In short
- In Arabic
- عائشة بنت أبي بكر
- Name
- Aishah bint Abi Bakr al-Siddiq
- Titles
- al-Siddiqah; Umm al-Muminin; her kunyah was Umm Abdullah
- Mother
- Umm Ruman bint Amir
- Born
- In Makkah, after the start of the prophethood, to a Muslim family
- Married
- Marriage contracted in Makkah in Shawwal; she joined the Prophet's ﷺ household in Madinah in Shawwal, 1 or 2 AH
- Hadith narrated
- About 2,210, the usual count
- Died
- 17 Ramadan 58 AH (some say 57 AH), 678 CE, in Madinah
- Buried
- Al-Baqi, Madinah
In short: Aishah was born into Islam, the daughter of the Prophet's ﷺ closest friend. She was married to the Prophet ﷺ in Makkah and joined his household in Madinah. She was the only one of his wives who had not been married before. Allah declared her innocence from slander in Surah An-Nur. She was sharp, eloquent and learned, and after the Prophet's ﷺ death senior Companions brought their questions to her. He died in her room, with his head on her chest, and is buried there.1
Her marriage to the Prophet ﷺ
After Khadijah's death the marriage of Aishah to the Prophet ﷺ was contracted in Makkah. Aishah said the Prophet ﷺ married her in Shawwal and she joined his household in Shawwal.2 She narrated that she was six years old when the marriage was contracted and nine when she joined his household in Madinah, and that she was with him for nine years.3 She said she was the only virgin he married.4 She asked him for a kunyah like the other wives, and he told her to take the name of her nephew Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, so she was called Umm Abdullah.5
Key events
The slander and her innocence
In 5 or 6 AH, on the return from the expedition against Banu al-Mustaliq, Aishah was left behind looking for a lost necklace and was brought back by the Companion Safwan ibn al-Muattal. The hypocrites, led by Abdullah ibn Ubayy, spread a slander about her. For a month there was no revelation, and she wept until she thought her heart would break. Then Allah revealed ten verses of Surah An-Nur declaring her innocence.6
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ جَآءُو بِٱلْإِفْكِ عُصْبَةٌۭ مِّنكُمْ ۚ لَا تَحْسَبُوهُ شَرًّۭا لَّكُم ۖ بَلْ هُوَ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكُمْ ۚ لِكُلِّ ٱمْرِئٍۢ مِّنْهُم مَّا ٱكْتَسَبَ مِنَ ٱلْإِثْمِ ۚ وَٱلَّذِى تَوَلَّىٰ كِبْرَهُۥ مِنْهُمْ لَهُۥ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌۭ ﴿١١﴾
Innal lazeena jaaa'oo bilifki 'usbatum minkum; laa tahsaboohu sharral lakum bal huwa khairul lakum; likul limri'im minhum mak tasaba minal-ism; wallazee tawallaa kibrahoo minhum lahoo 'azaabun 'azeem
Indeed, those who came with falsehood are a group among you. Do not think it bad for you; rather it is good for you. For every person among them is what [punishment] he has earned from the sin, and he who took upon himself the greater portion thereof - for him is a great punishment.
Quran 24:11 · Sahih International · Read Surah An-Nur
The verse of tayammum
On another journey her necklace was lost and the army stopped where there was no water. Allah revealed the verse of tayammum, and Usayd ibn Hudayr said: "This is not the first of your blessings, O family of Abu Bakr".7
The Prophet's ﷺ last days
In his last illness the Prophet ﷺ kept asking, "Where will I be tomorrow?", hoping for her turn, and his wives allowed him to stay with her. He died in her house, on her day, between her chest and her neck.8 He was buried in her room, and Abu Bakr and Umar were later buried beside him.
After the Prophet ﷺ
She lived nearly fifty more years and became one of the main teachers of the ummah. Senior Companions and the generation after them came to her with questions on the Quran, the Sunnah, law and inheritance. In 36 AH, after the killing of Uthman, she went to Basra seeking to set matters right, and the Battle of the Camel took place without that being her aim. Ahl al-Sunnah speak of her, and of every Companion involved, only with respect.9
Her virtues in the hadith
فَضْلُ عَائِشَةَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ كَفَضْلِ الثَّرِيدِ عَلَى الطَّعَامِ
"The superiority of Aishah over other women is like the superiority of tharid over other food."
Sahih al-Bukhari 3770; Sahih Muslim 2446 · narrated by Anas ibn Malik · sahih
- The Prophet ﷺ said to her: "O Aish, this is Jibril, greeting you with peace." She replied: "And upon him be peace and the mercy of Allah. You see what I do not see".10
- When Amr ibn al-As asked who was most beloved to him, the Prophet ﷺ said: "Aishah".11
- She is among the Companions who narrated the most hadith; the count usually given is 2,210.9
Her death
Aishah died in Madinah on 17 Ramadan 58 AH, according to most historians (some say 57 AH). Abu Hurayrah led her funeral prayer, and she was buried at night in al-Baqi, as she had asked.9
Lessons from her life
- Patience and trust in Allah under slander: she said she would only say what Yusuf's father said, "patience is most fitting" (12:18).
- Women's scholarship: much of what we know of the Prophet's ﷺ home life and worship comes from her.
- Asking questions is part of learning; she always asked until she understood.
- Read about all the Mothers of the Believers.
In the seerah
Aishah's life is woven into the life of the Prophet ﷺ. For the whole story in order, see the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ life timeline, and for the battles and turning points, the seerah events. More Companions are on the Sahaba page, and the meaning of the word is on Sahaba meaning.
Questions
Who was Aishah in Islam?
The daughter of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and a wife of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. She is a Mother of the Believers, one of the greatest scholars among the Companions, and a major narrator of hadith.
Why is Aishah called al-Siddiqah?
Al-Siddiqah, the truthful one, is the feminine of her father's title al-Siddiq. Allah declared her truthful and innocent of the slander against her in Surah An-Nur (24:11-26).
How many hadith did Aishah narrate?
About 2,210 is the count usually given, which places her among the Companions who narrated the most.
When did Aishah die?
On 17 Ramadan 58 AH (678 CE) in Madinah, according to most historians; some say 57 AH. She is buried in al-Baqi.
Where did the Prophet ﷺ die?
In Aishah's room in Madinah, with his head between her chest and neck (Bukhari 4450). He is buried there, inside what is now the Prophet's Masjid.
Sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari 4450, from Aishah.
- Sahih Muslim 1423, from Aishah.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 5133 and 5134; Sahih Muslim 1422, from Aishah.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 5077, from Aishah.
- Sunan Abi Dawud 4970, from Aishah, graded sahih.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 4750, the hadith of al-Ifk, from Aishah.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 334, from Aishah.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 4450, from Aishah.
- Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah; al-Dhahabi, Siyar Alam al-Nubala, the life of Aishah.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 3768; Sahih Muslim 2447, from Aishah.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 3662, from Amr ibn al-As.
- Quran: Arabic from the Tanzil Uthmani text, transliteration from Tanzil, English by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic is the standard wording of the collection named; gradings are given for every hadith outside al-Bukhari and Muslim.