Short answer
Yes. Allah (﷾) made the Prophet's (ﷺ) wives the mothers of the believers, and no one speaks ill of his own mother. Aisha was the person the Prophet (ﷺ) loved most, and Allah (﷾) Himself cleared her name in the Qur'an. She passed on the honour of Ali, Fatima, al-Hasan and al-Husayn, and sent people to Ali for knowledge. At the Battle of the Camel she stood against Ali, and reports say she later regretted it. Yet Ammar, who stood with Ali, still called her the Prophet's (ﷺ) wife in this world and the next, and Ali sent her home with respect. Cursing or abusing her is a sin that divides the Muslims and would have hurt the Prophet (ﷺ). If she made mistakes, Allah (﷾) will judge them, as He judges all that passed between the early believers. Our part is to pray for them and keep our hearts free of rancour.
Full explanation
Allah (﷾) made her a mother of the believers
The Qur'an says: "The Prophet is closer to the Believers than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers." Aisha is one of those mothers. Allah (﷾) also told the believers it is not right "that ye should marry his widows after him at any time". He calls that "an enormity". Think of your own mother. Even if she made a mistake, you would not curse her or hate her. You would speak of her with respect and pray for her. That is the respect the Qur'an asks for the Prophet's (ﷺ) wives. Ibn Abbas, the Prophet's (ﷺ) cousin and one of his family, called Aisha mother of the believers when he visited her as she lay ill.
“The Prophet is closer to the Believers than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers. Blood-relations among each other have closer personal ties, in the Decree of Allah. Than (the Brotherhood of) Believers and Muhajirs: nevertheless do ye what is just to your closest friends: such is the writing in the Decree (of Allah).”
“O ye who believe! Enter not the Prophet's houses,- until leave is given you,- for a meal, (and then) not (so early as) to wait for its preparation: but when ye are invited, enter; and when ye have taken your meal, disperse, without seeking familiar talk. Such (behaviour) annoys the Prophet: he is ashamed to dismiss you, but Allah is not ashamed (to tell you) the truth. And when ye ask (his ladies) for anything ye want, ask them from before a screen: that makes for greater purity for your hearts and for theirs. Nor is it right for you that ye should annoy Allah's Messenger, or that ye should marry his widows after him at any time. Truly such a thing is in Allah's sight an enormity.”
Al-Qasim, the grandson of Abu Bakr, reports that when Aisha fell ill, Ibn Abbas visited her and said: O mother of the believers, you are going to truthful forerunners, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr.
The one the Prophet (ﷺ) loved most
Amr ibn al-As asked the Prophet (ﷺ) who was the most beloved of people to him. He said Aisha. He told her that the angel Gabriel was greeting her. He said revelation had come to him under the blanket of no other wife but her, and told another wife not to hurt him by hurting Aisha. He said her excellence over other women is like the excellence of tharid, the finest dish of his people, over other food. He died in her house, with his head resting against her chest. To hate her is to hate someone the Prophet (ﷺ) loved.
Amr ibn al-As asked the Prophet (ﷺ) who was the most beloved of people to him. He said Aisha; and among men, her father.
Aisha reports that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to her: Aisha, this is Gabriel greeting you. She returned the greeting of peace and mercy, and said to the Prophet (ﷺ): you see what I do not see.
Aisha reports that when the other wives sent Umm Salama to complain that people sent their gifts on Aisha's day, the Prophet (ﷺ) told Umm Salama not to hurt him by hurting Aisha, because revelation had never come to him under the blanket of any of his wives except hers.
Anas ibn Malik reports that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: the excellence of Aisha over other women is like the excellence of tharid over other food.
Aisha reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) died in her house, on her day, with his head resting against her chest. In his last moments he cleaned his teeth with a softened tooth-stick, wiped his face with water, said there is no god but Allah and that death has its agonies, and then said "With the highest companion" until he passed away.
| Report | Source |
|---|---|
| She was the most beloved of people to him | Sahih al-Bukhari 3662 |
| Gabriel sent her his greeting | Sahih al-Bukhari 3768 |
| Revelation came under her blanket alone | Sahih al-Bukhari 3775 |
| He died in her house | Sahih al-Bukhari 4449 |
Allah (﷾) Himself cleared her name
When hypocrites spread a lie about Aisha, the Prophet (ﷺ) went a whole month with no revelation about her case. Then Allah (﷾) sent down verses in Surat al-Nur. They say the believers should have said at once: "This (charge) is an obvious lie". They warn: "Allah doth admonish you, that ye may never repeat such (conduct), if ye are (true) Believers." And of the pure they say: "these are not affected by what people say: for them there is forgiveness, and a provision honourable." Whoever repeats that lie today goes against the Qur'an itself.
Aisha's own account of the slander spread against her. She says the Prophet (ﷺ) went a whole month without receiving any revelation about her case, while the rumour spread and he consulted his Companions, before the verses declaring her innocence came down. When Safwan ibn al-Mu'attal found her left behind and knew her, for he had seen her before the veil was ordained, she says: I covered my face with my garment.
“Those who brought forward the lie are a body among yourselves: think it not to be an evil to you; On the contrary it is good for you: to every man among them (will come the punishment) of the sin that he earned, and to him who took on himself the lead among them, will be a penalty grievous.”
“Why did not the believers - men and women - when ye heard of the affair,- put the best construction on it in their own minds and say, "This (charge) is an obvious lie"?”
“Allah doth admonish you, that ye may never repeat such (conduct), if ye are (true) Believers.”
“Women impure are for men impure, and men impure for women impure and women of purity are for men of purity, and men of purity are for women of purity: these are not affected by what people say: for them there is forgiveness, and a provision honourable.”
A lie is spread about her
A month passes with no revelation
Verses in Surat al-Nur declare her innocent
Allah (﷾) warns never to repeat it
She loved the Prophet's (ﷺ) family
Some say Aisha disliked the Prophet's (ﷺ) family. Her own words say otherwise. It is Aisha who tells us that one morning the Prophet (ﷺ) took al-Hasan, al-Husayn, Fatima and Ali under his cloak and recited: "Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you, ye members of the Family, and to make you pure and spotless." One of the best-known reports of their honour reached us through her. When a man asked her about wiping over leather socks, she sent him to Ali, because Ali used to travel with the Prophet (ﷺ). That is how one speaks of someone one respects.
Aisha reports that one morning the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went out wearing a striped cloak of black camel's hair. Al-Hasan ibn Ali came and he took him under it; then al-Husayn came and he took him under it with him; then Fatima came and he took her under it; then Ali came and he took him under it. Then he recited the verse: Allah only wishes to remove all uncleanness from you, people of the household, and to purify you completely (Qur'an 33:33).
“O Consorts of the Prophet! Ye are not like any of the (other) women: if ye do fear (Allah), be not too complacent of speech, lest one in whose heart is a disease should be moved with desire: but speak ye a speech (that is) just. And stay quietly in your houses, and make not a dazzling display, like that of the former Times of Ignorance; and establish regular Prayer, and give regular Charity; and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you, ye members of the Family, and to make you pure and spotless. And recite what is rehearsed to you in your homes, of the Signs of Allah and His Wisdom: for Allah understands the finest mysteries and is well-acquainted (with them).”
Shurayh ibn Hani went to Aisha to ask about wiping over leather socks. She told him to ask Ali, the son of Abu Talib, because he used to travel with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). They asked Ali, and he said the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) set a limit of three days and three nights for a traveller and one day and one night for a resident.
The Battle of the Camel
After the caliph Uthman was murdered in 656, Aisha, Talha and al-Zubayr went to Basra to demand that his killers be punished. Ali's army met them there, talks failed, and the two sides fought. If she made mistakes that year, Allah (﷾) will judge them, and He knows best. But see how the people on Ali's side spoke of her. Ali sent Ammar ibn Yasir and al-Hasan to Kufa to raise support. Ammar told the people that Aisha is the wife of their Prophet (ﷺ) in this world and in the Hereafter, though Allah (﷾) was testing whether they would obey Him or her. After the battle she was treated with respect, and Ali had her brother Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr take her home. Some reports say she later regretted it and wished she had not lived to see that day. The Qur'an calls two groups of believers who fight each other believers still, and says: "The Believers are but a single Brotherhood".
Fought near Basra in 656 CE. Aisha, Talha and al-Zubayr rose against Ali to avenge the murder of the caliph Uthman. Talks before the battle failed after three days. After the battle Aisha was treated with respect and housed for a time in Basra, and Ali had her half-brother Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr escort her back. Some traditions show Aisha remorseful, wishing she had not lived to see the battle.
Abu Maryam Abdullah ibn Ziyad al-Asadi reports that when Talha, al-Zubayr and Aisha went to Basra, Ali sent Ammar ibn Yasir and al-Hasan ibn Ali to Kufa. On the pulpit Ammar said: Aisha has gone to Basra. By Allah, she is the wife of your Prophet (ﷺ) in this world and in the Hereafter, but Allah is testing you, whether you obey Him or her.
Abu Wa'il reports that when Ali sent Ammar and al-Hasan to the people of Kufa to call them to fight, Ammar said to them: I know that she is the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ) in this world and in the Hereafter, but Allah has tested you, whether you will follow Him or her.
“If two parties among the Believers fall into a quarrel, make ye peace between them: but if one of them transgresses beyond bounds against the other, then fight ye (all) against the one that transgresses until it complies with the command of Allah; but if it complies, then make peace between them with justice, and be fair: for Allah loves those who are fair (and just).”
“The Believers are but a single Brotherhood: So make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers; and fear Allah, that ye may receive Mercy.”
| Who | What they said or did |
|---|---|
| Ammar ibn Yasir, on Ali's side | Called her the Prophet's (ﷺ) wife in this world and the Hereafter |
| Ali | Had her treated with respect and taken home by her brother |
| Ibn Abbas, the Prophet's (ﷺ) cousin | Called her mother of the believers |
"Stay quietly in your houses"
Some say Aisha broke the command "stay quietly in your houses" when she went to Basra. The verse goes on: "make not a dazzling display, like that of the former Times of Ignorance". It tells the Prophet's (ﷺ) wives to keep to their homes with dignity. It did not mean they could never travel. Umar, in his last Hajj, let the Prophet's (ﷺ) wives go on pilgrimage, and sent Uthman ibn Affan and Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf to escort them. Whatever one thinks of the journey to Basra, the verse gives no reason to hate her.
“O Consorts of the Prophet! Ye are not like any of the (other) women: if ye do fear (Allah), be not too complacent of speech, lest one in whose heart is a disease should be moved with desire: but speak ye a speech (that is) just. And stay quietly in your houses, and make not a dazzling display, like that of the former Times of Ignorance; and establish regular Prayer, and give regular Charity; and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you, ye members of the Family, and to make you pure and spotless. And recite what is rehearsed to you in your homes, of the Signs of Allah and His Wisdom: for Allah understands the finest mysteries and is well-acquainted (with them).”
Ibrahim's grandfather reports that Umar, in his last Hajj, allowed the wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) to perform Hajj, and sent Uthman ibn Affan and Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf with them as escorts.
What Qur'an 66:4 says
Some point to Surat al-Tahrim, where Allah (﷾) speaks to two of the Prophet's (ﷺ) wives over a household matter. Read the verse itself: "If ye two turn in repentance to Him, your hearts are indeed so inclined". It calls them to repent, as Allah (﷾) calls every believer. The next verse says: "It may be, if he divorced you (all), that Allah will give him in exchange consorts better than you". He did not divorce them. When Allah (﷾) gave his wives the choice between this world and "Allah and His Messenger, and the Home of the Hereafter", Aisha stayed with him to the end. He died in her house.
“If ye two turn in repentance to Him, your hearts are indeed so inclined; But if ye back up each other against him, truly Allah is his Protector, and Gabriel, and (every) righteous one among those who believe,- and furthermore, the angels - will back (him) up.”
“It may be, if he divorced you (all), that Allah will give him in exchange consorts better than you,- who submit (their wills), who believe, who are devout, who turn to Allah in repentance, who worship (in humility), who travel (for Faith) and fast,- previously married or virgins.”
“O Prophet! Say to thy Consorts: "If it be that ye desire the life of this World, and its glitter,- then come! I will provide for your enjoyment and set you free in a handsome manner. But if ye seek Allah and His Messenger, and the Home of the Hereafter, verily Allah has prepared for the well-doers amongst you a great reward.”
Aisha reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) died in her house, on her day, with his head resting against her chest. In his last moments he cleaned his teeth with a softened tooth-stick, wiped his face with water, said there is no god but Allah and that death has its agonies, and then said "With the highest companion" until he passed away.
Jealousy is human
Aisha said she was jealous of none of the Prophet's (ﷺ) wives as much as of Khadijah, whom she never met, because he spoke of her so often. She told this about herself. Because she was honest, we know how deeply the Prophet (ﷺ) loved Khadijah. Jealousy between wives is human. The Qur'an does not ask the Prophet's (ﷺ) wives to be angels, and it still calls them our mothers.
Aisha says she was jealous of none of the Prophet's (ﷺ) wives as much as of Khadijah, whom she never saw, because he spoke of her so often.
“The Prophet is closer to the Believers than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers. Blood-relations among each other have closer personal ties, in the Decree of Allah. Than (the Brotherhood of) Believers and Muhajirs: nevertheless do ye what is just to your closest friends: such is the writing in the Decree (of Allah).”
A teacher of the whole community
Al-Dhahabi credits Aisha with 2,210 hadiths, 174 of them in both al-Bukhari and Muslim. He says he knows of no woman more learned than she. Her student Masruq swore he had seen the senior companions asking her about the shares of inheritance. Much of what Muslims know of the Prophet's (ﷺ) life at home, his prayer and his last days came through her. To turn away from her is to lose a large part of the Sunnah.
Credits Aisha with 2,210 hadith, 174 of them in both al-Bukhari and Muslim, says he knows of no woman in the community, or among women at all, more learned than she, and gives her age at death as sixty-three and some months.
Records that Aisha's student Masruq swore he had seen the senior Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) asking her about the shares of inheritance.
- 2,210Hadiths she passed on
- 174Of them in both al-Bukhari and Muslim
Never curse or abuse her
Picking over Aisha's choices to find fault, and above all abusing or cursing her, has no place in a Muslim's mouth. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that abusing a Muslim is wickedness. He said those who curse will be neither intercessors nor witnesses on the Day of Resurrection. He was not sent to curse, but as a mercy. Allah (﷾) warns that "those who annoy believing men and women undeservedly, bear (on themselves) a calumny and a glaring sin". If that is true of any believer, how much more of the Prophet's (ﷺ) wife, the mother of the believers. Cursing her also divides the Muslims, when Allah (﷾) says: "hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves". Of the lie once told about her, the Qur'an says people thought it "a light matter, while it was most serious in the sight of Allah". Bad words about her are never a light matter.
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: abusing a Muslim is wickedness (fusuq), and fighting him is disbelief.
Umm al-Darda heard the caliph Abd al-Malik curse his servant at night, and told him that Abu al-Darda heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: those who curse will be neither intercessors nor witnesses on the Day of Resurrection.
Abu Hurayra reports that someone asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to curse the polytheists. He answered that he had not been sent as one who curses, but as a mercy.
“And those who annoy believing men and women undeservedly, bear (on themselves) a calumny and a glaring sin.”
“And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah's favour on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, ye became brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus doth Allah make His Signs clear to you: That ye may be guided.”
“Behold, ye received it on your tongues, and said out of your mouths things of which ye had no knowledge; and ye thought it to be a light matter, while it was most serious in the sight of Allah.”
Honour her as a mother of the believers
Pray for her, as the Qur'an teaches
Pick over her choices to find fault
Abuse or mock her
Curse her
Would you have said it in front of the Prophet (ﷺ)?
To anyone who curses Aisha, we ask one question. Would you have said those words to her face, in front of the Prophet (ﷺ), while he was alive? Think how he would have reacted. When his own wife Umm Salama brought him a complaint about Aisha over gifts, he told her not to hurt him by hurting Aisha. If a complaint about gifts hurt him, cursing her would hurt him far more. The Qur'an says it is not right "that ye should annoy Allah's Messenger". Aisha is still his wife, in this world and in the Hereafter, as Ammar said. What you would never have said in front of him, do not say now.
Aisha reports that when the other wives sent Umm Salama to complain that people sent their gifts on Aisha's day, the Prophet (ﷺ) told Umm Salama not to hurt him by hurting Aisha, because revelation had never come to him under the blanket of any of his wives except hers.
“O ye who believe! Enter not the Prophet's houses,- until leave is given you,- for a meal, (and then) not (so early as) to wait for its preparation: but when ye are invited, enter; and when ye have taken your meal, disperse, without seeking familiar talk. Such (behaviour) annoys the Prophet: he is ashamed to dismiss you, but Allah is not ashamed (to tell you) the truth. And when ye ask (his ladies) for anything ye want, ask them from before a screen: that makes for greater purity for your hearts and for theirs. Nor is it right for you that ye should annoy Allah's Messenger, or that ye should marry his widows after him at any time. Truly such a thing is in Allah's sight an enormity.”
Abu Maryam Abdullah ibn Ziyad al-Asadi reports that when Talha, al-Zubayr and Aisha went to Basra, Ali sent Ammar ibn Yasir and al-Hasan ibn Ali to Kufa. On the pulpit Ammar said: Aisha has gone to Basra. By Allah, she is the wife of your Prophet (ﷺ) in this world and in the Hereafter, but Allah is testing you, whether you obey Him or her.
The judgement belongs to Allah (﷾)
Of those who went before, Allah (﷾) says: "That was a people that hath passed away. They shall reap the fruit of what they did, and ye of what ye do! Of their merits there is no question in your case!" On the Day of Judgement no one will be asked to account for Aisha's choices. Each of us will be asked about our own tongue. The Qur'an teaches a prayer for those who came before: "Our Lord! Forgive us, and our brethren who came before us into the Faith, and leave not, in our hearts, rancour (or sense of injury) against those who have believed." The Prophet (ﷺ) told us not to abuse his companions, and Aisha was both his companion and his wife.
“That was a people that hath passed away. They shall reap the fruit of what they did, and ye of what ye do! Of their merits there is no question in your case!”
“(Some part is due) to the indigent Muhajirs, those who were expelled from their homes and their property, while seeking Grace from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure, and aiding Allah and His Messenger: such are indeed the sincere ones:- But those who before them, had homes (in Medina) and had adopted the Faith,- show their affection to such as came to them for refuge, and entertain no desire in their hearts for things given to the (latter), but give them preference over themselves, even though poverty was their (own lot). And those saved from the covetousness of their own souls,- they are the ones that achieve prosperity. And those who came after them say: "Our Lord! Forgive us, and our brethren who came before us into the Faith, and leave not, in our hearts, rancour (or sense of injury) against those who have believed. Our Lord! Thou art indeed Full of Kindness, Most Merciful."”
Abu Said al-Khudri reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: do not abuse my companions. If any of you spent gold as great as Mount Uhud, it would not reach a mudd, or even half of one, of what one of them spent.
So is she wrongly criticised?
Yes. Allah (﷾) made her a mother of the believers. The Prophet (ﷺ) loved her more than anyone. The Qur'an cleared her of the lie. She passed on the honour of Ali, Fatima, al-Hasan and al-Husayn. Even those who stood against her at the Camel called her the Prophet's (ﷺ) wife in the Hereafter. A Muslim can love Ali and the Prophet's (ﷺ) family and love Aisha too. That is how Ali's own side spoke of her, and it is the way that keeps our hearts clean.
“The Prophet is closer to the Believers than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers. Blood-relations among each other have closer personal ties, in the Decree of Allah. Than (the Brotherhood of) Believers and Muhajirs: nevertheless do ye what is just to your closest friends: such is the writing in the Decree (of Allah).”
Amr ibn al-As asked the Prophet (ﷺ) who was the most beloved of people to him. He said Aisha; and among men, her father.
“Those who brought forward the lie are a body among yourselves: think it not to be an evil to you; On the contrary it is good for you: to every man among them (will come the punishment) of the sin that he earned, and to him who took on himself the lead among them, will be a penalty grievous.”
Aisha reports that one morning the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went out wearing a striped cloak of black camel's hair. Al-Hasan ibn Ali came and he took him under it; then al-Husayn came and he took him under it with him; then Fatima came and he took her under it; then Ali came and he took him under it. Then he recited the verse: Allah only wishes to remove all uncleanness from you, people of the household, and to purify you completely (Qur'an 33:33).
Abu Maryam Abdullah ibn Ziyad al-Asadi reports that when Talha, al-Zubayr and Aisha went to Basra, Ali sent Ammar ibn Yasir and al-Hasan ibn Ali to Kufa. On the pulpit Ammar said: Aisha has gone to Basra. By Allah, she is the wife of your Prophet (ﷺ) in this world and in the Hereafter, but Allah is testing you, whether you obey Him or her.
A mother of the believers
The person the Prophet (ﷺ) loved most
Innocent of the slander
She passed on the honour of Ali and Fatima
An enemy of the Prophet's (ﷺ) family
Perspectives
Some Muslims believe Aisha may be criticised
Some Muslims, from love of Ali and the Prophet's (ﷺ) family, hold that Aisha did wrong and that honest faith means saying so. They bring these arguments.
She fought Ali, the rightful leader, at the Battle of the Camel.
Rebuttal
Ammar, on Ali's side, called her the Prophet's (ﷺ) wife in this world and the Hereafter. Ali had her treated with respect and sent home, and reports show her regret. The Qur'an still calls believers who fight each other believers.
Qur'an 66:4 rebukes her.
Rebuttal
The verse calls two wives to repent, as Allah (﷾) calls every believer. The Prophet (ﷺ) did not divorce them, and Aisha stayed his wife until he died in her house.
She left her house against Qur'an 33:33.
Rebuttal
The verse forbids a display like that of the Times of Ignorance. It did not forbid all travel: the Prophet's (ﷺ) wives went on Hajj after him, with Umar's leave.
She was jealous and did not love the Prophet's (ﷺ) family.
Rebuttal
She told of her own jealousy honestly. She also passed on the report of the cloak about Ali, Fatima, al-Hasan and al-Husayn, and sent a questioner to Ali for knowledge.
The Islamic perspective
Aisha is a mother of the believers and the wife the Prophet (ﷺ) loved most. Allah (﷾) cleared her name. Muslims honour her, love the Prophet's (ﷺ) family with her, and leave what passed between the early believers to Allah (﷾).
Allah (﷾) made the Prophet's (ﷺ) wives the mothers of the believers.
The Prophet (ﷺ) named Aisha the person most beloved to him.
Allah (﷾) declared her innocent of the slander and warned never to repeat it.
Ammar, on Ali's side, called her the Prophet's (ﷺ) wife in this world and the next.
Abusing or cursing her is a sin, divides the believers and would have hurt the Prophet (ﷺ).
What passed between the early believers is left to Allah (﷾).