source of knowledge and gave verdicts. Later on if any new matter or problem arose Hazrat
Ayesha would try to find authority from the Qur'an, then refer to Hadith if the Qur'an was silent
on the point and then resort to intellectual reasoning, if no light was shed by the Qur'an or Hadith
on the point.
For example: When a person frees his slave, then a relationship of guardianship emerges between
the master and the slave and they can have a share in inheritance. A slave came to her and said that
his master Utba bin Ali Ka'ab and his wife had sold him on the condition that he would remain
under their guardianship. Who was his master now? Ayesha cited a parallel case of Barira who
had been purchased and freed by her under the direction of the Prophet (P.B.U.H) who had said
that guardianship would remain with her no matter what conditions were imposed by the sellers.
Barira was slave woman. Her mistress wanted to sell her on the condition that their guardianship
would continue which was not acceptable to Ayesha. She consulted the Prophet (P.B.U.H) who
advised that she could purchase the girl and free her. All illegal restrictions will go. After she
became free, she did not accept the husband she was married to during her slavery. She would
accept alms and the Prophet (P.B.U.H) would accept food procured out of those alms when she
offered them to him as gift. On this case, three orders of Islam are based: (i) The right of
guardianship would go to the person freeing a slave; (ii) If a male slave and a female slave are
married and the wife becomes free she has a right to remain with or leave her husband; (iii) If a
deserving person receives alms and he presents it to a non-deserving person, it is permissible for
the later to accept it for the nature of alms would change
Zayd bin Arqam purchased a slave girl from some woman for 800 Dirhams and the money was to
be paid on receipt of his allowance. In the meantime he sold her back to the same woman for 600
Dirliams. The woman sought the opinion of Ayesha. She said, "What you have done is improper
and the act of Zayd was also improper." She told him that the merit you had earned in Jihad had
been lost unless you expressed repentance. She regarded the excess 200 as interest.

Qiyas:-
Abu Huraira had given a finding that the man who bathes a dead body should take a bath afterwards
and the bearers of the bier should do ablution afresh. Ayesha observed, 'Is a dead Muslim impure
and what if a person lifts a piece of wood'?
Wuzuu is not valid even if the smallest portion of our body which has to be washed, remains dry.
According to a tradition reported by Hazrat Ayesha, if the flour dries on nails, wuzuu could not be
considered to have taken place, since that portion of the nails remain dry. Applying this in case of
nail polish, wuzuu could not take place as the nails remain dry.

Medicine/history/literature/rhetoric/poetry:-
Pupils of Ayesha state that she had considerable proficiency in history, literature, rhetoric and
poetry besides some knowledge of medicine. Hisham bin Urwa says he had not found any one
excelling Ayesha in knowledge of Qur'an, obligatory duties, the lawful and the unlawful, poetry,
the history of the Arabs and genealogy. In medicine her knowledge was limited to what the older
women in days gone by knew about indigenous medicines to cure ailments. She had gained this
knowledge from the physicians visiting the Prophet.
History and genealogy, she had learnt from her father, Abu Bakr, who was regarded as an authority
in genealogy. Many of the customs prevailing in the days of ignorance and the condition of society
of that time we! Earn only from the narrations made by Ayesha, like different ways of marriage,
the system of divorce, the songs sung at the time of marriages, the days on which fasts were held,
the rites of Hajj etc. The Hadith narrated by others are generally of few sentences but many of
those narrated by Ayesha cover several pages for she has described the background and context as
well and the cause and necessity thereof. She has given detailed description of the battles of Badr,
Uhad and the Trenches and some details of the expedition of Bani Quraiza, the prayers at moments
of fear and the necessary details of Farewell Pilgrimage. Many of the details of the life of the Holy
Prophet have been furnished by her such as the manner of descent of the Qur'an, the details of
hijart, the Prophet's death, his daily prayers, his household engagements, his personal habits etc.
By literature we mean elegance of composition and dialogue. One of her pupils Musa bin Tulha
said that he had not come across any one more eloquent than Ayesha and his view is shared by
Ahnaf bin Qais Tabaii who stated that he had not seen any one excelling Ayesha in elegance of
expression, depth of thought, or fluency and grace in language.' Moreover she was an equally
brilliant orators and her speeches have been preserved and compiled. Amir Muawiyah said that he
had not met any orator more eloquent, more fluent and sharp-witted than Ayesha. “She could raise
and modulate her voice to make it grand and commanding.”
POLITICAL ROLE OF HAZRAT AYESHA: -
After Muhammad's death, Hazrat Aisha lived fifty more years in and around Medina. Much of her
time was spent learning and acquiring knowledge of the Quran and the Sunnah of Muhammad.
She was one of three wives (the other two being Hafsa bint Umar and Ume Salama) who
memorized the Qur'an. Like Hazrat Hafsa, Hazrat Aisha had her own script of the Quran written
after Muhammad's death. During her lifetime many prominent customs of Islam, such
as veiling and seclusion of women began.
Hazrat Aisha's importance to revitalizing the Arab tradition and leadership among the Arab women
highlights her magnitude within Islam. She became involved in the politics of early Islam and the
first three caliphate reigns: Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthman. During a time in Islam when women
were not expected, or wanted, to contribute outside the household, Hazrat Aisha delivered public
speeches, became directly involved in war and even battles, and helped both men and women to
understand the practices of Prophet Muhammad. Although she remained silent politically during
her father Abu Bakr's caliphate and also under Umar ibn al-Khattab's rule, Aisha became a political
figure during the Uthman and Ali periods.

ROLE DURING THE CALIPHATES:-

 Hazrat Abu Bakar (R.A)
 Hazrat Umar (R.A)
 Hazrat Usman (R.A)
 Hazrat Ali (R.A)
 Reign of Amir Muawiyah

THE CALIPHATE OF HAZRAT ABU BAKAR:-

When Hazrat Abu Bakar became the first Caliph, the widows of Prophet (P.B.U.H) wanted to send
Hazrat Usman as their envoy in order to settle the question of inheritance but, Hazrat Ayesha
reminded them that the Prophet had said that he would have no inheritance and, whatever he had
would be distributed as charity. Prophet (P.B.U.H) had hardly left anything behind which was to
be apportioned. He had as a custodian of property, a few groves reserved for various purposes.
These proceeds were spent exactly as that of the manner of Prophet (P.B.U.H). During Hazrat Abu
Bakr’s reign, the yearly allowances of his wives were paid from the income of these groves. The
caliphate of Hazrat Abu Bakr lasted only 2 years. Hazrat Ayesha was with him at the time of his
death, he gave some property to her and asked her to distribute it amongst her brothers and sisters
to which she readily agreed. Abu Bakr next asked Aisha as to how many pieces of cloth were used
for Muhammad's shroud, she said that three pieces had been used Hazrat Abu Bakr thereupon
desired the same number for his own shroud. On Monday, 23 August 634 (hijri: 7th of Jamadi-ui-
Akhir of the 13th AH), Abu Bakr died, his funeral prayer was led by Hazrat Umar. He was buried
the same night by the side of Muhammad's grave in Aisha's house near Al-Masjid al-Nabawi.

THE CALIPHATE OF HAZRAT UMAR

The caliphate of Hazrat Umar was distinguished by excellent administration. The allowances of
the Prophets widows were fixed and converted into cash. Qazi Abu Yusaf writes in his book that,
each of them received 10 thousand Dirhams but according to Hakim, Hazrat Ayesha received 12
thousand while the others received 10 thousand Dirhams. Hazrat Umar used to send gifts to the
widows of equal measures, once he sent a small packet of pearls to Hazrat Ayesha after taking the
permission of others. When it reached her she said: “Umar has done great favors O God, do not
prolong my life for receiving more favors”. When Hazrat Umar approached his end, he sought
Hazrat Ayesha’s permission to be buried by the side of Prophet (P.B.U.H).She said that she had
reserved that place for herself but she would give preference to Hazrat Umar and relinquish her
right. The third moon thus fell in the same apartment.

THE CALIPHATE OF HAZRAT USMAN:-

The caliphate of Hazrat Usman lasted for 12 years, the first 6 years passed by peacefully but the
next 6 were a period of turmoil. Hazrat Ayesha states that, the Prophet had advised him that if he
were to receive the mantle of caliphate he would himself not put it off. At the beginning of
Uthman’s caliphate ,she performed hajj accompanied by the caliph, however according to Yaqobi
,after a short while he denied her of the two thousand dinars which used to be given to her by Umar
bin Khattab,and was paid as much as other spouses of the Holy Prophet. Allame Askari says: as
far as history is concerned we only know that the differences between the two has emerged in the
second half of Uthman’s caliphate, as well as understand that this difference has neither occurred
due to a simple incident nor suddenly, yet little by little and has intensified to a degree to which
the ties between Aisha and Usman was worsened.
Historians says, the case regarding his half-brother Walid bin Aqaba was one of the provoking
issues between the two. According to the Qur’an Walid bin Aqaba who was a corrupt man, was
given an official position in Usman’s era. Another problem was that Walid used to drink wine,
something that is subject to religious divine punishment. Some people who saw him drinking wine,
went to Medina to visit Hazrat Usman in order to inform him of what had happened. Abolfaraj in
his book (Aqani) says: Uthman replied to the witnesses saying: it is not a practice to accuse the
Amir if he annoys you, now because of this I will have you punished in the morning, as a result
they took refuge to Aisha’s house, hearing this that they are accusing him of aggression, Uthman
unconsciously shouted: did the Iraqi rebels and corrupt ones have no shelter except Aisha’s house?
Hearing this Aisha took the Holy Prophet’s sandals to her hands raising them, she shouted clearly:
how quickly you forgot the Sunnah of the owner of these sandals. Aisha’s words quickly passed
through people and reached every one, therefore people came to the mosque, discussions
concerning their argument, caused disagreements among people. Aisha and Uthmān argued with
each other, Uthmān eventually made a comment on why Aisha had come and how she was
"ordered to stay at home".Arising from this comment, was the question of whether Aisha, and for
that matter women, still had the ability to be involved in public affairs. The Muslim community
became split: "some sided with Uthmān, but others demanded to know who indeed had better right
than Aisha in such matters”. Sadly the disagreement reached to a point that they tackled each other,
roughing each other up. The caliphate took a turn for the worse when Egypt was governed
by Abdullah ibn Saad. Abbott reports that Muhammad Ibn Abi Hudhayfa of Egypt, an opponent
of ‘Usman, forged letters in the Mothers of the Believers' names to the conspirators against Usman.
The people cut off his water and food supply. When Ayesha realized the behavior of the crowd,
Abbott notes, she could not believe the crowd "would offer such indignities to a widow of
Mohammad”. This refers to when Safiyya bint Huyayy (one of Muhammad's wives) tried to help
‘Usman and was taken by the crowd. Malik al-Ashtar then approached her about killing Usman
and the letter, and she claimed she would never want to "command the shedding of the blood of
the Muslims and the killing of their Imam". She also claimed she did not write the letters. The city
continued to oppose Usman, but as for Aisha, her journey to Mecca was approaching. With the
journey to Mecca approaching at this time, she wanted to rid herself of the situation. Hazrat Usman
heard of her not wanting to hurt him, and he asked her to stay because of her influence on the
people, but this did not persuade Aisha, and she continued on her journey. In 655, Usman’s house
was put under siege by about 1000 rebels. Eventually the rebels broke into the house and murdered
Uthman, provoking the First Fitna. After killing Usman, the rebels asked Ali to be the new caliph,
although Ali was not involved in the murder of Usman according to many reports. Ali reportedly
initially refused the caliphate, agreeing to rule only after his followers persisted.

THE CALIPHATE OF HAZRAT ALI:-

When Ali could not execute those merely accused of Hazrat Usman’s murder, Aisha delivered a
fiery speech against him for not avenging the death of Uthman. The first to respond to Aisha was
Abdullah ibn Aamar al-Hadhrami, the governor of Mecca during the reign of Usman, and
prominent members of the Banu Umayya. With the funds from the "Yemeni Treasury" Aisha set
out on a campaign against the Rashidun Caliphate of Ali. Aisha, along with an army
including Zubayr ibn al-Awam and Talha ibn Ubayd-Allah, confronted Ali's army, demanding the
prosecution of Usman’s killers who had mingled with his army outside the city of Basra. When
her forces captured Basra she ordered the execution of 600 Muslims and 40 others, including
Hakim ibn Jabala, who were put to death in the Grand Mosque of Basra. Aisha's forces are also
known to have tortured and imprisoned Othman ibn Hanif the governor of Basra appointed by Ali.

Aisha battling the fourth caliph Ali in the Battle of the Camel:-
Ali rallied supporters and fought Aisha's forces near Basra in 656. The battle is known as the Battle
of the Camel, after the fact that Aisha directed her forces from a howdah on the back of a large
camel. Aisha's forces were defeated and an estimated 10,000 Muslims were killed in the battle,
this is considered as the first engagement where Muslims fought Muslims. After 110 days of
conflict the Rashidun Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib met Aisha with reconciliation. He sent her back to
Medina under military escort headed by her brother Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, one of Ali's
commanders. She subsequently retired to Medina with no more interference with the affairs of
state. She was also awarded a pension by Ali. Although she retired to Medina, her forsaken efforts
against the Rashidun Caliphate of Ali did not end the First Fitna.

REIGN OF AMIR MUAWIYAH:-

The Caliphate of Hazrat Ali lasted for 4 years after which Amir Muawiyah became the undisputed
Muslim leader for the next 20 years. Hazrat Ayesha saw 18 years of his reign, all the while she led
a secluded life. Amir Muawiyah once wrote a letter to her asking for some advice she wrote: “I
had heard the prophet saying that, whoever seeks the pleasure of God without caring for the
goodwill of people, God will protect him from the ill-will of the people but, he who displeases
God in seeking the goodwill of people, God will entrust him to the people. This was the succinct
assessment of the life of Muawiyah. He wanted to approve his son Yazid as the successor, Marwan,
Governor of Medina suggested the name in public gathering, Abdul Rehman, and brother of
Ayesha opposed it. Marwan wanted to arrest him but he took refuge in Hazrat Ayesha’s house.
Marwan asked, is this the person about whom the Quranic verses were revealed, Hazrat Ayesha
said from behind the curtain that no verse was revealed about her other than the verse that absolved
her scandal .She was not happy with the proposed suggestion of Yazid.

DEATH OF HAZRAT AYEHSA:-

Hazrat Ayesha was 63 years old when she fell seriously ill, her illness lasted only a few days, when
people would come to acquire about her health she would say she was well. The authentic book of
Belaqat says: when dying Aisha was extremely upset, she was told: you are the mother of all
believers, why are you so upset? She replied: the battle of Jamal has stuck like a bone in by throat.
Meanwhile Zahabi says: she passed on in the year 58 AH, 17 Ramadan, following saying her Vat
prayers. She had a will to bury her the same night, Muhajerin and Ansar as well as a big number
of people gathered around. They burnt palm trees to lighten up the way for people. The narrator
says: I saw the women of Medina at that night inside the Baqi graveyard who had gathered around,
like the days of Eid. Abu Hurayrah who was the ruler of Medina on behalf of Marwan led the death
prayers and buried her beside the other wives of the Holy Prophet (P.B.H.H)
PERSONALITY OF HAZRAT AYESHA:-
Hazrat Aisha spent her entire life as a champion for Islam. She lived a highly spiritual life knowing
she was an example to mankind with the quest to reunite with her husband in the afterlife. Her
days were spent in charity and fast, living modestly while spreading knowledge at every turn.
People of all walks of life turned to her for advice all throughout her lifetime.

Aisha remains a shining example in Islamic history, a gift to mankind. According to Zahabai, she
was an intelligent, generous, eloquent, and well versed person. Befitting the title of the Mother of
the Believers, Aisha was courageous, braving the front line of the battlefield alongside her husband
without a second thought. She famously took part in the Battles of Uhad, al-Khandaq, Banu
Qurayza, Banu Mustaliq. She cared for the wounded and brought water to the armies. Aisha is
attributed to the Qur’anic revelations of surah an-Nisa involving tayammum or the use of sand or
dirt in the absence of water to perform wudu (ritual ablution before prayer.) Aisha was the anti-
sheep! She was feisty, questioning everything- believing nothing- unless it was proven to her
beyond a shadow of a doubt. Her keen intuition allowed her to astutely understand the motivation
that lie behind what people said and did. Aisha prayed with the Messenger himself, learning Islam
from his most intimate and personal moments. She was in attendance at his famous last sermon.
Graced with eidetic memory, she was a wealth of knowledge issuing justice so squarely- it didn’t
matter who it was for or against. She even issued fatwas (rulings on dubious matters) Poetic and
superbly eloquent, scholars clamored to attend Aisha’s lectures. She was a teacher like no other
teacher - with a God given gift for speaking...Pre-Islamic times were referred to as the Era of
Jahiliyya or the Age of Ignorance. It was common practice for women to have no say in who they
could marry, forced by their fathers and societal predilections. Women turned to Aisha for issues
in their lives as well as marital advice. When a girl came to Aisha unhappy that her father was
forcing an arranged marriage upon her, Aisha brought the matter to the Prophet who for the first
time- established that a woman’s choice in marriage was hers to make. Though arranged marriages
exist still today in many cultures of various faiths with both good and bad outcomes, it is this
period in time that forced marriage became prohibited in Islam. As for the way she used to dress,
the author of Tabaqat quotes Qasem, Aisha’s nephew as saying: she used to wear yellow clothes
as well as gold rings. Orwah, Aisha’s niece says: she had a silk outer garment which she used to
wear it from time to time which later granted to Abdullah bin Zubair.

Having spent the most impressionable time with the Prophet Hazrat Ayesha was exalted in
character, she was extremely sober, generous, contended and kind hearted. She herself was without
a child but brought up poor children, particularly orphans and would arrange their marriages when
they come of age. She would implacably obey the prophet and work hard to please him, if his face
showed any anxiety or sorrow she would grow restless. Hazrat Ayesha never spoke ill of anyone,
she did not like people to praise her but in spite of her modesty she was self-respecting and high
minded. She was also tender hearted and the fear of god never left her heart. Once Amir Muawiyah
sent her 10 thousand dirhams, that day she was fasting and decided to give every penny away for
charity. Hazrat Ayesha used to keep herself busy in prayers. When the Prophet (P.B.U.H) was
alive she used to say her Tahajud prayers with him and so she continued this practice even after
his death. She was also very particular about her tarawih prayers. Hazrat Ayesha is known for her
generosity with slaves, she had as many as 67 slaves freed. Once she fell very ill and it was
discovered that a slave girl had used witch craft on her as she desired Ayesha’s death for her early
release from bondage. She sold her off with the proceeds of the money hence, liberated another
slave. To sum it up, Hazrat Ayesha’s character stands as a great example for the Muslim
Community till this day.

DISCUSSION:-
This section would be an analysis on the points mentioned above. We would discuss how Hazrat
Aisha is one of the best examples to follow. Not only for Muslims but also for the non-believers.
How her contributions have a significant role in the wide spread of Islam. We would also analyze
how Hazrat Aisha is an example for the Muslim women and how she empowers women of all ages
and how Islam treats women.
Hazrat Aisha was not only a companion but also a scholar. They say, if you discount her narrations,
you discount half of the religion. Which means, even though she was a woman, she played a part
in spreading the religion after the death of the Prophet (PBUH)
She is known as the scholar of all scholars. She always had the solution to every problem. All
kinds of people came to her for answers. She possessed great knowledge and was very well-versed.
She had a great interest in literature and poetry. Even the Holy Prophet (PBUH) used to ask her
for advice.
Hazrat Aisha is a great example for people. Especially those who think women cannot, and should
not be allowed to make big decisions and they cannot be a part of decision making as women
emotional. People even use the name of religion to enslave women. Although they are wrong.
Hazrat Aisha despite being a woman was not only the Prophets most beloved wife but also the best
scholar, the best counsel and a very good Muslim.
Even if we analyze the rumor spread about her, we see that the Prophet remained silent until Allah
(SWT) guided him and Allah (SWT) himself declared Hazrat Aisha innocent. But today we
witness so many cases regarding honor killing. The husband, the brother or the father does not
even need any sort of proof. Only a rumor spread by someone would be enough to kill the woman.
It is easy for people to use religion to tell a woman to sit at home as a woman is not made to do
anything other than the household chores. But at the same time, it would be very hard for them to
act according to the religion.
In short, the religion does not enslave women rather it empowers women. Throughout the history
of Islam, we see many women who are an example of how women are a sign of strength. How
Hazrat Aisha made decisions starting from small matters to big matters including war strategies
indicating how women are capable of being a part of decision making and how our religion allows
women to do. Hazrat Aisha possessed great knowledge, even more than most men of that time.
She was a very strong woman. And she is no doubt one of the best examples of an empowered
Muslim woman. Our Islamic society has the duty to proffer and prepare utmost opportunities of
education towards women and ensure their exposure and participation in this regard. In this case
it is very worth mentioning that in case of knowledge no need to categorize as religious and
material or anything but provide maximum possibilities of knowledge. This was the core message
given by Aisha (RA) by her whole life. Aisha (RA) acquired the Islamic teachings from the
Prophet (PBUH), genealogy and history from the father Abubakar (RA) and the knowledge about
diseases and medicine from the physicians who visited the Prophet (PBUH). Here, she introduced
a way of learning without any limitations of sources and areas. But unfortunately, we have
forgotten to make a follow up for this memorable task. The study of Aisha (RA)’s life demands
seriously some new openings in this respect to overcome the challenges of twenty-first century.
Islamic society neither encouraged them to the world of knowledge nor provided them rich
opportunities.

CONCLUSION:-
To sum it all up, Hazrat Aisha is a beautiful example for believers as well as non-believers.
Especially women. The purpose of this paper was to review the position of Aisha (RA) in the
Islamic history, and hence, contribute a value-oriented work plan for women's group focusing on
educational affairs. It is well known that the status of women in Islam is highly misunderstood and
controversial issue in the modern world. Islam considers the rights of women in all spheres of their
life, but the majority of people whether Muslim or non-Muslim is very far from recognizing or
applying it. So, to make a very necessary clarification about the position of Muslim women by
exploring the various roles played by Aisha (RA), is the primary concern of this paper. Aisha
(RA)’s presence in Modena as a wife of the Prophet (PBUH) had been recognized as a great
treasure for all generations and as a bridge between the Prophet (PBUH) and the future generations
because of her bright, inquisitive mind, quick wit and extraordinary intelligence. The quote
“Educate a man you educate a person. Educate a woman you educate the whole family” works like
a meaningful one. It is explicitly known that the role of women in the modern world is absolutely
different from the past, as they already
are playing key roles in our social, economic and political system. Women came intotoday's
world with a rich variety of roles as Partner, Mother, Daughter, Sister, Money earner, financial
planner, Housekeeper, Dietician, Nurse, Psychologist, and Teacher and so on. For the first and
foremost, it should be thought and clarified that the ways of benefitting from these various
positions in order to utilize them for the empowerment of women and value-oriented
developments. It is the one meant by the employment of Aisha (RA)’ model in the present world.
Because Aisha (RA)’s life story tells about the benefitting of various roles of her life for the core
target of education. For example, she was endeavoring to learn from her husband i.e. Prophet
(PBUH), from her father i.e. Abubaker Siddiq (RA) and even from the physicians who came to
visit the Prophet (PBUH). Furthermore, she was striving to educate the children of different
families, orphans, people who came to visit the tomb of the Prophet (PBUH) and even the people
whom met on her journeys. The efforts depicted
by Aisha (RA) are the obligatory requirements of every Muslim men and women.Because Quran
introduces Muslim community as “You are the best of the nations raised up for (the benefit of)
men; you enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong
and believe in Allah; and if the followers of the Book had believed it would have been better for
them; of them (some) are believers and most of them are transgressors”. This verse never excludes
the female sisters from the mentioned obligation. Women are the just half of the number of members of all
people and have often more influence than males upon children, husband and family whether it is
positively or negatively. It requires much importance on their empowerment for the betterment of
the all world. Quran envisages to the joint effort of males and females in the expounding the
goodness as “The Believers, men and women, are protectors one of another: they enjoin what is
just, and forbid what is evil: they observe regular prayers, practice regular charity, and obey Allah
and His Messenger. On them will Allah pour His mercy: for Allah is exalted in power, Wise”?
Recognizing the significance of education and the relevance of Prophet’s guidelines as the pursuit
of knowledge is incumbent upon every Muslim men and women, it is obligatory to lead an
educational revolution especially for womenfolk. The Islamic society whether male or female have
the duty to promote the true status of Muslim women in line with the Islamic values and to expand
their awareness of the modern challenging circumstances and deepens their understanding of Islam
and the notion of women from the vantage point of Islam. The reading the biography of Aisha
(RA) becomes more relevant as she puts forth a profound framework of women’s work load,
especially in respects of education. Muslim women should endeavor to unveil their true status in
our contemporary world and ultimately establish their genuine role in society taking the advantage
of the life of Aisha (RA) Aisha (RA)’s colorful life envisages a wide variety of duties and
obligations from women side as mentioned above. This task should start from the activation of her
home for the multi purposed needs of humanity, mainly as an Islamic center
of positive social change. Afterwards she can expand it by nourishing the Islamicidentities and
moral signs through children, the orphans in her native place and the children of very poor people.
This type of upbringing can influence the future very largely. Moreover, she has to represent the
all Muslim women to defend and protect their rights. Especially, many types of publications are
competing demonstrate Islam as inhuman to women and to make many false comments. Here she has to pen
about the true status of women in Islam and to proclaim how Islam keeps her in the right path. This
work would be highly appreciated because there are some female figures with Muslim names to
blackmail Islam to win the high media coverage and publicity. Furthermore, to speak the women
about her experiences in Islam has more importance than calculations of male writings.
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