Aisha, Mother of the Believers (RA)
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was one of the first children born into the Muslim community in Mecca.
Because of this, she was young when the hijra to Madinah took place.
But despite her tender age, she not only made the dangerous journey, she also narrated much of what went on around her before, during, and after the migration so that we can know today what the migration was like.
One such narration of hijra shows us how close to the Prophet (PBUH) her father, Abu Bakr (RA), was.
She recalled that when her father asked the Prophet who would accompany him in the cave to avoid the assassination attempt, Abu Bakr cried out of joy when the Prophet told him it would be him.
Aisha (RA) tells us what course of action the Prophet (PBUH) and Abu Bakr (RA) took when the time came to leave the cave for Madinah.
Aisha reported: “Allah’s Messenger and Abu Bakr had hired a man from the tribe of Bani Al-Dil from the family of Bani `Abd ibn `Adi as an expert guide, and he was in alliance with the family of Al-`As bin Wa’il Al-Sahmi, and he was on the religion of the people of Quraish.“
The Prophet and Abu Bakr trusted him and gave him their two she-camels, and they took his promise to bring their two she-camels to the cave of the mountain of “Thawr” in the morning three nights later.
And when they set out, `Amir ibn Fuhairah and the guide went along with them, and the guide led them along the sea-shore.” (Al-Bukhari)
Once they entered Madinah, Aisha (RA) narrated all that she saw.
She documented how perilous life was even after the journey had ended.
Aisha said, “We came to Madinah and it was the most polluted land of Allah. The water there was stinking.”
She said: “When the Messenger of Allah came to Madinah, both Abu Bakr and Bilal became ill.I entered on them, and asked: ‘My father! How do you find yourself? Bilal! How do you find yourself?”
Aisha narrated, “I came to the Messenger of Allah and I told him, he said: ‘O Allah! Make Al-Madinah dear to us like our love for Makkah and more.
O Allah! Make it healthy, and bless us in our weights and measures; and remove its disease away from it to Al-Juhfah’.”
Highlighting the important women who made hijra and braved many hardships from the migration, gives us another glimpse into the lives of the companions of the Prophet (PBUH) and their sacrifices to protect and pass down the deen of Islam.
From the archives.