Yasmina Samaai is a first year BA student at Madina Institute. Having completed her social work degree in 2018, she is looking forward to bringing her Islamic Studies into her social work.

Aisha (RA): The scholar

To mention the name of Aisha (ra), one would immediately think of her as brave, knowledgeable, the most beloved wife of the Prophet (saw) and the daughter of Abu Bakr (ra). However, many do not know the mother of Islam to be the great scholar she is.

Aisha (ra) was of the few at that time to be born Muslim in Makkah. She was born in a home where Islam was taught and practiced. As a result, she was taught about Islam from a young age by her beloved father Abu Bakr (ra) who was undoubtedly a close companion of the Prophet (saw). This had a major impact on her in her later years. Being able to immerse herself in the teachings of Islam with great enthusiasm and becoming of the foremost students of her husband, the Prophet (saw).

After her marriage to the Nabi (saw), Aisha was able to receive first hand ayahs and ahadith from the Nabi (saw), this allowed for her to be exposed to the many teachings that the Nabi (saw) provided us with. With the Prophet (saw), she was able to grow as a Muslim in her mannerisms, wisdoms, etiquette, public dealings, economic and domestic laws as well as ways in which to live light and natural on this dunya.

The contributions she had made to Islam is endless from her knowledge of inheritance, pilgrimage, medicine, poetry and eschatology to her openness regarding her private life with the Nabi (saw) as a husband and his practices in the home. She had spoken on females needs and conditions and spoken about what Islam provides women. 

The Nabi (saw) had married Aisha (ra) when she was 9 years of age and they had been married for 18 years. She had lived for a further 44 years after the Nabi (saw) had passed away. She had used this time to share a total of 2210 ahadith and not to forget that she it is also Aisha who had Quranic verses revealed in relation to her.

In conclusion, I hope that if someone were to mention Aisha (ra), that she will not only be remembered as the brave wife of the Nabi (saw) and daughter of a great sahabah but also as a valuable scholar in Islam and a significant contributor to the knowledge we have on Islam today.