01/04/2026
Once upon a time, there was a poor carpenter whose wife died in childbirth, leaving a daughter on his hands; in truth, a beautiful baby, but one whose upkeep was a grave burden upon her father, and who therefore seemed to have been born under very sad auspices. How could the unfortunate man take care of his child when he had no money, no relations, no slave, and was worn out by his work?
But Allah constitutes himself a Father to the fatherless.
As soon as he returned home after the burial of his wife and had anxiously opened his door, he found all the house as clean and well-arranged as when the dead woman had looked after these things. Better still, the cooking had been done and a meal set out. He had nothing to do but to wash his right hand, and dip it into the dish, saying: “Bismillah. In the name of God!” to drive away the devil.
To crown all, the little girl had been carefully swaddled and was sleeping peacefully.
Yet there was no one there. And the miracle was repeated every day. A mysterious hand looked after the child and directed the house. The reason for these things was that the People of the Invisible had adopted the girl, and now looked after her and breastfed her. And she, being under the protection of the Jinn, developed with miraculous rapidity, growing greater, “wick and qandil,”1 by night and day.
When she was three, she seemed to be twelve, and her intelligence was remarkable. Her father had given her the name of Aisha, in memory of the favorite wife of the Prophet. Read the full story by visiting our website
