Aisha bint Abi Bakr

c. 613 - 678 CE

The beloved of the Prophet ﷺ after Khadijah. Narrator of 2,210 hadith. Cleared of slander by Quranic revelation. Taught the Companions after the Prophet's death for 44 years. The Prophet said: 'Take half your religion from Humaira.'

Life

Aisha bint Abi Bakr grew up in the Prophet's household after her marriage to him. She was quick of memory, sharp of tongue, and had a scholar's mind. She was the beloved of the Prophet ﷺ in his later years, and he spent his last illness and died in her chamber, buried at her hand.

She was slandered publicly in the Ifk incident when she was left behind on a march and returned with a Companion who had found her camel-litter empty. Munafiqun spread the accusation for a full month. She was cleared by direct Quranic revelation (Surah An-Nur 24:11-20), a defence unique in the Quran for any individual.

After the Prophet's death she became the most consulted authority of the ummah on matters of the Prophet's practice, especially the private aspects only she had witnessed. She narrated 2,210 hadith, more than any Companion except Abu Hurairah. She taught the great scholars of the tabi'in from her curtain in Medina for 44 years.

The Prophet ﷺ said of her: "Take half your religion from Humaira", Humaira, "the rosy one," his affectionate name for her. She died in 678 CE, aged about 65.

Stories

Each story below is drawn from the classical Islamic historical sources.