One of the sign of Qiyamah is that people of later generation will curse and ill talk those of first generation. Yet it is the first generation that comprises of the beloved prophet Swalallahou Alaihi Wasallam and Sahabahs that hold the ideal and the focus of Islam. They have been stamped and approved as the best generation and we are called by the Qur-aan to follow them in spirituality and deeni practices. Salaah like Rasoul SAW and Imaan like sahabahs are the core calls of Islam. Yet some people find the audacity to ill comment upon the best of eras. One of them is Imran Hosein. The misguided Imran Hosein treat the following hadith of bukhari as fabricated:
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَزَوَّجَهَا وَهِيَ بِنْتُ سِتِّ سِنِينَ وَبَنَى بِهَا وَهِيَ بِنْتُ تِسْعِ سِنِينَ صَحِيحٌ بُخَارِيٌّ
Hazrat Aisha r.a. said: ‘’The beloved prophet SAW married her while she was 6 years old. And she went to stay by the prophet SAW at the age of 9 years old.’’(Sahih Bukhari)
Imran Hosein treat this hadith as fabricated and also that this is an insult to the prophet Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam to marry someone at 6 years old. The mistake he did is that he took our era as yardstick to compare the best of eras of Rasouloullah and Sahabahs. As a proper muslim, he should have rather take the best era as yardstick to compare our era. In fact our era have degenerated and weakened so much that we don’t find parents marrying their child at this age. Maturity and physical development retards in our girls in our era until 18 to 19 years of age. But not long ago, a century behind us, parents were marrying their daughters at 9 years of age! This was because they achieved maturity that time. The grand mother of my wife, Amina Vaid, still alive Alhamdulillah, reports that her mother married to his father at 9 years of age! If you ask your grand mother at what age your great grand mother have married, you would be surprised. Now imagine the maturity that girls would have achieved at that age 1400 years ago? Since girls were mature at young age, then they were married at that age. That is why it is NOT an insult to the beloved prophet Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam to marry Hazrat Aisha r.a. at 6 and came to his house at 9 years old.
Also note that Hazrat Aisha r.a. was precocious physically and intellectually. She was developed physically and mentally so that her parents would insist to drop her to her husband. It is reported from Mustadrak and Tabrani that Abu Bakr r.a. came to the beloved prophet SAW asking him why he is not taking his bride home? In fact hazrat Aisha stayed by her father`s house after nikah for about 3 years. The beloved prophet SAW replied that he lacked finance for the dowry. Then Abu Bakr r.a. himself gave the prophet SAW the dowry amount and sent to the house of Abu Bakr r.a.! Now if hazrat Aisha r.a. was too young, then why would his father ask the prophet the reason for not taking her home? And to judge whether Aisha r.a. was too young or not is not my or your view. It is the view of her parents. And her parents was so keen of this wedding that they insisted that the beloved prophet SAW take Aisha in his custody.
قال أبو بكر : يا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، ما يمنعك أن تبني بأهلك ؟ فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
الصداق » فأعطاه أبو بكر اثنتي عشرة أوقية ونشا ، فبعث بها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إلينا وبنى بي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم في بيتي هذا الذي أنا فيه ، وهو الذي توفي فيه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ودفن فيه المستدرك للحاكم
In fact, the qualities of our mother Aisha r.a. benefitted the ummah a lot. She asked questions that no one asked and held an education from the prophet that great scholar sahabas used to ask her opinion on pertinent fatwas.
In fact, Abu Bakr (ra) did much good to the Ummah offering her intelligent pious daughter to the beloved prophet SAW. It was the best of eras, the verses of the Qur’an were being revealed and the ahadith of the Prophet (saw) had to be safeguarded. Her memory was exceptional: She had learnt the whole Qur’an as well as thousands of ahadith. She reported 2210 ahadiths altogether. Moreover, she had, thanks to her wisdom, helped in the proper understanding of Islamic Jurisprudence.
The wisdom behind the wedding to Aisha (ra)
It is a fact that a man has a life outside the home and another life inside. During the day, his life is spent outside and at night, inside. Sahabahs like Abu Hurairah (ra) can narrate thousands of ahadith, sayings and sunnahs of the Prophet (saw) on various topics outside his house. But who will narrate to us those important sunnahs taking place inside the house? It is only the wives who can tell us about the habits of their husband. The wives of Prophet Muhammad (saw) were in a position to describe to us the sunnahs taking place inside the house. Without them, a strong hold of sunnahs would have remained concealed.
Every one of the wives was a different person as regards many things; they had all a natural likings, were of different I.Q. and some were older than others. Among the wives of the Prophet (saw), it was Aisha (ra) who was the most excellent. A narration in Tafseer Kabeer reports that the Prophet (saw) has said: “Seek a great deal of Islamic education from Humairah (Aisha (ra)”. Her inquisitive nature had perfected her knowledge of Islam.
Hazrat Aisha r.a keeps the monopoly on reports such like the shape of the Ka`bah, the best place to pray in Masjid An Nabawi(Ustuwana Aisha r.a.), the du`a during lailatul Qadr, the limits of husband and wife during fasting, and so on.
Aisha (ra) as a role model
Hazrat Aisha (ra) had learnt the Qur’an and its sciences during the nine years she lived with the Prophet (saw). Her learning and her thirst for knowledge were so deep that, whenever the erudite sahabahs could not agree among themselves in matter of jurisprudence, they always had recourse to Aisha (ra) for a solution. It is for this reason that it is proclaimed very clearly that there is no discrimination towards the feminine gender in Islam. Our mother Aisha (ra) has so highly climbed the steps of taqwa (fear of Allah), piety and learning that her name has been inscribed among the elite women of Islam. (Muslim)
The Prophet (saw) had nine wives; however, the human heart can only love one of them. A hadith of Tirmizi narrates that, when the prophet SAW was asked: “Who you love the most?” he had replied: “Aisha (ra).” “And among men?” he had replied: “Her father(Abu Bakr (ra)).” (Tirmizi). Believe me, the greatness of our mother Aisha (ra) has not been sufficiently recognized. Even the Prophet (saw) selected the presence of Aisha (ra) during difficult times. The verses regarding tayammum were revealed around circumstances concerning our mother Aisha (ra). She had received the greetings of angel Jibrael (as). Wasn’t she the one who was at the bedside of the Prophet (saw) when he left this world? These few lines will make you have a proper judgment on the greatness of our mother (ra): when Prophet Yusuf (as) was accused, a child had defended him; when Juraij was accused, an infant had pleaded for him; when Maryam (virgin Mary) was accused, her son Jesus (as) had defended her honour; but when our mother Aisha (as) was falsely accused, then Allah Ta’ala himself, the Supreme Lord, who defended her by revealing the verses of the Qur’an.
One should be aware that great personality like Umar bin Khatab r.a. had to ask the permission of Aisha r.a. for being buried near the beloved prophet SAW.
As such Imran Hosein erred gravely by uttering that the wedding of Rasoullah SAW to Hazrat Aisha r.a. is an insult. And more tragedy to use the word garbage for sahih hadiths.
Imran Husein should NOT be listened to. Masjids should not host his talks. He should not be invited for Talks and conferences. He has erred in different issues of deen and insist on his errors. He is a deviant speaker. He is a sign of qiyamah that have insulted the first generation. The beloved prophet SAW said:
ولعن آخر هذه الأمة أولها…. من اقتراب الساعة اثنتان وسبعون خصلة … در منثور السيوطي
Rasouloullah SAW said: ‘‘From the signs of nearness of Qiyamah are…that the later generations will curse the first generation.’’(Durre Mansoor Suyuti)