Tesneem Alkiek – Inspirational Muslim Women #01 Aisha Bint Abu Bakr
![Tesneem Alkiek](https://artwork.muslimcentral.com/tesneem-alkiek-150x150.jpg)
AI: Summary ©
AI: Transcript ©
Assalamu Alaikumu Rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.
Thank you for joining us for our very
first episode
on some inspiring Muslim figures throughout history.
As I mentioned in the introduction video for
this series,
I won't be going in any particular order
when discussing these women.
But I decided to start off with a
few examples from the life of the Prophet
Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
because many of these figures
ultimately set the stage for centuries to come.
And among the very first women that comes
to mind is none other than the wife
of the prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam and the
daughter of the very first Khalifa, Aisha bint
Abi Bakr.
There's a lot of historical information available on
Aisha
and even more we can talk about.
But I want to particularly focus on 2
of her personal aspects.
Her scholarship,
and her confidence.
It was narrated for example, that if Aisha
Radiallahu Anha ever heard of something she didn't
already know, she would look into the matter
until she was sure she knew it.
The thought of not knowing a fact related
to this religion was just not an option
for her.
So she would search for the truth and
ensure that it was known by all.
Personally,
I love reading about the way Aisha
would stand up against falsehood.
Later in her life, she became famous for
voicing
frequently her opinion on a lot of topics
that eventually became controversial.
Take for example, the story of when the
companion Masruq
was asking
Aisha
about the verses that describe the prophet Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam's ascension to the heaven. He had
heard the opinion that the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam had directly seen God. The Aisha Radhulahu
An had declared otherwise.
But before she even began to state her
view and evidence, she stated,
I am among the first of this Ummah
to have asked the prophet about this matter.
That's confidence.
She knew what she was saying and she
was saying it with a proper knowledge.
And after this introductory comment, then she began
to proceed to explain to Masruk
exactly what happened during the night of his
al Isra wal Mi'raj, and her opinion on
the matter.
And her opinion is actually one that is
still held by many scholars today.
There's so many more examples of incidents like
this occurring where
A corrects or teaches the companions on a
particular topic or aspect of the religion.
In fact, so much so that Bedradine Zarqsi
went as far as compiling an entire book
that collected the number of incidents in which
Aisha had the law an had corrected various
companions.
And he includes every narration where she deferred
from the scholars of the time, or made
Ishtehad for a stronger opinion,
or other acts in which she voiced a
clear and unique opinion that was supported by
evidence.
Because of the authority she held as the
wife of the prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam,
and as a scholar and a muhadditha in
her own right,
companions also turned to Aisha
in order to confirm the authenticity of prophetic
hadith.
It is narrated in Sahih Muslim
that once the companion Dawud ibn Ya'amir was
sitting along with Khabab bin Abdullah ibn Umar.
And amidst their conversation,
ibn Aamer turns to ibn Umar and mentions
something that Abu Huraydah, the famous companion,
had heard on behalf of the prophet sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam.
But before even reacting to that statement,
Ibn Umar turns to Khabab and tells him
to go to to confirm what Abu Hurayda
had heard.
And only until Khabab returned with the confirmation
of the statement from Aisha
did Ibn Umar accept the authenticity of this
particular narration.
Now the point in citing these examples
is not to elaborate on
how or why these other companions proof was
weaker or what not.
But it's a clear demonstration
of the two characteristics
that I wanted to highlight today.
As I mentioned earlier, both her scholarship and
her confidence.
She knew the facts, in and out. And
besides the fact that she narrated over 2,000
hadith,
she was very in very much involved as
a scholar in various other fields, including law
and theology.
And what I really love and admire about
this woman, radiAllahu anha, is that if she
didn't know something, she would look into it
and make sure she knew it.
And once she knew it, she made sure
that the truth was upheld from that piece
of information.
And no person or man or leader or
whoever could stand in her way if she
knew she had the evidence on her side.
At the end of the day, she wasn't
concerned about what people have thought about her
and her character that was, at times, sharp
and fiery.
Her sole aim was to ensure that the
truth was never threatened.
She spoke up at times when she was
the only voice who held a certain opinion.
She spoke up when the majority of the
scholars disagreed with her.
And not only did she always speak up,
but she spoke despite societal pressure, and she
spoke with confidence.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us the
strength to seek up to speak up for
the truth in every situation.
And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us
the wisdom, the knowledge, and the confidence of
our mother, Aisha radiAllahu anha.
Amin. Tasakumullah Khayden. I hope you benefited from
this short reminder, and tune in for the
next female figure soon, Insha'Allah. Assalamu Alaikum.