A Treasury of 'A'ishah: A Guidance from the Beloved of the Beloved(Treasury in Islamic Thought and Civilization)

About the Book

ʿAisha bint Abu Bakr (RA) has been an inspiration and paragon for Muslims since the first generation of Believers emerged. Hailed as a guiding light, a fount of wisdom and a purveyor of the Prophetic mission, Aisha’s words have illuminated Islamic thought in all its branches. This book compiles 40 of her insights and statements in the categories of Qur’anic exegesis (tafsīr), Jurisprudence (Fiqh), Theology (ʿaqīdah), Politics (siyāsah) and Heart Softeners (al-raqā’iq) with commentary for the contemporary Muslim seeking spiritual and moral direction as they traverse through daily life and its challenges and possibilities.

Table of Contents:
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

About the Author :

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).