Sayyidah ‘Aaishah [radhiyallahu ‘anha] – Part Seven

Humble to the Last

When Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) was lying on her deathbed, Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbaas (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) requested permission to enter to which Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) said, “I fear that he will praise me.” Hearing this, her nephew, ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abdir Rahmaan (rahimahullah) felt that she did not wish to grant Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbaas (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) permission to enter, and thus he interceded saying, “He is the cousin of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and from the seniors of the Muslims!” Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) said, “Allow him to enter.”

On entering, Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbaas (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) enquired as to how she was feeling, to which she replied, “I am well, provided I have taqwa.” To this, Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbaas (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) responded, “In that case, you are well Insha Allah. The only thing that remains between you and meeting Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and those whom you love (that have 

passed away) is for your soul to leave your body.”   

He then began to mention some of the virtues of Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) saying, “You were the most beloved to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) from all his wives, and Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) only loved that which was pure. He did not marry any virgin besides you. (When you were falsely accused of fornication,) your exoneration was revealed from the sky, through the medium of Jibreel (‘alaihis salaam) and will be recited in every masjid on earth. When your necklace fell on the night of Abwaa, (and Rasulullah [sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam] halted the army to retrieve your necklace,) then the following morning, when Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and the army of the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) had no water, Allah Ta‘ala revealed the verse of tayammum. Thus, the concession of tayammum that Allah Ta‘ala granted to this Ummah was on account of you. Therefore, by Allah, you are indeed blessed!”

When Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) heard Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbaas (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) praising her in this manner, she said, “Please cease this, O Ibnu ‘Abbaas! By the Being Who controls my life, I wish that I was something totally forgotten!”

(Saheeh Bukhaari #4753, Musnad Ahmad #2496 and Fat-hul Baari)

Lessons:

1. Despite Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) being blessed with all these outstanding virtues, she still thought nothing of herself. Such was her level of humility that she did not wish to be praised, and even exclaimed, “I wish that I was something totally forgotten!” In total contrast to this, we post every small detail of our lives on social media, merely to obtain the ‘likes’ and praises of others. 

2. Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) did not feel that she was deserving of Jannah due to her unique position. On the contrary, when Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) was asked as to how she was, she replied that she was well – provided that she possessed taqwa. In other words, more than the family that one comes from, or who a person marries, it is the quality of taqwa that will pave the path to success.

May Allah (swt) grant us such humbleness and humility, Aameen

Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (adhiyallahu ‘anha) – Part Six

Passion for Spending on the Poor

(Sayyidah ‘Aaishah [radhiyallahu ‘anha] – Part Six)

As previously discussed, Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) was extremely generous and loved spending on the poor. Hence, whenever she received any wealth, she would begin to spend it on the poor.

On one occasion, the dear and beloved nephew of Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha), Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah bin Zubair (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma), became concerned over the large amounts of wealth that she was spending in charity, and thus mentioned, “Her spending must be curtailed.”

When Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) heard about this, she was greatly disappointed that her nephew wished to restrict her in spending on the poor. In fact, her disappointment was so much that she took a vow to cease speaking to Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah bin Zubair (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma).

When Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah bin Zubair (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) could not bear being separated and cut off from his beloved aunt for such a long time, he requested many people to intercede on his behalf. However, Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) was not prepared to break her vow.

Eventually, when the separation became too much to bear, Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah bin Zubair (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) approached Sayyiduna Miswar bin Makhramah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and Sayyiduna ‘Abdur Rahmaan bin Aswad (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and asked them to intercede on his behalf and assist him to gain an audience with Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha). Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) would show a lot of consideration to these Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) on account of them being relatives of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam).

Accordingly, they went to the home of Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) where Sayyiduna Miswar bin Makhramah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and Sayyiduna ‘Abdur Rahmaan bin Aswad (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) asked permission to enter. Not knowing that Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah bin Zubair (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) was with them, Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) gave them all permission to enter.

They entered the home and remained behind the screen which separated them from her, while Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah bin Zubair (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) seized the opportunity and went to the other side of the screen, hugging his aunt, weeping and begging her to forgive him. At the same time, Sayyiduna Miswar bin Makhramah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and Sayyiduna ‘Abdur Rahmaan bin Aswad (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) interceded for Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), urging Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) to speak to him once again. Finally, Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallah ‘anha) agreed and recommenced speaking to her nephew.

However, as compensation for breaking her vow, she thereafter freed forty slaves. Furthermore, whenever she would think of the vow that she broke, she would weep profusely, to the extent that her clothing would become wet with her tears, as she had taken a vow in the name of Allah Ta‘ala and thereafter broke the vow.

(Saheeh Bukhaari #3503, #3505 & #6073 and Fat-hul Baari vol. 10, pg. 605)

Lessons:

1. Generally, when one person becomes upset with another person and ceases speaking to him, it is because he was insulted, offended, hurt or his ego was dented. In other words, it is generally due to a personal grievance and a trivial matter. However, in the case of Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha), her displeasure was for the sake of Deen, as she could not tolerate that her nephew wished to restrict the amount that she spent in charity.

2. Whereas it would have sufficed Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) to free one slave as compensation, she freed forty slaves. The reason is that the vow was made in the name of Allah Ta‘ala, and she thus viewed breaking the vow as an extremely serious offence. Hence, instead of freeing one slave, which was the requirement, she ‘went the extra mile’ and freed forty slaves. Furthermore, due to her fear of accountability in the court of Allah Ta‘ala, she continued expressing her regret and remorse by weeping profusely when recalling the incident.  

3. When Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah bin Zubair (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) realised that he had made a mistake, he immediately tried his best to rectify it and repair the relationship with his aunt, even going to the extent of asking others to intercede for him and gain him an audience with her. In the same way, if we make a mistake or damage our relationship with some person, then we should try our best to make amends and repair the damage.

4. Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) was blessed by Allah Ta‘ala to be one of the blessed wives of Rasulullah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam). Hence, she was privileged to witness, first hand, the manner in which Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) conducted himself in the home, as well as other dimensions of the life of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) which were not before the public. She thus possessed important knowledge of Deen which others required, due to which many people would come and learn Deen from her. However, when imparting this knowledge of Deen, she ensured that she remained behind a curtain where non-mahrams could not see her. Accordingly, in the incident above, it was only her nephew who went behind the curtain.

Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) – Part Five

Firm Faith in Allah

On one occasion, a beggar came to the home of Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) and asked for some food. At that time, Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) was fasting, and besides a loaf of bread, she had no other food in her home.

Nevertheless, on seeing the beggar, she instructed her freed slave, “Give the bread to him.” The freed slave responded, “There is nothing else for you to eat as iftaar (to break your fast).” However, Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) insisted, “Give the bread to him.” The freed slave thus obliged and gave the bread to the beggar.

That evening, a person who would not generally send food for Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) unexpectedly sent her some goat meat covered in bread. On receiving the meat and bread, Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) called her freed slave and said to her, “Eat this, for it is better than the bread that you wanted.”

(Muwatta Imaam Maalik #3655)

Lessons:

1. From the fact that the food came from a person who was not in the habit of sending food for Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha), we realize that she was not expecting this food to arrive. Hence, when she gave her bread to the beggar, she did so with complete reliance and trust in Allah Ta‘ala to provide for her.

2. When Allah Ta‘ala sent food for her, He sent her food that was far better than that which she had given the beggar. Hence, Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) addressed her freed slave and taught her that when a person sacrifices something for the sake of Allah Ta‘ala, then Allah Ta‘ala will always give him something far better in return.

3. In our current situation, where many of us are undergoing financial constraints, we need to constantly remind ourselves that it is Allah Ta‘ala who provided for us till this point, and it is He alone that will provide for us in the future as well. The more we entrench this belief in our hearts and minds, the greater the peace of mind and calmness we will experience.  

Sayyidah ‘Aa'ishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) – Part Four

Forgiven and Forgotten

As mentioned previously, Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) was mistakenly left behind when the army suddenly departed while returning from the expedition of Banul Mustaliq. Later Sayyiduna Safwaan bin Mu‘attal (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) discovered her waiting in the place where the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) had camped and escorted her safely back to the army.

When they arrived at the army, the tongues of the hypocrites began to wag, and they spread the rumour that – Allah Ta‘ala forbid! – Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) had indulged in sin with Sayyiduna Safwaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu). In this manner, they falsely accused our beloved mother, Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha), of indecency (na‘oozubillah). This incident is known as the incident of ifk (slander).

Unfortunately, although the hypocrites were responsible for starting the rumours, there were a few sincere Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) who erred and also became unwittingly involved in speaking of these rumours. Among these Sahaabah was Sayyiduna Hassaan bin Thaabit (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), the poet who would use his poetry to speak in defence of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) when the disbelievers would mock at him.

After a period of time, during which Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) suffered extreme anguish, as the stigma of the false rumour persisted, Allah Ta‘ala Himself exonerated her and declared her innocence by revealing verses of the Quraan Majeed in her defence.

On one occasion, many years later, a nephew of Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) began to speak ill of Sayyiduna Hassaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) in her presence. When she heard the words of her nephew, she stopped him saying, “Do not speak ill of him, for he would defend Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) (by means of his poetry).” (Saheeh Bukhaari #3531)

Lessons:

1. This incident is clear testament to how clean the heart of Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) was. Despite Sayyiduna Hassaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) being among those who had erred and unwittingly assisted in spreading the rumour, she pardoned and forgave him. Furthermore, she did not only forgive, but even ‘forgot’, by thereafter defending him when her own nephew wished to speak ill of him. This forgiving nature and keeping a clean heart, free of malice and grudges, is the sunnah of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), and hence who could have learnt it better than Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha)?

2. We should be extremely wary and cautious of all gossip and rumours – especially in the age of social media, when unfounded and unverified information abounds and rapidly circulates. If we become party to propagating a false rumour, we will be answerable by Allah Ta‘ala. Hence, if the rumour is none of our business – let it stay that way. If it does pertain to us, we must verify it before accepting and acting on it.

May Allah grant us a clean heart and mind where we seek to see the best in each other Aameen!

Sayyidah ‘Aa'ishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) – Part Three

Eat to Live, Not Live to Eat

In various ahaadeeth, Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) explains the food of the household of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam).

In one narration, she mentions, “From the time Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) came to Madeenah Munawwarah, until the time he departed from this world, his household were never satiated with food prepared from wheat for three consecutive nights.” (Saheeh Bukhaari #5416)

Likewise, in another narration, she mentions, “At the time when Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) departed from this world, we would satiate our hunger with dates and water.” (Saheeh Bukaari #5383)

As far as Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) is concerned, then even after the demise of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), she maintained this level of simplicity in her own life. Hence, when wealth began to pour into Madeenah Munawwarah and large amounts of money would be sent to her, she never kept anything for herself. Instead, she hastened to spend it all in charity, emulating the blessed example of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam).

The nephew of Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha), ‘Urwah bin Zubair (rahimahullah), mentions that on one occasion, Sayyiduna Mu‘aawiyah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) sent 100 000 dirhams (silver coins) to her as a gift. On receiving the gift, she began to distribute it among the poor, until none of the money remained. At that time, her freed slave, Sayyidah Bareerah (radhiyallahu ‘anha), remarked, “You are fasting. Why did you not purchase some meat for us with (at least) one dirham?” Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) replied, “Had I thought of it, I would have done so.” (Mustadrak Haakim #6745)

Similarly, on another occasion, her nephew, Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah bin Zubair (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma), sent her two sacks, filled with money, as a gift. Contained in these sacks was wealth equal to approximately 180 000 dirhams. On receiving the gift, Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) asked for a tray to be brought. She then (placed the money in the tray and) sat, distributing the money among the people. By that evening, none of the money remained. Since Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) was fasting, she called to her servant, “Please bring my iftaar (the food with which I will break my fast).” The servant obliged and presented her with some bread and olive oil. Observing this, her freed slave, Sayyidah Ummu Zarrah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) remarked, “From the money you distributed today, could you not have used one dirham to purchase meat for us to eat when breaking our fast?” Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) replied, “Do not reprimand me! If you had reminded me, I would have done so!” (Sifatus Safwah vol. 1, pg. 318)

Lessons:

1. Food prepared from wheat (e.g. bread) is not an exclusive or exotic type of food. Rather, it is among the basic, staple foods. However, the simplicity and generosity of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and his blessed household was such that they voluntarily chose to spend all their wealth in the path of Allah Ta‘ala, assisting others and securing the rewards of the Hereafter. Hence, they did not even have wheat bread to eat for three nights in a row. Rather, they would eat barley bread (which was cheaper) or satiate their hunger by eating dates (which were abundantly available) and drinking water.

2. The effect of remaining in the blessed company of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was that even after his demise, his household emulated his blessed example. They had imbibed the values of generosity and simplicity to such an extent that they too voluntarily sacrificed the material possessions, for the sake of others, and sufficed on the simplest of foods.

3. When Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) was asked as to why she had not purchased meat for her iftaar, she remarked that if it had occurred to her, or she had been reminded, she would have done so, not for herself – but to accommodate her servant and make her comfortable. In other words, although she was fasting, and had probably not eaten meat for many days, food was the furthest thing from her mind and she was not pining for meat. On the other hand, we constantly obsess over our food and our menu – even more so when we are fasting. In many ways, our lives actually revolve around our stomachs. However, as we can see from the above incidents, this was not the way of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum). They ate to live, not lived to eat.

Sayyidah ‘Aa'ishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) – Part Two

Spontaneous Modesty

The Expedition of Banul Mustaliq occurred during the month of Sha’baan 5 A.H. Together with the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) who accompanied Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) on this expedition, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) also took his respected wife, Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) along with him.

On the return journey, they had halted for the night at a place close to Madeenah Munawwarah. Prior to the time of departure, Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) went some distance away from the camp site to take care of her physical needs. However, when she returned, she realised that her necklace had fallen off and therefore went back in search of it. In the process of finding her necklace, she was delayed, and upon returning to the camp site, she found that the army had already departed.

Since Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) was very light in weight at that time, the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) who had lifted the hawdaj (a curtained carriage) and placed it on the camel’s back did not even realized that she was not inside.

Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) relates, “I proceeded to the place in which I had initially been, realising that they would soon discover that I was missing and return for me. I then covered myself with 

my shawl, and fell asleep.

“Safwaan bin Mu‘attal (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) was appointed by Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), as per his own request, to follow behind the army. Hence, when the army would depart, he would remain in the camp, performing salaah. After some time, he would follow behind the army, recovering lost items, such as a waterskin or utensil, that any person in the army had left behind, so that he could return it to the owner.

“As Safwaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) proceeded, he came to the place where I was, noticed the figure of a person sleeping, and recognized me (as the shawl had fallen from my face, while I was asleep). Safwaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) was able to recognize me as he had seen me in the era before the laws of hijaab (purdah) were revealed.

“As soon as he saw me, he loudly recited, ‘innaa lillaahi wa innaa ilaihi raaji‘oon’, causing me to awaken. On awakening, my spontaneous reaction was to cover my face and conceal it from him. By Allah! We did not speak anything to one another, nor did I hear any word from him besides his reciting of ‘innaa lillaah’.

“He then brought his camel to me, made it kneel, and then turned his face away, allowing me to climb onto the camel. He then led the camel, until we reached the army.”

(Saheeh Bukhaari #4750 and Fat-hul Baari)

Lessons:

1. Before she fell asleep, Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) covered herself, and as soon as she awoke, her spontaneous reaction was to cover her face as well. Hence, it is clear that the aspect of purdah was so deeply ingrained in Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) that it was her second nature. It is thus very clear that the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum), despite the high level of their piety, purity of their hearts, and deep consciousness of Allah Ta‘ala, did not regard purdah and the covering of the face to be a trivial matter or something insignificant – rather they showed it utmost importance, as they knew that hayaa is directly linked to imaan.

2. When Sayyiduna Safwaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) discovered Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha), he woke her by loudly reciting ‘innaa lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raaji’oon’, in order to avoid any direct conversation. When a Sahaabi exercised this level of caution when interacting with his ‘mother’ in a situation of dire necessity, due to her being a non-mahram, what level of caution should we be exercising, in a time that abounds with lust and illicit behaviour. While this applies to physical meetings and verbal conversations, it equally applies to interacting via social networks or any other media.     

3. Sayyiduna Safwaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) had to fulfil the necessary duty of transporting Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) back to the army, as he could not leave her alone in the wilderness. However, he did so with utmost hayaa. While she was climbing onto the camel, he turned away completely, and after she was mounted on the camel, he did not walk beside her, but walked in front, where he could not see her. In essence, both these Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum), on this occasion, displayed the highest levels of hayaa and purdah, despite the difficult situation, thus setting the standard for the Ummah to follow.

Sayyidah ‘Aa'ishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) – Part One

The Most Beloved of the Most Beloved

Allah Ta‘ala had blessed multiple women with the honour of becoming the Azwaaj Mutahharaat (pure and chaste wives of Rasulullah [sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam]). However, from all the Azwaaj Mutahharaat, perhaps the one who is most well-known is Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha).

Not only was Sayyidah Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) the most beloved of the Azwaaj Mutahharaat to our most beloved Rasul (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), but among all his wives, she was blessed with many special virtues that were unique to her alone.

Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) once mentioned the following to the other Azwaaj Mutahharaat:

“I was favoured over you with ten special blessings – and I do not say this with pride (but rather to express gratitude to Allah Ta‘ala. These ten special blessings are that) I was the most beloved to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) from all his wives and my father was the most beloved to him (from all the Sahaabah [radhiyallahu ‘anhum]).

Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) married me as a virgin, whereas he did not marry any other woman who was a virgin besides me. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) married me at the age of seven, and I went to live with him when I was nine.

(When I was falsely accused of zina,) my exoneration and the declaration of my innocence descended from the sky (as revelation to be recorded in the Qura'an Majeed).

When Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was in his final illness, he asked his wives permission saying, ‘It is difficult for me to continue moving between your homes (giving each of you your due turn). Hence, allow me to remain with one of you.’ When Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said that, Ummu Salamah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) said, ‘We understand what it is that you wish – you wish to stay at the home of ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha). We have given you permission to do so (as this is what pleases you).’

The final thing to be placed in the blessed mouth of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) in the world was my saliva. A miswaak was brought to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), and he asked me to chew it for him and soften it for him, which I did (and he then used the miswaak, due to which my saliva was in his blessed mouth when he departed from this world).

(Finally,) Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) departed from this world while reclining on me, (with his blessed head) between my lap and my chest, and he was buried in my home.” (Siyaru Aa’laamin Nubalaa vol. 2, pg. 147)

Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) was blessed with many other special virtues and bounties by Allah Ta‘ala. Nevertheless, from these great virtues, we can understand the high rank and status that Allah Ta‘ala had blessed her with.

Insha-Allah, in the following weeks, we will take glimpses into the blessed life of this outstanding personality so that she may serve as an inspiration to us all.