Aisha bint Abi Bakr

عَائِشَة بِنْت أَبِي بَكْر

ʿĀʾishah bint Abī Bakr

Biography

The daughter of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq and one of the most significant figures in Islamic history. She was the third wife of the Prophet ﷺ, betrothed to him before the Hijrah and formally married in Madinah. She was young at the time of the marriage, this is one of the most discussed aspects of her biography in the contemporary world.

Her house in Madinah was one of two houses built directly adjacent to Masjid al-Nabawī at the time of its construction. The other adjacent house was that of Sawdah bint Zamʿah. After Sawdah gifted her nights to ʿĀʾishah, the Prophet ﷺ effectively spent all his nights at ʿĀʾishah's house, meaning her house was the one most connected to the Prophet's daily life and the mosque.

She became the most prolific narrator of ḥadīth among all the wives of the Prophet ﷺ, and one of the most prolific of all the Companions. Many thousands of ḥadīth are attributed to her. She was also the Prophet ﷺ's most beloved wife in the later years of his life. A famous ḥadīth records that when someone asked the Prophet whom he loved most, he said: "ʿĀʾishah."

After the Prophet ﷺ died, he was buried in her room, the room adjacent to the mosque. She is known by the title Umm al-Muʾminīn (Mother of the Believers), a Quranic designation given to all the wives of the Prophet ﷺ.

She was a scholar and teacher in her own right, and many of the Companions, including the greatest male scholars, would come to her for religious guidance. She outlived the Prophet ﷺ by many decades and passed away in Madinah.

Significance

Third wife of the Prophet; daughter of Abu Bakr; most beloved wife in his later years; most prolific female narrator of hadith; her house was adjacent to Masjid al-Nabawi and is the burial place of the Prophet; titled Umm al-Mu'minin

Stories

Arriving at Quba and Building the First Masjid

story

**Arrival Date** There is genuine scholarly uncertainty about the exact date the Prophet ﷺ arrived in Madinah. The 12th of Rabīʿ al-Awwal is frequent…

Biography

Significance

Stories

Arriving at Quba and Building the First Masjid

The Muhajirun's Homesickness and the Prophet's Dua for Madinah

Fatimah Treats the Prophet's Wounds; the Ansari Women at Uhud

The Marriages of Sawdah and Aishah

The Marriage of Juwayriyyah bint al-Harith

The Beginning of the Slander of Aishah: The Lost Necklace

The Slander Spreads, and Aishah Learns the Truth

The Prophet Speaks to Aishah, and the Revelation of Surah an-Nur

The Hardship of the Siege, and the Night Patrols

The Wounding and Death of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh

The Execution of Banu Qurayzah

The Marriage of Zaynab bint Jahsh: A Nikah from Above the Seven Heavens

The Poisoned Lamb of Khaybar

Safiyyah Among the Wives: Slurs, a Boycott, and the Deathbed Tears

Khawla and Uthman ibn Maz'un: The Righteous Couple

The Makhzumi Woman: Even Fatimah

Surah al-Tahrim: the Oath over Maria

ʿUmar and the month the Prophet ﷺ withdrew from his wives

The choice given to the Mothers of the Believers

The Farewell Ḥajj, the great gathering and the tamattuʿ

ʿĀʾishah's menses and her ʿumrah from al-Tanʿīm

The final illness begins

Abū Bakr is told to lead the prayer

The last days and the final sermon

The passing of the Prophet ﷺ

Historical context

The Longest Hand: Zaynab's Piety, Generosity, and Death

The Prophet's ﷺ Grief in Medina

The Secret March: Sealing the Destination

The House of the Prophet ﷺ

The Grave of the Prophet ﷺ and His Two Companions