Our Mother ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her.
“O ‘A’ishah, the hearts of the servants are between two of the fingers of Allah.”
Education through role modeling is one of the most important means of upbringing.
Mastering the art of questioning is half of knowledge.
A student of knowledge’s keenness of observation
opens up horizons of knowledge for them to inquire about.
All of this was available to our Mother ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
along with her youth and the strength of her memory,
which made her a reference for the Companions in knowledge
and in knowing the circumstances of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
For whoever studies the hadiths narrated by ‘A’ishah
gains a comprehensive understanding of the life of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
both inside and outside his home.
They also gain a comprehensive understanding of the various branches of knowledge
that the Prophet, peace be upon him, informed us about.
This is one of many instances
that demonstrate the sagacity of ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
and her eagerness to acquire knowledge.
It also demonstrates the aspects of the Prophet’s, peace be upon him, upbringing of her.
On the authority of ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
used to frequently say:
“O Turner of hearts,
make my heart firm upon Your obedience.”
I said, “O Messenger of Allah,
you frequently supplicate with this prayer;
do you fear?”
He said,
“And what makes me feel secure, O ‘A’ishah,
when the hearts of the servants are between two of the fingers of Allah, the Blessed and Exalted?
If He wills to turn the heart of a servant, He turns it.”
Narrated by Ahmad.
Indeed, one of the most important things a wife needs in her home
is a leader who is a role model,
who leads the family through his actions and guidance
before his words and theories.
And we will not find a more exemplary model
more wonderful or better than the way our Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, treated his family.
He used to educate his wives through his actions before his words.
In this incident, there are several educational aspects:
Among them is the keen observation of ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
for she noticed the Prophet’s, peace be upon him, frequent repetition of this supplication:
“O Turner of hearts,
make my heart firm upon Your obedience.”
He would not repeat it so frequently unless it were of great importance.
Therefore, she asked him about the secret behind his repeating this prayer.
This is how a woman should be:
attentive to what is frequently repeated around her,
for it may be a good that is presented to her,
or it may be an evil intended to corrupt her.
Contemporary media has adopted this method to corrupt the women of the Ummah
by repeating what it wants to impose upon society.
The way to resist this
is by repeating the truth and spreading it among the people,
for the truth has a light with which Allah obliterates falsehood.
Allah the Exalted said:
“Nay, but We hurl the true against the false, and it doth break its head and lo! it vanisheth. And yours will be woe for that which ye ascribe (unto Him).” (21:18)
“And it will surely vanish.”
“Nay, but We hurl the true against the false, and it doth break its head and lo! it vanisheth. And yours will be woe for that which ye ascribe (unto Him).” (21:18)
Among these aspects are the profound meanings contained in this Prophetic supplication
which the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to say frequently.
It contains a lack of self-conceit and reliance upon one’s own righteousness,
and a request for steadfastness from Allah, the Almighty and Majestic.
It shows one’s neediness before Allah,
and persistence in asking Him to make the heart firm upon obedience.
It also clarifies the nature of hearts,
that they are quick to turn.
The successful one
is he whose heart Allah has made firm upon faith.
It includes asking Allah for steadfastness in obedience and faith until death,
and fearing a relapse.
Another aspect is that asking questions is a means of learning;
whoever is granted success in this is truly successful.
Al-Hasan al-Basri said:
“A good question is half of knowledge.”
The Prophet, peace be upon him, considered asking questions as seeking knowledge,
which the angels of the Most Merciful engage with.
On the authority of Safwan Ibn ‘Assal al-Muradi, he said:
“I came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
while he was reclining in the mosque on a red cloak.
I said to him,
‘O Messenger of Allah,
I have come to seek knowledge.’
He said,
‘Welcome, seeker of knowledge.
The seeker of knowledge is surrounded by angels who shade him with their wings,
then they stack upon one another until they reach the lowest heaven,
out of their love for what he seeks.
So, what have you come to seek?’
He said...”
Safwan said:
“O Messenger of Allah,
we travel frequently between Makkah and Madinah,
so instruct me regarding wiping over the leather socks (khuffayn).”
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to him:
“Three days for the traveler,
and one day and one night for the resident.”
Narrated by al-Tabarani.
‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, was successful in this regard,
for she used to ask the Prophet, peace be upon him, about everything she did not know.
If we were to trace the questions of ‘A’ishah to the Prophet, peace be upon him,
we would find a great deal,
enough to be compiled into a book.
Among these is the Prophet’s, peace be upon him, fear of his heart turning.
Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
“He singled himself out for mention
to inform us that if his pure soul was in need of seeking refuge with Allah, the Exalted,
then the need of others who are below him is even more deserving of that.”
This fear of the turning of hearts
was the character of the Prophets before him.
Here is Ibrahim, peace be upon him,
who smashed the idols,
fearing for himself and his children that they might worship them.
Allah says about him:
“And when Abraham said: My Lord! Make safe this territory, and preserve me and my sons from serving idols.” (14:35)
“And when Abraham said: My Lord! Make safe this territory, and preserve me and my sons from serving idols.” (14:35)
“And when Abraham said: My Lord! Make safe this territory, and preserve me and my sons from serving idols.” (14:35)
So, those other than the Prophets are even more obligated to fear the turning of their hearts.
This is just one incident
that educates ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, on these profound meanings,
so she follows the example of the Prophet, peace be upon him, in his supplication,
in his choices of prayers,
in his persistence in supplication,
and in his fear of the turning of hearts.
So how was it for her to live the rest of her life with the Prophet, peace be upon him,
the great educator of this Ummah?
Will husbands pay attention to the Prophetic method of educating a wife?
And will the wife pay attention to the great blessing of being married to a righteous man,
and following his example in his righteousness before she loses him?
We will continue in a future meeting, if Allah wills.
And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.