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Aisha was expected to contribute to the ''jihad''. She was only eleven years old when Muhammad took her as an auxiliary to the Battle of Uhud. With her skirts hitched up above her anklets, she carried the water-skins backwards and forwards among the warriors while the bulk of the Muslim army fled, leaving Muhammad exposed to the enemy’s arrows.<ref>{{Bukhari|4|52|131}}.</ref> Arabs did not deliberately attack non-combatants,<ref>See the surprise of the Muslims in {{Bukhari|4|52|256}} and {{Muslim|19|4321}} when Muhammad said it did not matter if their night-raid resulted in the collateral deaths of women and children. Muhammad was clearly closer to the culturally normative warfare-ethics on the occasions when he instructed his men not to harm women, children, elders, invalids, animals, crops or buildings (REFERENCE).</ref> but it does not seem to have bothered Muhammad that Aisha might have been harmed in the cross-fire. He did not allow boys to fight before they were 15 years old,<ref></ref> but Aisha had to serve like a woman at eleven.

Two years later, Muhammad took Aisha to the Battle of the Trench. This was much less dangerous, for the “battle” was a stalemate siege with little actual fighting.<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 454, 469.</ref> Aisha’s services were only required by night, when Muhammad was guarding the narrowest and most vulnerable point of the trench. Whenever he became overwhelmed by the bitter cold, he went into Aisha’s tent “to be warmed by her embrace.”<ref>Waqidi, ''Al-Maghazi'' Vol. 1 p. 463.</ref></ref> Since there was nothing that she could actively contribute to this campaign, it was an unnecessary hardship to impose on a 13-year-old.

The following year, Aisha’s brother Abdulrahman finally became a Muslim and was “reconciled” to his family. He reminded Abu Bakr: “Twice at the Battle of Badr, I had you under my sword, but I spared your life.” Abu Bakr replied, “If ''you'' had been under ''my'' sword even ''once'', I would have killed you.”<ref></ref> Although the Muslims had been the aggressors at this battle, Islam superseded all natural relationships.

Aisha’s personal contribution to the ''jihad'' was verbal. She was highly intelligent and had a sponge-like memory. She could quote apposite poetry at the drop of a hat.<ref></ref> She was interested in medicine and knew hundreds of herbal remedies.<ref></ref> She was good at arithmetic, so the Muslims used to consult her on dividing up an inheritance or profits.<ref></ref> She had memorised the whole Qur’an, not merely like a parrot, but with such comprehension that she could pull out a principle of Islamic law for every real-life situation.<ref>Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari 7:82-83.</ref> If she did not understand anything, she would ask Muhammad, and she was not afraid to debate him on possible inconsistencies.<ref>{{Bukhari|1|3|103}}.</ref>  

Aisha’s student Urwa b az-Zubayr said, “I did not see a greater scholar than Aisha in the learning of Qur’an, obligatory duties, lawful and unlawful manners, poetry, literature, Arab history and genealogy” (Tazkira al-Huffaz). <ref></ref> Ibn Abi Malika said, “We should not be surprised by her authority in the matter of poetry since she was the daughter of Abu Bakr who was a very eloquent and a great literary figure.” <ref></ref> Whenever individuals came to Allah’s Apostle and discussed many remedies for illnesses, Aisha used to remember them. She was excellent in mathematics so the Sahabah used to consult her on the problems concerning mirath (inheritance) and the calculation of shares. Aisha had a very sharp memory and remembered the teachings of Allah’s Apostle very well. Ibn Hajar names 88 great scholars who learned from her and then says that there were a large number of others. (Ibn Hajar Fath al-Bari 7:82-83) She narrated 2210 hadith in all.<ref></ref>

Yet there is no real evidence that Aisha “believed” Islam in the sense of giving intellectual assent to it. She complained when she felt Allah’s “revelations” were unfair. When a man mentioned that prayer was annulled by the passing of a dog, a donkey or a woman, she protested, “It is not good that you people have equated with dogs and donkeys.”<ref>{{Bukhari|1|9|490}}; {{Bukhari|1|9|498}}.</ref> EXAMPLE.<ref></ref> EXAMPLE.<ref></ref>

Her claim to have seen Jibril was doubtful. Aisha claimed to have seen Jibril.<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:46, 47.</ref> On one occasion, the Prophet Muhammad said to her, “O Aisha, here is Jibril giving you greetings of peace.” “And on him be peace.” She said, “and the mercy of Allah.” When she was telling Abu Salama about this, she added, “He sees what I do not see.”<ref></ref>