Sirat al-Sayyida Aisha Umm al-Muminin
- Author died
- 1373 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Qalam
Sirat al-Sayyida Aisha Umm al-Muminin (Biography of Lady Aisha, Mother of the Believers) is a biographical study by Sulaiman al-Nadwi (d. 1373 AH / 1953 CE) devoted to the life, virtues, scholarship, and religious legacy of Aisha bint Abi Bakr .
Composition and Context
The author conceived the work in 1906 CE while studying at Dar al-Ulum Nadwat al-Ulama in Lucknow and serving as the managing editor of the journal al-Nadwah . He consulted his mentor, Shibli Nu'mani, who encouraged the project and supplied him with reference materials . A preliminary portion of the text was published in al-Nadwah in 1908 CE . Following a temporary interruption, al-Nadwi resumed work in 1914 CE and completed the book in 1917 CE, prompted in part by the encouragement of Princess Sultan Jahan Begum of Bhopal .
Methodology and Sources
Al-Nadwi relied primarily on hadith compendia, masanid, and sunan collections, reasoning that conventional historical works provide limited coverage for this era, whereas hadith literature serves as a practical record of the Prophet's household and companions . He also drew upon biographical evaluation works and dictionaries, including al-Tabaqat al-Kubra by Ibn Sa'd, Tadhkirat al-Huffaz by al-Dhahabi, and Tahdhib al-Tahdhib by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, alongside major hadith commentaries such as Fath al-Bari, al-Qastallani's Irshad al-Sari, and al-Nawawi's commentary on Sahih Muslim . As an appendix, he edited and included Ayn al-Isabah fi ma Istadrakathu Aisha ala al-Sahabah, an abridgment of Badr al-Din al-Zarkashi's work documenting Aisha's rectifications of reports transmitted by other companions .
Structure and Content
The text is organized into two major divisions:
- Part One: Biography: Divided into ten chapters tracing Aisha's chronological life, including her marriage; her domestic life with the Prophet ﷺ; her relations with co-wives and kin; the incident of the Slander (al-ifk) and the legislation of dry ablution (tayammum); the events of tahrim, ila', and takhyir; the demise of the Prophet ﷺ in 11 AH; her life under the caliphates of Abu Bakr and Uthman; the political crises and the Battle of the Camel; her later years during the reign of Mu'awiya; and her death .
- Part Two: Character, Virtues, and Scholarly Status: Divided into five chapters addressing her personal comportment, worship, and physical traits (shama'il); her religious merits (manaqib); her expertise across fields such as Quranic sciences, Hadith narration and critique, jurisprudence (fiqh), theology (tawhid), medicine, history, poetry, and oratory; her active role in education, issuing legal verdicts (ifta'), and community guidance; and her broader standing and exemplary role for Muslim women .
Translation and Editions
Originally written in Urdu, the book was translated into Arabic by Muhammad Rahmatullah Hafiz al-Nadwi, who also sourced and referenced the hadiths from their primary compilations . The Arabic translation has been published in multiple editions by Dar al-Qalam in Damascus .
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