بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Our Mother, Ummul Mu'mineen Ayesha (RA)
A role model through the ages, an inspiration for one and all. The entire life of Ayesha (RA) is filled with examples for us to try and follow. From her many outstanding qualities, the most inspiring one to me, is her thirst in acquiring knowledge, and her fervor for teaching it to others.
Our beloved mother Ayesha (RA) was born after both her parents had already accepted Islam. She was born into the lap of knowledge and a time of guidance.
She became a widow at the age of 18, an age which is just the beginning of most young women’s lives. This however, did not stop her. Having had the honour of being the wife of Nabi (SAW), she observed, learnt and asked questions about many aspects of Deen. After the death of Nabi (SAW) she continued teaching and narrating all of the knowledge that she had learnt. As many as 2210 Ahadith have been narrated by her, 58 of which Imam Bukhari has quoted, and 68 which Imam Muslim quotes solely on her authority.
Not only did she just relate Ahadith, she also used to issue Fatwa, together with many senior Sahaba during the rule of the first 3 Khulafaa.
Her legacy was passed onto over 200 students, amongst whom were Urwah bin Zubair, Muhammad bin Qaasim and Masrooq (RA). She used to bring up orphans, and mold them into future scholars, who helped establish Islam in many parts of the world.
As Muslimahs it is our duty and responsibility to uphold the practice of our dear Mother Ayesha (RA) and to ensure that we’re always learning, teaching or propagating this beautiful Deen. Her life teaches us, that no matter your age, or situation, you’re always able to learn and teach.
Having been widowed at an extremely young age, without any children nor being able to remarry, did not stop the enthusiasm of Ayesha (RA). She continued teaching and leaving a great legacy behind her. Her desire to teach, and propagate this beautiful Deen did not mean that her modesty was compromised at any moment. She observed the strictest laws of covering herself, speaking from behind a veil and using a voice that wasn’t meant to be appealing.
If we could just ponder for a moment about how many struggles she went through, being widowed at 18, losing her father not even 3 years later, she was now widowed and orphaned. This is an extremely difficult situation to be in, but Ayesha (RA) did not use this as an excuse to wallow in self pity, instead she dedicated her life to teaching and educating the Ummah. We will always remain indebted to her for the sacrifices that she made. We need to make it our responsibility to continue her legacy of learning and teaching.
May Allah be pleased with Her and enable us to follow in her footsteps. Aameen.
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