Ummuna Aisha
- Author died
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- Editions
- Dār al-Khulafā' al-Rāshidīn
Ummuna Aisha (Our Mother Aisha) is an apologetic biographical treatise compiled by the contemporary Egyptian author Shehata Saqr to highlight the virtues of Aisha bint Abi Bakr and defend her against Shia polemics and accusations .
Background and Purpose
Saqr compiled the treatise drawing upon the statements of Sunni scholars as a defense of the honor of Aisha, the wife of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and to counter attacks launched by modern Shia figures . In the introduction, the author specifically points to anti-Sunni discourse and public events held by figures such as Yasser al-Habib in London on the seventeenth of Ramadan, as well as polemical insults uttered by Egyptian Shia convert Hasan Shehata . Saqr critiques ecumenical initiatives (taqrib) between Sunnis and Shiites, arguing that Shia doctrinal polemics reject Quranic verses that exonerated Aisha during the Incident of the Ifk, and praises contemporary Sunni efforts across satellite channels and websites dedicated to defending her .
Content and Structure
The book opens with a preparatory section outlining anti-Shia resources, websites, and audio lectures before providing a biographical summary and an exposition of Aisha's merits . Its main components include:
- Biographical Profile: Outlines Aisha's lineage through Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and her mother Umm Ruman, her marriage to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, her migration to Medina, and her title as the most learned woman in the Muslim community . It notes that her musnad comprises 2,210 hadiths, of which 174 are agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim, 54 are recorded by al-Bukhari alone, and 69 by Muslim alone . It addresses her kunya (Umm Abd Allah, after her nephew Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr) and records her death in 57 AH (with an alternative report giving 58 AH) on the seventeenth of Ramadan, noting that Abu Hurayra led her funeral prayer at the age of sixty-three and several months .
- Virtues and Merits (Fada'il): Details her distinctive virtues, citing narrations on her status among the Prophet's wives, her exoneration from heaven, and specific traditions recording her unique qualities and religious knowledge .
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