The Formation of Her Personality
Aisha al-Siddiqah holds an exceptional place in Islamic history. The details of how her personality was formed are found in the books of Hadith and Seerah. She remained constantly engaged in the study of the Quran, and this became the central concern of her life. Moreover, her greatest source of knowledge was learning directly from the Prophet of Islam. This learning continued regularly in different forms, not only during the day but also during the quiet moments of the night.
One example of this is found in a narration in which Aisha al-Siddiqah herself says that the Messenger of God would offer the two rak‘ahs before Fajr. If she was awake at that time, he would speak with her; otherwise, he would lie down: “When the Prophet had prayed the two rak‘ahs of Fajr, if I was awake, he would talk to me; otherwise, he would lie down.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 743)
In this narration, Aisha al-Siddiqah uses the word haddathani. This does not mean that the Prophet of Islam would narrate Hadith to her in a formal sense. Rather, it means that he would converse with her. Such conversations were undoubtedly concerned with religious and intellectual matters, and Aisha herself also took part in them. In other words, this was a form of intellectual exchange.
In this way, Aisha al-Siddiqah’s intellectual development continued steadily, until she acquired the elevated qualities that enabled her to play the historic role she did for nearly half a century after the death of the Prophet of Islam.
The Prophet of Islam used these precious moments of solitude at night for Aisha al-Siddiqah’s intellectual and spiritual training. This was, in effect, the very process that the Quran describes as purification and the teaching of wisdom.
For further clarification, some additional references from the books of Hadith and Seerah are presented below. They show how Aisha al-Siddiqah’s personality was formed during the Prophetic period.
One example of the intellectual exchange that took place between Aisha al-Siddiqah and the Prophet of Islam is as follows. On one occasion, the Prophet said: “Whoever is brought to account will be punished.” Aisha asked: “O Messenger of God, does God not say in the Quran: ‘he shall have an easy reckoning?’” (84:8) In other words, you are stating in absolute terms that no one can escape punishment after being reckoned with, whereas the Quran indicates that a person may still be saved after being called to account. The Prophet replied that the Quranic verse refers to the mere presentation of deeds; but the one whose deeds are subjected to scrutiny and questioning will face destruction. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 103) This example shows that Aisha’s learning from the Prophet was not merely that of a listener; rather, it was a genuine intellectual exchange.
On another occasion, Aisha al-Siddiqah asked the Prophet of Islam whether those who associated partners with God would receive any reward for the good deeds they had performed. In this connection, she mentioned the example of Abdullah ibn Jud‘an. He was a polytheist and died in that state, but he was a man of noble character and used to help people. Aisha asked whether such moral conduct would benefit Abdullah ibn Jud‘an in the Hereafter. The Prophet replied that it would not, because he had never said: “My Lord, forgive me my sin on the Day of Judgement.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 214)
Another incident in this connection is that the Prophet of Islam once decided to remain apart from his wives for one month. This is known in history as the incident of ila’. After making this announcement, he went to the upper room of a nearby house. This period of ila’ began on the first day of the lunar month. After twenty-nine days had passed, the Prophet came down. When he entered Aisha al-Siddiqah’s chamber, she said: “O Messenger of God, you had said that you would remain apart for one month, but one day still remains before thirty days are complete.” The Prophet replied: “A month may also be twenty-nine days, and Gabriel has informed me that the new moon has been sighted today.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 378)
This exchange between Aisha al-Siddiqah and the Prophet also points to another religious issue, relating to the sighting of the new moon. It may be inferred from this incident that if the new moon has not been personally sighted, but reliable information is received on the twenty-ninth day that it has been sighted, this report will be accepted, and acts of worship may be arranged on its basis. This shows that, in Islamic law, a reliable indirect report of the sighting carries the same weight as personal observation.
Once, a man sought permission to meet the Messenger of God. The Prophet said: “Allow him to enter; he is an unpleasant member of his family.” When the man entered and sat down, the Prophet spoke to him gently. Aisha al-Siddiqah was surprised. After the man had left, she asked: “O Messenger of God, you did not think well of him, yet when he came in, you spoke to him gently.” The Messenger of God replied: “Aisha, the worst person is the one whom people avoid because of his bad manners.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 6032)
On one occasion, the Prophet said, “Follow a balanced course, keep people close to you, and give them hope. No one will enter Paradise solely because of their deeds.” Aisha Siddiqa found the last statement surprising. She thought that those who were free from sin might be an exception. She asked: “O Messenger of God, not even you?” He replied: “Not even me, unless God covers me with His forgiveness and mercy.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 6467)
Once, some Jews came to the Messenger of God. Instead of saying al-salamu ‘alayk—“peace be upon you”—they twisted the words and said al-samu ‘alayk—“may death come upon you.” Aisha heard this and could not restrain herself. She replied: ‘Alaykum al-sam wa al-la‘nah—“Upon you be death and curse.” The Prophet of Islam said: “You should be gentle. God loves gentleness in all matters.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 6395)
According to another narration, Aisha al-Siddiqah says that Safiyyah, the wife of the Prophet, was mentioned in a gathering. Safiyyah was somewhat short in stature. Aisha gestured with her hand and said, “Safiyyah is only this much,” meaning that she was short. The Messenger of God said: “You have uttered such a word that, if it were mixed with the sea, it would pollute its water.” (Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith No. 4875)
A similar narration is reported from Aisha al-Siddiqah, in which the Prophet of Islam addressed her and said: “Beware of the sins that may seem insignificant.” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 25177)
These two narrations reveal an extremely important lesson: one must take great care to avoid even those sins that people usually consider minor and into which they repeatedly fall. Such habits make a person insensitive to sin. And when a man or woman loses sensitivity towards small sins, he or she may easily fall into major sins as well.
On one occasion, the Prophet prayed: “O God, keep me alive in a state of poverty, cause me to die in a state of poverty, and raise me on the Day of Resurrection among the poor.” Aisha al-Siddiqah asked: “Why so, O Messenger of God?” He replied: “The poor will enter Paradise forty years before the wealthy. O Aisha, do not turn away anyone empty-handed, even if you have only a piece of date to give. Love the poor and keep them close to you.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 2352)
The above narrations show that the companionship between the Prophet of Islam and Aisha al-Siddiqah was not merely that of speaker and listener. Rather, it was a relationship marked by two-way conversation and intellectual exchange. It was, in effect, a form of dialogue. Through this dialogue, matters were clarified, and through questions and answers, different aspects of an issue became clear.
The Quran mentions four functions of the Messenger, one of which is tazkiyah, or purification. (Quran, 3:164) Tazkiyah is not a mysterious concept; it is something clear and understandable. It refers to what may be called intellectual development. Spiritual development is one outcome of intellectual development. Aisha al-Siddiqah received all these intellectual and spiritual benefits through her continuous learning from the Prophet of Islam.
