Aisha (ra) teased the Prophet (scw), 'What is your love for me like?' Her beloved replied, 'Like a (firm) knot in a rope…always the same'.
The Bedouins of the pre-Islamic period were known for being fond of epic love tales and emotive poetry depicting the passion between women and men. However, they carefully avoided displaying any signs of deep love for their spouses and considered it rather shameful. They maintained that deep love is only reserved to parents, brothers, sisters, and children — not necessarily for a spouse.
When the Prophet (scw) was asked once by a sahabah, ‘Who do you love most amongst the people?’ The Prophet mentioned Aisha. The sahabah restated the question, ‘I mean amongst the men?’ The Prophet replied, ‘Her father’. Her father, Abu-Bakar was the Prophet’s best friend and the greatest companion, but to maintain the focus on his most beloved, Aisha (ra), he referred to Abu-Bakar as an extension of her.
So what made their love so unique? Research shows that companionate love is arguably the rarest form of love because it takes a while to develop. Only a few experience it in its entirety. This type of love involves deep affection for the other person by merging your sense of self with your other half, thereby becoming committed to each other through thick and thin.
Scientists have tried capturing this ‘merge’ by observing neural activation patterns in committed couples who have powered through many of life’s trials and tribulations. They discovered that when a spouse is told to imagine that their other half is in pain, their ‘self’ spots in the brain light up. When asked to imagine that they are in pain, the exact same ‘self’ spots are triggered.
In essence, companionate love is the persistence of passionate and intimate love until they merge together and mellow into a unified whole. By contrast, a love that is only composed of fleeting emotions, such as passion and infatuation, tumbles down the moment its mettle is rattled.
This merging of the self between a companionate couple is unbelievably powerful. Mainly because it is based on shared experiences, purposeful compassion, and understanding. Indeed, rich snippets emblematic of this type of love are found in many narrations describing the relationship of the Prophet (scw) and Aisha (ra).
They were in tune with one another and poetically matched each other’s gait. When they had dinners together, the Prophet (scw) always offered the food to her first. They also shared a single plate and cup. In several narrations, Aisha recounts that the Prophet (scw) would eat from the same place she ate and drink from the same place her lips touched. In another narration, the Prophet (scw) teased her that he could intimately sense her mood. He added that whenever she is in a good mood, she would swear by the 'Lord of Muhammad', and whenever she is in a bad mood, would swear by the 'Lord of Ibrahim'. In response, Aisha (ra) responded quite affectionately by saying that she didn't abandon anything except his name (i.e. even in a state of anger, her love for him is unconditional).
Their close connection was not only confined to the practical and spiritual realms but permeated their physical space. Aisha (ra) described that they had a single mat, and used that to cover themselves in the night and during the daytime, and pray on it together. When one side of the mat was on Aisha, the Prophet (scw) would say his prayer on the remaining side.
The Prophet (scw) disliked being invited to dinners without Aisha (ra). In one narration, a Persian neighbour invited the Prophet (scw) for dinner. The Prophet (scw) inquired whether the invitation includes his wife Aisha, the man said no. The Prophet (scw) declined the invitation. The neighbour returned later to invite him again and the Prophet (scw) asked again whether the invitation includes his wife Aisha. The neighbour responded in the negative and so the Prophet (scw) declined his request once more. The neighbour made another attempt to invite the Prophet (scw) again. The Prophet repeated whether the invitation is also extended to Aisha (ra). This time, the neighbour said yes.
As their marital life was sustained by the buoyance of companionate and compassionate love, so did their final moments. When the pangs of death started, the Prophet (scw) asked for a miswak (toothbrush). Aisha softened the miswak with her mouth before giving it to the Prophet (scw) who then cleaned his teeth with it. In his final moments, the 'merge' was ever-present as Aisha’s saliva mixed with that of the Prophet (scw). Leaning against his most beloved, with his head on her chest the Prophet (scw) breathed his last.
from Islam https://www.reddit.com/r/islam/comments/1nkhhsq/the_prophet_๏ทบ_and_aisha_ra_a_timeless_example_of/
![When someone loves their brother [or sister] let them tell them they love them - Sunnah](https://preview.redd.it/co2ojh8dwlmf1.jpeg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=d88a45ed9d3ee4c98809baaf4daa45793e8c57e4 "When someone loves their brother [or sister] let them tell them they love them - Sunnah")
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