Islamiyat · Oct / Nov 2025 · Paper 11 · Question 5

Prophet (pbuh).

Use the AO1 Levels of Response.

Candidates should include some of the following points. All other relevant points must be credited.

ʿAisha was the daughter of the Prophet’s close companion, Abu Bakr. She was married to the Prophet (pbuh) in Madina at a young age and became his third wife. Due to her youth, the Prophet (pbuh) encouraged her to spend time with her friends. She was married to the Prophet (pbuh) for nine years.

She was known for her intelligence and sharp memory and became one of the greatest narrators of Hadith. She questioned the Prophet (pbuh) on many things, which is why she was able to remember so many aspects of his life and why many legal (fiqh) rulings come from her narrations. ʿAisha was present at various Battles, nursing soldiers wounded in combat. She was involved in many important events in the life of the Prophet (pbuh), and verses were revealed to the Prophet (pbuh) about her in relation to event of the necklace (Nur:11-19). She had been left behind after the caravan she was travelling in left without her, and then she was taken back to Madina by Safwan ibn-Salami. This caused people to slander her, and the verses were revealed to prove her innocence. Another incident in the Qur’an related to her was when there was a delay to the same caravan as when her necklace was lost, and the Muslims had no water for making ablution for the ‘asr prayer. Many of the companions were frustrated by this, and then God revealed passages relating to dry ablution, tayummum.

She had good relations with the Prophet’s other wives, mainly Sawda and Hafsa, but was sometimes jealous of some of the wives.

She accompanied the Prophet (pbuh) on the final pilgrimage and when she started her menses, he told her what to do which provided the legal (fiqh) rulings for women going on Hajj. She also insisted on completing an umrah as she hadn’t been able to before the rites of Hajj. The Prophet (pbuh) told her to go to a stated point (miqat), today known as Masjid ʿAisha, to put on her ihram and then perform her umrah.

During the Prophet’s final illness he asked if he could stay in her house and the other wives agreed. The Prophet (pbuh) passed away whilst he was with ʿAisha.

Candidates will not be credited for mentioning her life after the Prophet’s death.

How can Muslims today apply lessons learned from ʿAisha’s life

about the importance of education and knowledge?

Use the AO2 Levels of Response.

Candidates can give other examples and all relevant answers should be credited.

ʿAisha married young, but this did not stop her from learning and seeking knowledge. This shows that the pursuit of knowledge is recommended for women and should not be stopped even after marriage. Muslim women of all ages could take inspiration from ‘Aisha’s life to seek education. ʿAisha was one of the foremost narrators of Hadith and knew Islamic rulings better than anyone, so many people would go to her to ask questions and learn. This shows that if you learn, it is also important to teach and that you should go and learn from those who know, whether they are male or female. This may encourage those with knowledge to pursue a career in education.

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