1909 — Abū Abd Allah al-Husayn ibn Muhammad ibn Ufayr al-Ansārī narrated to us: Imrān ibn Mūsā al-Raqqī narrated to us at Rayy, from Abū Musab al-Madīnī, from Abd al-Azīz ibn ⦗2428⦘ Imrān al-Zuhrī, from al-Zuhrī, who said: “The first love in Islam was the Prophet’s love for Aisha—may Allah be pleased with her.” Concerning this, Hassān ibn Thābit al-Ansārī—may Allah be pleased with him—said:

[The Tawīl (Long) Meter]

Love’s pangs for one never suspected of impropriety—
from it he bore a consuming passion beyond all bearing.

Truly, the first bond of love, formed in chastity,
was the Messenger of Allah’s love for Aisha.

He favored her for the purity of the love she gave,
and through it she gained a dwelling in eternal Paradise.

Wife of the best of creation and daughter of his beloved—
his companion in the Cave, when it was a refuge.

Muhammad ibn al-Husayn—may Allah have mercy on him—said: Whoever passes morning and evening harboring hatred in his heart for Aisha—may Allah be pleased with her—or for any of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—or for any member of the Messenger of Allah’s Household—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—has surely failed and suffered loss. May Allah be pleased with them all and cause us to benefit through our love for them.

This concludes what I was able to set forth in Mecca—may Allah Most High guard it—concerning the virtues of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her. And peace.