A Treasury of Aishah

Reviewed by: Imran Mogra, Birmingham, UK 

Published by: Markfield: Kube Publishing, 2023, 134pp. ISBN: 9781847742018.

This is the seventh presentation in the publisher’s high-quality treasury series in Islamic thought and civilization. This guidance is divided into five known themes of exegesis, jurisprudence, belief, political activism and heart softeners. However, the sixth one departs from this trend to narrate a heart-rendering exoneration of the incident of the slander. In essence, this book is a tribute to [A’ishah’s long-lasting impact on Muslim scholarship and life.

The author is an independent scholar trained traditionally in Syria, Turkey and Wales who has researched this topic in-depth. At the outset, the author is unequivocal in emphasising that her work is not a biographical account of the mother of believers, [A’ishah bint Abi Bakr (may Allah be please with her), the beloved of the beloved, rather it is a curated collection of 40 ahadith reported from her. The rationale for selecting 40 sayings, and only these particular ones, remains undeclared. The author has used a range of sources beyond al-Bukhari and Muslim including history books, works of exegesis and contemporary scholarship, including a quote from Tagore, the poet.