ʿĀʾishah said, “I never felt jealous of any woman as I felt jealous of Khadījah, because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ mentioned her so often.”
(1) I (the author) remark: This is truly astonishing (2)—that she should be jealous of an elderly woman who had died long before the Prophet ﷺ married ʿĀʾishah—yet Allah protected her from feeling jealous of several other wives who shared the Prophet ﷺ with her. Such is Allah’s subtle kindness toward her and toward the Prophet ﷺ, so that their life together would not be troubled. Perhaps what further eased her jealousy was the Prophet’s love for her and his special affection toward her. May Allah be pleased with her and grant her His pleasure.
Maʿmar narrated—from al-Zuhrī, from ʿUrwah, from ʿĀʾishah:
“A black woman once came in to the Prophet ﷺ, and he received her warmly. I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, you have shown such attention to this black woman!’ He replied, ‘She used to visit Khadījah, and honoring old bonds is part of faith.’” (3)
(1) Reported by al-Bukhari, 7/102 (Book of the Companions’ Merits, chapter: The Prophet’s marriage to Khadija and her virtues); by Muslim, no. 2435 (Book of the Companions’ Merits, chapter: The virtues of Khadija); and by al-Tirmidhi, no. 3875.
(2) Al-Shawkani remarks that Aisha’s jealousy stemmed from the Prophet’s frequent praise of Khadija and the high esteem in which he held her, as has been shown earlier in her biography; hence her reaction is not surprising.
(3) Its transmitters are reliable and it is found in al-Musannaf. Al-Hakim also recorded a similar version in al-Mustadrak, 1/15-16, through Salih ibn Rustum, from Ibn Abi Mulayka, from Aisha: “An elderly woman came to the Prophet while I was with him. He asked, ‘Who are you?’ She replied, ‘I am Juthama al-Muzaniyya.’ He said, ‘Rather, you are Hasana al-Muzaniyya! How are you? How have you been since we last met?’ She answered, ‘Well, may my father and mother be ransomed for you, Messenger of Allah.’ When she left, I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, you showed such attention to that old woman!’ He replied, ‘She used to visit us in Khadija’s time, and loyalty to old friends is part of faith.’”
Al-Hakim deemed the hadith authentic according to the criteria of al-Bukhari and Muslim, and al-Dhahabi agreed, even though al-Bukhari cites Salih ibn Rustum only in a suspended form. In al-Mizan the author adopts Imam Ahmad’s judgment about him—“his hadith is sound”—which means a narration from someone of his standing is acceptable. See also Fath al-Bari, 10/365.