Aisha’s Marriage and her Historic Role

advance. The angel appeared before her in human form and informed her of the matter. This is mentioned clearly in the Quran. (19:17) The angel’s prior indication concerning this marriage is established through authentic narrations. Aisha relates that the Messenger of God said to her: “You were shown to me in a dream. An angel brought you to me wrapped in a piece of silk and said: ‘This is your wife.’ I uncovered your face and saw that it was you. I said: ‘If this is from God, He will bring it to pass.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 5125) Aisha al-Siddiqah lived with the Prophet of Islam for eleven years. Since she was much younger than him, she lived for nearly fifty years after his death. During this half-century, she continued to serve as a means of disseminating prophetic knowledge. The accounts of her life show that Aisha al-Siddiqah brought to light profound aspects of the wisdom underlying religious teachings that do not appear to have reached the Muslim community through any other Companion. Moreover, through her close association with the Prophet, she gained extraordinary certainty regarding the soundness of her understanding of religion. This is why she spoke on delicate religious matters with a decisiveness and confidence that no one else, before or after her, could display in the same manner.