A Treasury of Aisha

Dr Sofia Rehman is an independent scholar of Islam trained both traditionally in Syria, Tukey and Wales, and through academia whose PhD focused on the statements of Aisha Bint Abi Bakr as recorded in the work of the 14th century scholar, Imam al-Zarkashi. Her book based on this thesis is entitled, Gendering the Hadith Tradition: Recentering the Authority of Aisha, Mother of the Believers (Oxford University Press). She is a committed advocate of bridging the gap between academic scholarship on Islam and the wider Muslim community, setting up critical reading groups and workshops with global reach to facilitate learning, curiosity and spiritual empowerment. She has also contributed to a number of anthologies including Cut From the Same Cloth? Muslim Women on Life in Britain edited by Sabeena Akhtar (Unbound), Mapping Faith: Theologies of Migration edited by Lia Shimada (Jessica Kingsley), and Violent Phenomena: 21 Essays on Translation edited by Kavita Bhanot and Jeremy Tiang (Tilted Axis).

Table of Contents







Introduction                                                                                                                   6



Tafsīr of ʿAisha bint Abu Bakr                                                                                    9



The power of duʿāʾ and the nearness
of Allah to the believer                              9



Every hardship or suffering is an expiation
for the believer                               11



Do not use Allah as an excuse to refrain
from good deeds                                 12



Finding strength in the Creator over
the Creation                                               14



The importance of the pursuit of justice
in the life of Muslims                          15



Supplicating to Allah to keep our hearts
firm upon faith                                    17



Fiqh of ʿAisha                                                                                                              19



Women’s travel                                                                                                   19



On the need to unravel braids for ghusl                                                               20



On perfume while in a state of Iḥrām                                                                  21



When a woman starts her period while she
is performing the Hajj                     21



The status of a child born out of wedlock                                                           22



On the need to perform wudhu after
performing ghusl on the Deceased            24



Whether a woman nullifies the prayer                                                                 25



On Salat al-Duha                                                                                                 26



On when to break fast                                                                                          28



On ostentatious living                                                                                          28



ʿAisha on matters of Aqidah                                                                                       31



Women as a source of bad luck                                                                           31



Punishment of the believers in the hereafter                                                       32



Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves
to meet them                                    33



The Prophet’s ascension to Allah                                                                        34



ʿAisha’s political influence: her Siyāsah
Sharʿiyya                                                  36



Her commitment to the Sunnah                                                                           37



ʿAisha’s speech upon hearing of
ʿUthman’s murder                                           37



ʿAisha’s letter of appeal to the
Kuffans                                                               39



Etiquette of war                                                                                                   40



The poetry of ʿAisha and her army                                                                      41



ʿAisha’s warning to Muʿāwiyyah                                                                        42



ʿAisha on heart softeners                                                                                            44



The Prophet would choose the easiest
of what is permissible                             44



The Prophet loved to show gratitude
to Allah                                                     46



Mercy begins at home                                                                                         47



The rights of a neighbour                                                                                    49



The perfect character of the Prophet                                                                   50



On controlling the tongue                                                                                    51



On gentleness                                                                                                       53



Humility                                                                                                               55



Abu Bakr on his deathbed                                                                                   57



The ideal duʿāʾ                                                                                                    58



The reward for reciting the Qur’an                                                                      59



The blessed character of the Prophet
(SAW)                                                      60



The Prophet’s duʿāʾ  for his ummah                                                                    62



At the first sign of hardship the believer’s
refuge is in Allah                                 64



Bibliography                                                                                                                69



Arabic references                                                                                                 69



English references                                                                                               70