The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 247
VI - Rukhsatānah of Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah ra and an Exposition of Her Age at the Time, the Issue of Polygamy and Two Fabricated Incidents 247 paid in cash at the time of the Rukhsatānah. 1 From among all the wives of the Holy Prophet sa , Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah ra was the only one who was unmarried prior to marrying the Holy Prophet sa. 2 The rest were either widows or divorced and Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah ra would at times, count this unique aspect as being one of her distinctions. At the time of the Rukhsatānah of Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah ra , the Holy Prophet sa was approximately fifty-five years of age. Taking into account the young age of Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah ra , the Holy Prophet sa would treat her very lovingly and take special care of her emotions. As such, on one occasion when some Abyssinian swordsmen began to demonstrate an acrobatic spectacle of lances in the presence of the Holy Prophet sa and his Companions, the Holy Prophet sa instructed them to show their demonstration in the veranda of the Masjid- e-Nabawī , and held Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah ra himself standing along the wall of his residence, whilst shielding her from the public, so that she too could enjoy their acrobatic display; until Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah ra did not become content of this military demonstration herself, the Holy Prophet sa continued to accompany her. 3 On another occasion, the Holy Prophet sa raced Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah ra. On the first occasion, Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah ra managed to outstrip the Holy Prophet sa , but after some time, when the Holy Prophet sa raced her again, she was left behind, upon which the Holy Prophet sa smiled and said, َ ھٰذِہ ٖ بِتِلْك , meaning, “There you are ‘Ā’ishah, now the debt has been repaid. ” 4 At times, when some of the friends of Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah ra would gather in her home, and amuse themselves by singing innocent couplets the Holy Prophet sa would not object in the least. As a matter of fact, on one occasion, when Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakr ra saw this and attempted to slightly reprimand the girls, the Holy Prophet sa stopped him saying, “Abū Bakr, let it be. Today is the day of ‘Id and girls enjoy entertaining themselves. ” But when the Holy Prophet sa turned to the other side, Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah ra made an indication to the girls herself and saw them off. 5 Despite her young age, the intelligence and memory of Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah ra was absolutely remarkable, and under the education and training of the Holy Prophet sa she developed astonishingly at a most extraordinary pace. In actuality, this was the very purpose of the Holy Prophet sa in bringing her to his home at such a young age; so that he could train her from a tender age according to his wishes, and she could receive 1 Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 8, p. 274, Dhikru Azwāji Rasūlillāhi sa / ‘Ā’ishata bintu Abī Bak riṣ-Ṣiddīq , Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 2 Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābun-Nikāḥ, Bābu Nikāḥil-Abkār, Ḥadīth No. 5077 3 Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābun-Nikāḥ, Bābu Ḥusnil-Mu‘āshirati Ma‘al-Ahl, Ḥadīth No. 5190 4 Sunanu Abī Dāwūd, Kitābul-Jihād, Bābun Fis-Sabqi ‘Alar-Rijuli, Ḥadīth No. 2578 5 Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-‘Īdain, Bābul-Ḥirābi Wad-Daraqi Yaumal-‘Īd, Ḥadīth No. 949