CHILDREN’S CORNER

During the caliphate of Abu Bakr, Hakim was called several times to collect his stipend from the Bayt al-Mal (the treasury) but he refused. He did the same during the caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab. He lived a long life and died at the age of 120 years. Simple Living Aisha was born into a highly respectable wealthy family, but she patiently bore the hardships, simplicity and ascetic lifestyle of the Prophet due to her loyalty to Allah and her devotion to the Prophet and his cause. Aisha was the youngest of the Prophet’s wives at the time of her marriage. Her room was about 10 feet long with mud walls and floor. The roof was thatched with date leaves and the household items consisted of one bed, a mat, a pillow stuffed with date fibres, a water pitcher, a bowl and two earthen jars to store dates and flour. She underwent many hardships. Yet, Aisha was content and did not complain. Aisha once told Urwah bin Zubair, her nephew, ‘Sometimes, for three long months, we never cooked anything in our house because we did not have anything during that period.’ He then asked, ‘How did you survive without anything?’ She replied, ‘We used to eat dates and drink water or sometimes some of our neighbours would send us some food and milk' After the death of the Prophet, Aisha continued to live an ascetic existence dedicated to fasting, prayers, charities, and the care of orphans and the destitute. o