Aisha’s Marriage and her Historic Role

It is an established fact that, in the whole of Muslim history, Aisha al-Siddiqah holds a unique and distinguished position in terms of her role. She understood the spirit of Islam with a depth perhaps unmatched by any other man or woman. She explained the delicate aspects of religion with a confidence that no one else displayed in the same way. Nor do we find anyone, either in the age of the Companions or in later generations, who explained the underlying principles and deeper insights of religion with the same clarity and insight. The answer to the central issue lies in the answer to this very question. The fact is that the highest attainment in Islam is maarifah, or realization of God. The Prophet received this realization in its complete form directly from God through Gabriel. The question, then, is how this highest level of realization could be transmitted after the Prophet. It was for this purpose that Aisha al-Siddiqah was chosen. Practically speaking, there was only one way for this to happen: Aisha had to be given the opportunity to be in the Prophet’s company from an early age. Such a high level of realization required close companionship. And the opportunity for such sustained association with a person could be available only to his wife, and to no one else. The study of psychology shows that a child in the early years is highly inquisitive and eager to learn about the world around him or her. Moreover, in early childhood,