MOTHERS OF THE BELIEVERS

In the above verses, the wives of the Prophet are commanded to stay in their homes and bear in mind all that is recited in their homes of the revelations of God and of wisdom. (33: 32-33) This verse shows that the Mothers of the believers were specially trained for the task of reforming the Muslim community, i.e. ummah. They were instructed to put an end to all irrelevant interests and activities and focus all their attention to gain learning and wisdom from the Prophet. This arrangement was put in place because the teachings of the Prophet had to be preserved so that during and after the life of the Prophet they could convey these teachings to the ummah. The Prophet’s youngest wife Aisha’s role in this regard is very special. All the biographers of the Prophet are in unison that the benefits bestowed on the ummah by Aisha in teaching, training, and propagation of Islam were more than most of the male Companions of the Prophet. The simple reason was that Aisha was the youngest of all the wives. Coupled with it, she was very intelligent and had an extraordinary memory. Because of her great mental abilities, she memorized everything she heard from the Prophet in its most correct and perfect form. She fully understood and kept in mind every deed of the Prophet. Aisha lived for about fifty years after the death of the Prophet. She became a means of conveying the teachings of the Prophet to the next two Muslim generations. It would be correct to say that Aisha was a great mercy for the Muslim ummah due to her special attributes. She became a kind of living tape record and a source of blessings for the Muslim community for almost half a century. o The best of you is one who is best for his family, and I am best of all of you for my family. —Prophet Muhammad