At a glance
The Mothers of the Believers- Dates
- Died 58 AH (678 CE)
- Who
- Daughter of Abu Bakr, wife of the Prophet ﷺ, one of the greatest narrators and teachers of the early community
- Stages
- The Final Years
ProfileAishah bint Abi Bakr
Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was the daughter of Abu Bakr. Her marriage to the Prophet ﷺ was contracted in Makkah, after he had twice seen her in a dream, shown to him wrapped in silk, and she joined his household in Madinah in the early years after the Hijrah.
She learned from the Prophet ﷺ at close quarters and became one of the most learned people in the community. She narrated more than two thousand hadith, the recorded sayings and actions of the Prophet ﷺ, and senior Companions came to her with questions about worship, family law and the Prophet's ﷺ daily conduct. She also corrected narrations when she thought they had been remembered imperfectly.
Her love for him showed in a fierce jealousy, which the Prophet ﷺ met with patience and good humour; once, when she knocked a dish of food sent by another wife from a servant's hand, he gathered up the pieces himself and said only that their mother had become jealous. When verses came giving the wives the choice between the life of this world and Allah and His Messenger, he went to her first and told her not to decide until she had asked her parents. She answered that she needed to ask no one, and chose Allah, His Messenger and the home of the Hereafter, and the other wives answered as she did.
When false rumours were spread about her after an expedition in the middle years in Madinah, she endured a month of distress until the Quran declared her innocent.
The Prophet ﷺ spent his last days in her room, and he was buried there. She lived for nearly half a century more, teaching men and women alike. After Uthman's death she took part in the events at Basra known as the Battle of the Camel, which she later regretted, and she spent her remaining years in Madinah. She died in 58 AH.
From the Quran
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ جَآءُو بِٱلْإِفْكِ عُصْبَةٌ مِّنكُمْ ۚ لَا تَحْسَبُوهُ شَرًّا لَّكُم ۖ بَلْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ ۚ لِكُلِّ ٱمْرِئٍ مِّنْهُم مَّا ٱكْتَسَبَ مِنَ ٱلْإِثْمِ ۚ وَٱلَّذِى تَوَلَّىٰ كِبْرَهُۥ مِنْهُمْ لَهُۥ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ ١١ لَّوْلَآ إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ ظَنَّ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتُ بِأَنفُسِهِمْ خَيْرًا وَقَالُوا۟ هَـٰذَآ إِفْكٌ مُّبِينٌ ١٢ لَّوْلَا جَآءُو عَلَيْهِ بِأَرْبَعَةِ شُهَدَآءَ ۚ فَإِذْ لَمْ يَأْتُوا۟ بِٱلشُّهَدَآءِ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ هُمُ ٱلْكَـٰذِبُونَ ١٣ وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُۥ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ لَمَسَّكُمْ فِى مَآ أَفَضْتُمْ فِيهِ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ ١٤ إِذْ تَلَقَّوْنَهُۥ بِأَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَتَقُولُونَ بِأَفْوَاهِكُم مَّا لَيْسَ لَكُم بِهِۦ عِلْمٌ وَتَحْسَبُونَهُۥ هَيِّنًا وَهُوَ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ عَظِيمٌ ١٥ وَلَوْلَآ إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ قُلْتُم مَّا يَكُونُ لَنَآ أَن نَّتَكَلَّمَ بِهَـٰذَا سُبْحَـٰنَكَ هَـٰذَا بُهْتَـٰنٌ عَظِيمٌ ١٦ يَعِظُكُمُ ٱللَّهُ أَن تَعُودُوا۟ لِمِثْلِهِۦٓ أَبَدًا إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ ١٧ وَيُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ ١٨ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَن تَشِيعَ ٱلْفَـٰحِشَةُ فِى ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ١٩ وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُۥ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ ٢٠
11Indeed, those who came up with that ˹outrageous˺ slander are a group of you. Do not think this is bad for you. Rather, it is good for you. They will be punished, each according to their share of the sin. As for their mastermind, he will suffer a tremendous punishment. 12If only the believing men and women had thought well of one another, when you heard this ˹rumour˺, and said, “This is clearly ˹an outrageous˺ slander!” 13Why did they not produce four witnesses? Now, since they have failed to produce witnesses, they are ˹truly˺ liars in the sight of Allah. 14Had it not been for Allah’s grace and mercy upon you in this world and the Hereafter, you would have certainly been touched with a tremendous punishment for what you plunged into— 15when you passed it from one tongue to the other, and said with your mouths what you had no knowledge of, taking it lightly while it is ˹extremely˺ serious in the sight of Allah. 16If only you had said upon hearing it, “How can we speak about such a thing! Glory be to You ˹O Lord˺! This is a heinous slander!” 17Allah forbids you from ever doing something like this again, if you are ˹true˺ believers. 18And Allah makes ˹His˺ commandments clear to you, for Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. 19Indeed, those who love to see indecency spread among the believers will suffer a painful punishment in this life and the Hereafter. Allah knows and you do not know. 20˹You would have suffered,˺ had it not been for Allah’s grace and mercy upon you, and had Allah not been Ever Gracious, Most Merciful.
Meet them inWhere they appear in the seerah
More on How to Muslim
SourcesSources for this profile
The books, lectures and maps behind this page are listed on our Sources page.