Food, Meals - Sahih al-Bukhari 5418

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Many men reached perfection but none among the women reached perfection except Mary, the daughter of 'Imran, and Asia, Pharoah's wife. And the superiority of `Aisha to other women is like the superiority of Tharid to other kinds of food."

Commentary on the Hadith

This noble hadith establishes several profound spiritual realities. Firstly, it distinguishes between general perfection (kamal) attainable by many righteous men and the highest degree of perfection reserved for only two women from previous nations: Maryam bint 'Imran, mother of Prophet 'Isa (Jesus), and Asiya bint Muzahim, wife of Pharaoh.

The perfection mentioned here refers to the completeness of faith, certainty, patience in adversity, and unwavering devotion to Allah. Maryam demonstrated perfection through her chastity, devotion, and miraculous birth of 'Isa without father. Asiya attained perfection through maintaining faith while living with the most tyrannical disbeliever, ultimately sacrificing her life for Allah's sake.

The comparison of 'Aisha's superiority to other women being like Tharid's superiority over other foods contains profound wisdom. Tharid was the most beloved food to the Prophet (ﷺ), consisting of bread soaked in meat broth - simple yet nourishing and satisfying. Similarly, 'Aisha's excellence among women lies in her comprehensive knowledge of Islam, her transmission of numerous ahadeeth, her intellectual brilliance, and her unique closeness to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).

This analogy teaches us that true excellence lies not in outward complexity but in essential nourishment and benefit, just as Tharid provides physical nourishment while 'Aisha provided spiritual and intellectual nourishment to the Ummah through her profound understanding and transmission of Islamic knowledge.