The Book of the Virtues of Āisha (may Allah be pleased with her)

Muhammad ibn al-Husayn (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

Know—may Allah have mercy on us and you—that Āisha (may Allah be pleased with her) and all the wives of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) are the Mothers of the Believers. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, honored them through His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). The first of them was Khadīja (may Allah be pleased with her), whose virtue we have already mentioned. After her came Āisha (may Allah be pleased with her), whose honor is immense and whose rank is exalted.

If someone asks, “Why have the shaykhs singled out the virtues of Āisha for mention rather than those of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) other wives who came after her—I mean, after Khadīja and Āisha (may Allah be pleased with them both)?”

He should be told: “It is because a group of hypocrites envied her during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and accused her of that from which Allah Most High exonerated her. He revealed the Quran concerning it and therein exposed as liars those who assailed her with their false accusation. Through this, Allah the Generous brought joy to His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), delighted the believers, and grieved the hypocrites. It was then that the scholars devoted particular attention to recounting her virtues—may Allah be pleased with him—as the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in this world and the Hereafter.”