She was fair-skinned and strikingly beautiful, and for that reason (1) she was affectionately called al-Humayrāʾ. The Prophet ﷺ married no other virgin besides her, and he loved no woman with a love equal to his love for her. I know of no one in the community of Muhammad ﷺ—indeed, among women in general—more learned than she.

Some scholars have even claimed that she is superior to her father, but this opinion is untenable, for Allah has assigned to everything its proper rank. What we can affirm is that she is the wife of our Prophet ﷺ in this world and the Hereafter—can any honor surpass that? True, Khadijah the Truthful enjoys a station that none can attain, and I remain undecided as to which of the two is the more excellent. Yet I have ultimately concluded (2) that Khadijah is superior to her, for reasons that are not to be detailed here (3).

Hisham ibn ʿUrwah narrates from his father, from ʿĀʾishah, who said:

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘I saw you in a dream for three consecutive nights. The angel brought you to me, wrapped in a piece of silk (4), and said, “This is your wife.” I lifted the cloth from your face, and there you were. So I said, “If this is from Allah, He will bring it to pass.”’ (5)”

Al-Tirmidhi also reported, through the chain of ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAmr ibn ʿAlqamah al-Makki, from Ibn Abi Ḥusayn, from Ibn Abi Mulaykah, from ʿĀʾishah, that Gabriel came in her likeness