As we mentioned, the hypocrites wanted revenge after Allah exposed Abdullah ibn Ubayy in Surah al-Munafiqun. This is why the Slander of Aisha RA occurred during this time frame.
And as we mentioned, out of respect for Aisha RA, none of the books of seerah ever explicitly mention what "the Slander" was. It's truly amazing. This is because of the utmost respect Muslims have for the honor of the Prophet PBUH. Indeed insulting the wives of the Prophet PBUH is insulting the Prophet PBUH. This is why especially as Sunni we take extra concern with the family of the Prophet PBUH. This is a fundamental difference between us and the Shia groups. For the Shia groups, they define the Ahl al-Bayt (أهل البيت) only as the blood relatives of the Prophet PBUH such as Fatima and Ali and their descendants; whereas for us, the Ahl al-Bayt is the wives and the blood relatives of the Prophet PBUH. Surah al-Ahzab (سورة الأحزاب) explicitly links the Ahl al-Bayt to the Mothers of the Believers [see Quran, 33:32-33]. Therefore attacking the wife of the Prophet PBUH is something we take very seriously.
(Cont.) The Slander of Aisha RA
We discussed that Aisha RA returned from the Expedition of Banu al-Mustaliq and she was found by Safwan ibn Muattal RA. He did not even say one word to her other than 'La hawla wa la quwwata illa biLlah.' Aisha RA said herself she never heard one word from him other than that. And he led Aisha RA to catch up with the caravan and they caught up before the army reached Madinah. At the same time Abdullah ibn Ubayy is fuming with anger — he has been exposed in the Quran by the testimony of Allah that, "They swear to you [they are telling the truth], but Allah knows they are lying" [see Quran, 63:1-2]. Because of this, Abdullah ibn Ubayy gets the idea that here is Aisha RA coming with a young, upright, virtuous, and unmarried man — so he begins the rumors.
Aisha RA says she returned home and thought nothing of it — she was late for the caravan but then caught up, so no big deal. And then she says she fell sick with fever and spent an entire month bedridden. "No one told me the rumors were spreading like wildfire — I was completely unaware. The only thing that brought me some doubt was that the Prophet PBUH would not be as open with me as he usually was." (Note 1: This shows us the innocence of Aisha RA and also the humanity of our Prophet PBUH. The confusion that he himself PBUH had. The fact that he is a human being. He is not a god or a demigod that knows ilm al-ghayb [علم الغيب - knowledge of the unseen]. He was perturbed by the rumors spread by the hypocrites, but he didn't want to confront Aisha RA as she was sick. Of course his instinct is telling him Aisha RA is free of the rumors, and he wants to defend her [and he WILL defend her, as we will see], but still he isn't showing her the usual tenderness he does. So Aisha RA knew something was off, but she had no clue of the evil that was afoot.)
After one month, she got well. She then mentions an incident where she went to relieve herself with Ummi Mistah bint Abi Ruhm (أم مسطح بنت أبي رهم) (Abu Bakr's cousin). "We exited towards an area where we would relieve ourselves. We would only have to go to this area once every few nights. And this was before the time when people started building restrooms inside the houses. We were of the Arabs." (Note 2: Aisha RA is telling that even in her own lifetime the customs began to change. The Arabs disdained building a restroom inside the house — it was the custom of the non-Arabs at the time. There was no running water or cleaning system, so of course it was not the cleanest thing to have a restroom inside the house. Only later did toilets began being built inside houses — the wealth that came into the ummah was unimaginable.) (Note 3: The Arabs at the time only went to relieve themselves once every few days. Why? Because they were eating so little food there's no need for them to go relieve themselves except once every few days.)
As Aisha RA and Ummi Mistah were coming back, Ummi Mistah falls over her dress and blurts out, "Curse my son!" It shows she is angry at her son, and when she trips, automatically the anger she has against her son Mistah comes out — it's a Freudian slip. Now Aisha RA is shocked at hearing this and defends him, "Woe to you! How can you say this about your own son and he has attended Badr?" (Note 4: This shows the status of the People of Badr. Any Badri has such a status.) (Note 5: Again this shows the innocence of Aisha RA. Look at her fitrah — instantly to defend a Muslim. It's the mannerisms the Prophet PBUH has taught her. She doesn't know why he is being cursed, and this is the mother doing it to her own son, but still Aisha RA defends him.) Ummi Mistah says, "My dear child, don't you know what is going on? Don't you know what is being said?" And Aisha RA says that is when she was told of the slander being spread. According to some books, she fainted on the spot.
When she went back home, this news made her physically and emotionally sick. And she said she felt even more sick than ever. She narrated, "The Prophet PBUH entered upon me and asked how I was. And I asked him permission to go to my parents' house." (Note 6: This shows us the wisdom of Aisha RA — she was affected by what has happened, but she didn't just go emotional instantaneously; she wants to go to her parents' house and verify the information first. She is barely a teenage girl, but subhan'Allah, her maturity is amazing. She is calm and composed.) (Note 7: It also shows a simple fiqh point: A woman requires permission from the husband to spend the night at another house.) The Prophet PBUH gave her permission and she rushed back home to her parents' house.
When she reached she said, "My dear mother, what are the people talking about? What is this slander, and why didn't you tell me?" Her mother Ummi Ruman (أم رومان) calms her down and says, "My daughter, be easy on yourself, for wallahi, never does a good man loves his wife as much as yours except that people talk about her," and she also brings in the issue of co-wives. (Note 8: She isn't even saying "yes" or "no" — she is just saying, "Don't worry about it," but this response tells Aisha RA everything being said is true.) Aisha's RA first response is, "Subhan'Allah! Have the people actually said this?" (Note 9: Again she cannot fathom this — she is just an innocent young girl and she cannot believe people can be this evil and cruel.) She narrated, "I cried and I cried until the morning came and my tears would not stop. And I did not taste the sweetness of sleep."
She then explained in the hadith, "The one who took charge of this" —and this phrase is in the Quran, "وَٱلَّذِى تَوَلَّىٰ كِبْرَهُ" [Quran, 24:11]— "was Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul; and some of his followers of the Khazraj." (Note 10: She mentions him by name. Therefore this is the tafsir of the verse [24:11] in the Quran. Aisha's report is explicit that he was the one who began it.) (Note 11: Abdullah ibn Ubayy was from the Khazraj, therefore the bulk of the munafiqs were from the Khazraj as well. This does not mean the Khazraj were bad people. Some of the Khazraj followed Abdullah ibn Ubayy simply because he was of their tribe, and in particular he was the leader in the days of Jahiliyyah. All other leaders had died in the Wars of Bu'ath, therefore they looked up to him the most. This shows us the true danger of tribalism.) Then she says, "And three others of the sahaba followed along: Mistah (مسطح) (Aisha's second cousin), Hammanah bint Jahsh (حمنة بنت جحش), and Hassan ibn Thabit (حسان بن ثابت)." (Note 12: These were the only three of the non-munafiqun who were guilty of the gossip. They were not guilty of instigating the rumor or inventing the lie, but they fell prey to tattletaling, gossiping, and spreading the news, "Have you heard what they say?" "Do you know what's said?!" etc. We know in our shariah that these types of slanders and gossips are not tolerated, especially when it involves something as sensitive as zina and honor.)
Aisha RA continued, "As for Hammanah, her sister was Zaynab bint Jahsh (زينب بنت جحش), and she was the only one of the wives of the Prophet PBUH who rivaled me. Therefore she (Hammanah) wanted to help her sister in this rivalry, but Allah protected Zaynab because of her religion (i.e. Zaynab didn't speak anything but good about me), and Hammanah fell prey and suffered because of this." (Note 13: As we know, Aisha RA and Zaynab RA did not get along — they were the two co-wives that had the most rivalry. Zaynab was of the most noble lineage, she was the cousin of the Prophet PBUH, she had many other things in her favor, and Aisha RA knew the Prophet PBUH had a special love for her as well; therefore Aisha RA herself said, "The only wife who genuinely rivaled me was Zaynab"; but still Aisha acknowledged Zaynab's virtues and said, "As for Zaynab, her deen protected her [from speaking badly about me during the incident of the Slander]. Allah protected her because of her deen.")
Aisha RA continues that the Prophet PBUH had already called testimony from people within the family. He called Ali ibn Abi Talib and Usama ibn Zayd (أسامة بن زيد). (Note 14: Ali was his son-in-law, his cousin, someone who's grown up in the house of Khadija RA, he came every second day to the house of the Prophet PBUH, so he knew what nobody else knew. As for Usama, he was literally born in the house of the Prophet PBUH; and his father was the 'adopted son' of the Prophet PBUH, Zayd ibn Harithah. [Tangent: And his mother Ummi Ayman was the woman who took care of the Prophet PBUH as a young child. She was not a foster mother, but a caretaker. Therefore no one is closer to the Prophet PBUH amongst the older women than Ummi Ayman RA. And she married Zayd, and they had Usama ibn Zayd. And as we know, Zayd and Ummi Ayman were both beloved to the Prophet PBUH; and that's why Usama's nickname was 'the Beloved, the Son of the Beloved of the Prophet PBUH.'] At this time, Usama was 13-14, a young boy, so he was entering in-and-out all the time the houses of the wives of the Prophet PBUH. Therefore the Prophet PBUH is calling these two to find out if they have seen anything strange.) Aisha RA at this time of course did not know all of this is happening.
As for Usama, he testified what he knew that the Prophet's PBUH family is free of this charge, "It is not possible. I know all of them, and none of them have such a character." As for Ali RA, he said, "Ya Rasulullah, Allah has not restricted the matters upon you, and there are plenty of women to choose from. And if you want to know her (Aisha's) character, call her maid servant Barirah (بريرة) — she will know more than us." (Note 15: Of course Ali's RA testimony is not as good as Usama's. Usama clearly defended Aisha RA, but Ali's RA response was a little bit vague, "If you have doubt, Allah has allowed you to marry any woman you want — in any case call Barirah.") (Note 16: Barirah was Aisha's freed slave. She was a slave that used to belong to another family; Aisha had purchased her with her own money and set her free in the Way of Allah; Barirah was so overjoyed she became a maid servant to Aisha of her own will. So she lived with Aisha and took care of her.)
The Prophet PBUH calls Barirah and she is terrified, stammering, and stuttering — the Prophet PBUH is interrogating her directly, "Ya Barirah, have you seen anything from Aisha that would cause you to have any doubt? In her character and in her manners?" Barirah is being put on the 'witness stand' she felt she has to be honest and mention some faults, so she says, "Wallahi, ya Rasulullah, I have not seen anything from her except..." —and now she is going to mention this 'heinous,' 'grievous' 'sin' that Aisha RA has committed— "...except that sometimes she is supposed to knead the dough, but she falls asleep and the goat comes and eats the dough when she sleeps." (Note 17: This really shows us not only the honesty of Barirah, but the true innocence of Aisha RA.) (Note 18: We also learn that it's a part of human nature that one goes to his closest friends and relatives for advice. Even the Prophet PBUH, he went to Ali and Usama, and they were both very young — Usama is just 13-14; but the Prophet PBUH is hearing from him.) When all the testimony appears to be that Aisha RA is innocent, the Prophet PBUH feels comfort. At this time Aisha RA is still at her parents' house, which is slightly outside Madinah in the area called Awali (العوالي).
The Prophet PBUH calls Barirah and she is terrified, stammering, and stuttering — the Prophet PBUH is interrogating her directly, "Ya Barirah, have you seen anything from Aisha that would cause you to have any doubt? In her character and in her manners?" Barirah is being put on the 'witness stand' she felt she has to be honest and mention some faults, so she says, "Wallahi, ya Rasulullah, I have not seen anything from her except..." —and now she is going to mention this 'heinous,' 'grievous' 'sin' that Aisha RA has committed— "...except that sometimes she is supposed to knead the dough, but she falls asleep and the goat comes and eats the dough when she sleeps." (Note 17: This really shows us not only the honesty of Barirah, but the true innocence of Aisha RA.) (Note 18: We also learn that it's a part of human nature that one goes to his closest friends and relatives for advice. Even the Prophet PBUH, he went to Ali and Usama, and they were both very young — Usama is just 13-14; but the Prophet PBUH is hearing from him.) When all the testimony appears to be that Aisha RA is innocent, the Prophet PBUH feels comfort. At this time Aisha RA is still at her parents' house, which is slightly outside Madinah in the area called Awali (العوالي).
The Prophet PBUH called a general assembly in the masjid. Everyone knows the rumor but nobody has actually said it. The Prophet PBUH said, "O gathering of believers, who will excuse me from a person who has hurt me even with regards to my own family?" (Note 19: In other words he is saying, "Will you blame me if I get angry at Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul? Will you blame me if some punishment happens to him?" But of course he PBUH doesn't mention his name out of adab. He would never mention names to shame people.) And he said, "Wallahi, I know nothing but good from my wives."—now he is defending Aisha RA in public. "And even this man they mention (Safwan ibn Muattal), I know nothing but good about him."—this is an incredible praise for Safwan ibn Muattal.
So we see here the tense situation — the people of Madinah are being asked directly.
Immediately Sa'd ibn Mu'adh RA (or someone else, perhaps Usayd ibn Hudayr RA; or someone else from the Aws — one of the young leaders) stood up and said, "Ya Rasulullah, as for me, I excuse you whatever you want to do to this man. If this man be from the Aws, I will cut his head off. But if he be from the Khazraj, you have to command us, and then I will do it." (Note 20: Sa'd ibn Mu'adh knows that Jahiliyyah is still around. That is why he is being cautious, "You have to command us if 'this man' is from the Khazraj." But of course everybody knows who is being talked about and knows that Abdullah ibn Ubayy is from the Khazraj.) As soon as this is said, Sa'd ibn Ubadah (سعد بن عبادة) RA of the Khazraj stood up angry and said, "You are not telling the truth, wallahi. You cannot kill him and you would not dare to kill him had he been from your tribe"—the leader of the Khazraj is bringing up tribalism now.
Aisha RA who is narrating makes an excuse for Sa'd ibn Ubadah RA. She said, "Sa'd ibn Ubadah before this one statement had been a righteous man, but the urge of Jahiliyyah took over him (i.e. he just fell into a mistake; don't think bad of him)." (Note 21: Subhan'Allah, she is making excuses for everyone in the story.) And then someone from the Aws stood up and said to Sa'd ibn Ubadah, "Rather, you are the liar! And we WILL kill him! You are just a munafiq fighting on behalf of the other munafiqin!" (Note 22: Subhan'Allah, the whole point of the gathering is being lost. This is the problem of division and schism, of fighting for egos, of not caring for the broader picture. It's a very painful issue — is this the time to bring up Jahiliyyah politics? Aws vs. Khazraj, etc.?) The passions were raised, anger is flared, and the Prophet PBUH had to calm the two sides down. (Note 23: Again it shows the humanity of the sahaba; and not only this — it shows that tribalism will remain forever in the ummah. The Prophet PBUH said in a hadith, "Four things from Jahiliyyah will remain in my ummah," and the number one thing he said is, "Al-fakhr bi al-ansab (الفخر بالأنساب - taking pride in lineage)" i.e. tribalism, i.e. nationalism in our days.)
Aisha RA says, "I continued to cry that day and my tears would not stop until I thought my liver would burst open." She thinks her liver will crack — and of course when you cry that much you do get a pain. "And while I was like this, one of the ladies of the Ansar asked permission to enter, and she sat with me and cried with me." (Note 24: This is sisterhood. She is showing sympathy and care. All she does is just cry with Aisha RA. Sometimes all you need to do to express your sympathy is be physically present with somebody and show you grieve just like them.) "While we were in this state, the Prophet PBUH came and visited." (Note 25: This is the 2nd day after Aisha RA left. After she left, things have happened very fast: The Prophet PBUH called the meeting of Ali, Usama, Barirah, then the general meeting etc. Notice the Prophet PBUH was eager to protect Aisha RA — but when she was next to the masjid for a whole month, he couldn't do anything. And by not doing anything, the rumors became inflamed.) Now finally the Prophet PBUH came to talk about the issue. He sat down and praised Allah and then said, "Amma ba'd (أما بعد - as to what follows)." (Note 26: Subhan'Allah, even in this point in time he began by praising Allah SWT and then followed by "amma ba'd" — he would always begin any important speech in this manner; this is the sunnah.) The Prophet PBUH said, "I have heard such-and-such about you, so if you are innocent, then Allah will clear you of this charge. If you have slipped into a sin, then seek Allah's forgiveness and repent to Him, for indeed when a servant sins and repents, Allah forgives the sin." Very simple and clear. (Note 27: Even in this direct conversation there is no accusation. He PBUH simply said, "If you are innocent, Allah will help you. If not, tawba will forgive everything." This shows us the status of tawba [توبة - repentance]. Aisha RA is not an ordinary wife — this sin for her would not be like any ordinary sin [see Quran, 33:30]. And as it is that sin, if it is committed, is a sin that brings about death in the shariah. Still our Prophet PBUH says, "If you have slipped into a sin, repent and Allah will forgive you." This shows us repentance is the key to salvation.) (Note 28: Another point we learn is the fact that the Prophet PBUH is a true prophet, and that the Quran is wahy from Allah. How so? For one whole month no Quran came down for Aisha RA; the Prophet PBUH himself is in dire pain and anguish. Had the Quran been his own imagination and his own wahy and his own recitation, why go through the torture for an entire month? Why drag the entire society through this? He is waiting for wahy from Allah SWT but Jibril AS had not come down. And as we know, Allah Himself says in the Quran, Jibril says, "We only descend by the command of your Lord" [see Quran, 19:64]. This shows beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Prophet PBUH is a true prophet. Had he been a false prophet —a'udhubiLlah— the 2nd day wahy could come and say, "You are free, don't worry about it." But nothing like this happens.)
Immediately Sa'd ibn Mu'adh RA (or someone else, perhaps Usayd ibn Hudayr RA; or someone else from the Aws — one of the young leaders) stood up and said, "Ya Rasulullah, as for me, I excuse you whatever you want to do to this man. If this man be from the Aws, I will cut his head off. But if he be from the Khazraj, you have to command us, and then I will do it." (Note 20: Sa'd ibn Mu'adh knows that Jahiliyyah is still around. That is why he is being cautious, "You have to command us if 'this man' is from the Khazraj." But of course everybody knows who is being talked about and knows that Abdullah ibn Ubayy is from the Khazraj.) As soon as this is said, Sa'd ibn Ubadah (سعد بن عبادة) RA of the Khazraj stood up angry and said, "You are not telling the truth, wallahi. You cannot kill him and you would not dare to kill him had he been from your tribe"—the leader of the Khazraj is bringing up tribalism now.
Aisha RA who is narrating makes an excuse for Sa'd ibn Ubadah RA. She said, "Sa'd ibn Ubadah before this one statement had been a righteous man, but the urge of Jahiliyyah took over him (i.e. he just fell into a mistake; don't think bad of him)." (Note 21: Subhan'Allah, she is making excuses for everyone in the story.) And then someone from the Aws stood up and said to Sa'd ibn Ubadah, "Rather, you are the liar! And we WILL kill him! You are just a munafiq fighting on behalf of the other munafiqin!" (Note 22: Subhan'Allah, the whole point of the gathering is being lost. This is the problem of division and schism, of fighting for egos, of not caring for the broader picture. It's a very painful issue — is this the time to bring up Jahiliyyah politics? Aws vs. Khazraj, etc.?) The passions were raised, anger is flared, and the Prophet PBUH had to calm the two sides down. (Note 23: Again it shows the humanity of the sahaba; and not only this — it shows that tribalism will remain forever in the ummah. The Prophet PBUH said in a hadith, "Four things from Jahiliyyah will remain in my ummah," and the number one thing he said is, "Al-fakhr bi al-ansab (الفخر بالأنساب - taking pride in lineage)" i.e. tribalism, i.e. nationalism in our days.)
Aisha RA says, "I continued to cry that day and my tears would not stop until I thought my liver would burst open." She thinks her liver will crack — and of course when you cry that much you do get a pain. "And while I was like this, one of the ladies of the Ansar asked permission to enter, and she sat with me and cried with me." (Note 24: This is sisterhood. She is showing sympathy and care. All she does is just cry with Aisha RA. Sometimes all you need to do to express your sympathy is be physically present with somebody and show you grieve just like them.) "While we were in this state, the Prophet PBUH came and visited." (Note 25: This is the 2nd day after Aisha RA left. After she left, things have happened very fast: The Prophet PBUH called the meeting of Ali, Usama, Barirah, then the general meeting etc. Notice the Prophet PBUH was eager to protect Aisha RA — but when she was next to the masjid for a whole month, he couldn't do anything. And by not doing anything, the rumors became inflamed.) Now finally the Prophet PBUH came to talk about the issue. He sat down and praised Allah and then said, "Amma ba'd (أما بعد - as to what follows)." (Note 26: Subhan'Allah, even in this point in time he began by praising Allah SWT and then followed by "amma ba'd" — he would always begin any important speech in this manner; this is the sunnah.) The Prophet PBUH said, "I have heard such-and-such about you, so if you are innocent, then Allah will clear you of this charge. If you have slipped into a sin, then seek Allah's forgiveness and repent to Him, for indeed when a servant sins and repents, Allah forgives the sin." Very simple and clear. (Note 27: Even in this direct conversation there is no accusation. He PBUH simply said, "If you are innocent, Allah will help you. If not, tawba will forgive everything." This shows us the status of tawba [توبة - repentance]. Aisha RA is not an ordinary wife — this sin for her would not be like any ordinary sin [see Quran, 33:30]. And as it is that sin, if it is committed, is a sin that brings about death in the shariah. Still our Prophet PBUH says, "If you have slipped into a sin, repent and Allah will forgive you." This shows us repentance is the key to salvation.) (Note 28: Another point we learn is the fact that the Prophet PBUH is a true prophet, and that the Quran is wahy from Allah. How so? For one whole month no Quran came down for Aisha RA; the Prophet PBUH himself is in dire pain and anguish. Had the Quran been his own imagination and his own wahy and his own recitation, why go through the torture for an entire month? Why drag the entire society through this? He is waiting for wahy from Allah SWT but Jibril AS had not come down. And as we know, Allah Himself says in the Quran, Jibril says, "We only descend by the command of your Lord" [see Quran, 19:64]. This shows beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Prophet PBUH is a true prophet. Had he been a false prophet —a'udhubiLlah— the 2nd day wahy could come and say, "You are free, don't worry about it." But nothing like this happens.)
Aisha RA resumes: "When the Prophet PBUH finished speaking, I stopped crying completely until I could feel the dryness in my eyes." Now she is feeling angry. Why? Because she gets the impression, "You actually believe these rumors?!" "You entertain the possibility that they might be true?!" She says to her mother, "O my mother, answer the Prophet PBUH on behalf of myself." Ummi Ruman says, "By Allah, I don't know what to say, my daughter." So Aisha RA turns to Abu Bakr, "O my father, respond back to him." Subhan'Allah, here is Abu Bakr, on the one hand is the Prophet PBUH and the other is his daughter, what is he going to do? Is he going to take sides? Abu Bakr said, "My dear daughter, I don't know what to say." (Note 29: Wallahi, you are crying for everyone in this story; it's a lose-lose situation for them.) When she realized neither her father nor her mother will speak for her —and indeed what can they say? This is the Messenger of Allah PBUH in front of them— so Aisha RA musters whatever semblance of courage and wisdom she has and says, "I can only say to you what Abu Yusuf said:
فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ ۖ وَاللَّهُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَىٰ مَا تَصِفُونَ
"Patience is most fitting. And Allah is the One sought for help against that which you describe" [Quran, 12:18]. (Note 30: Aisha RA later said, "I was still a young girl at the time and had not memorized much of the Quran, so I could not remember the name of Ya'qub AS, and that is why I said 'Abu Yusuf.'")So she is saying the rumors are not true and she will turn to Allah SWT in patience, and He will help her. "After saying this, I turned around on my bed and faced the wall." She feels so alone and desolate now. Nobody seems to be defending her. Later when narrating this story, she said, "I knew Allah would eventually reveal my chastity/honesty (perhaps through the dream of the Prophet PBUH, etc.), but I never in my wildest dreams thought Allah would reveal Quran about me." i.e. "I never considered myself worthy of Allah SWT revealing Quran about me."
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Allah SWT Revealed Quran About the Innocence of Aisha RA
Notice when every single source of help from mankind was cut off and she turns to Allah, what happens? Allah answers her right then and there. This shows us the reality of tawhid. Only Allah we seek His aid [see Quran, 1:5]. She literally and figuratively turns from all of them and turns to Allah SWT. And right then and there the head of the Prophet PBUH lowered — whenever wahy would come, his head would lower, his eyes would close, sweat would start coming out even on a cold day, and people would see a physical weight on him as Allah says in the Quran, "We will send you a heavy revelation" [Quran, 73:5]. When the wahy was lifted, the Prophet PBUH broke out laughing in joy, and the first words he said were, "O Aisha, verily Allah has revealed your innocence!" Allah had revealed the entire first section of Surah al-Nur (سورة النور) (first 2½ pages). And in this, Allah very explicitly mentions the punishments for qadhf (قذف - false accusation of zina), and criticizes those who spread the slander (in particular for Aisha's case), and commanded the punishment of 80 lashes for those spreading it, and that, "The one who took charge of it shall get the worst of all punishments [in the Hereafter]" [Quran, 24:11].
Her mother said to Aisha RA, "O Aisha, stand up and thank the Prophet PBUH," but she is still hurting she said, "No wallahi, I will not stand up for him. I will thank Allah SWT for revealing this Quran."
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Abu Bakr's RA Sadaqa to Mistah
Aisha RA says Abu Bakr RA used to give sadaqa to Mistah because he was a relative and a poor person and a Badri. But after he began spreading these rumors, Abu Bakr said, "Wallahi, I will never give him a penny anymore." But Allah revealed in Surah al-Nur, "Do not let the people of virtue and affluence among you swear to suspend donations to their relatives, the needy, and the emigrants in the Cause of Allah. Let them pardon and forgive. Do you not love to be forgiven by Allah? And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful" [Quran, 24:22]. Subhan'Allah, what a religion is this. Abu Bakr is told, "Do not make promises that you will not do good, rather, turn the other cheek. Don't you want that Allah also forgives you?" and so Abu Bakr said, "Wallahi, I will give him as long as I live," and he made kaffarah for the previous oath, and as long as he lived, he continued to support Mistah with an extra charity just because of this verse.
What a religion is this. His daughter is hurt in this manner and yet still he continues to pay Mistah for as long as he lives.
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Zaynab bint Jahsh's RA Testimony
Aisha RA mentioned the story of Zaynab bint Jahsh RA that the Prophet PBUH also asked Zaynab about her, and Zaynab said, "O Messenger of Allah, I will not cause my eyes and my ears to fall into sin. Wallahi, I only know good of Aisha." She praised Aisha RA even though they were not friendly to one another, and there was a lot of rivalry between them.
Her religion protected her.
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The Munafiqun Who Instigated the Rumor
and the Muslims Who Spread the Rumor
Urwah RA, who narrated this story from Aisha RA, said, "Aisha would never accept anyone to speak ill of Hassan ibn Thabit." Hammanah, Hassan, and Mistah were whipped 80 times as the punishment for qadhf. The punishment was because they were spreading it. As for the munafiqun and the one who instigated it, they were let off. Why? Scholars say: Because Allah SWT did not want to diminish their punishment in the Next life, so He let them off in this life. In Allah's Infinite Justice, had they been punished for this calumny in this world, He would not have punished them for it in the Next. So to make sure they get the full share of the punishment in the Next, they were let off in this world.
Only the righteous were punished in this world. So we say nothing but good about Hammanah, Hassan, and Mistah RA. And brothers and sisters, make sure we save ourselves from the mistake they did, of wanting to feel like the life of the party by spreading, "Do you know the latest gossip?" "Have you heard what happened?" etc. This is what they fell into. They didn't *fabricate* themselves, but on some gatherings, on some occasions, they *spread* the news. And because of this they got into this punishment.
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Safwan ibn Muattal RA and Hassan ibn Thabit the Famous Poet RA
Aisha RA says, "As for the man they accused (Safwan ibn Muattal), he himself swore by Allah, 'I swear by the One in whose Hands is my soul; I have never raised the veil of a woman in my life.'"
An interesting story happened here as well: When Safwan ibn Muattal heard Hassan was saying the rumor —and this was before the matter was resolved— he took his sword and hit Hassan with the blunt edge of it, and Hassan fell down. Hassan's tribe came and attacked Safwan. And Safwan said a line of poetry that was not very poetic, "I am a man who when my blood becomes raged, I don't know how to give poetry, I only know how to give beatings."
The case was brought in front of the Prophet PBUH, and amazingly, he PBUH ruled in favor of Hassan. Safwan was angry for a legitimate reason, but he had bloodied and wounded Hassan; and in the shariah, you cannot take the law into your own hands; so the Prophet PBUH ruled in favor of Hassan, but he said to him, "O Hassan, forgive Safwan." Hassan said, "For you, O Messenger of Allah, I will forgive him," and Hassan was gifted a garden as a recompense for the injury.
Look at the fairness of Islam: Hassan was guilty, but he should not have been punished outside of the proper system; so when Safwan took the law into his own hands, the law did not side with him. It's an amazing fact of Islamic justice. (Note: Hassan could have demanded the same hitting back —an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth— but he instead forgave, and got a garden.)
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Abu Ayyub al-Ansari RA and His Wife
It's mentioned one day Abu Ayyub al-Ansari's wife came home and said to him, "Have you heard?"—and she did not even mention the slander, but Abu Ayyub became angry and said, "How can we speak about such a thing! Glory be to You [O Lord]! This is a heinous slander!" And Allah revealed in Surah al-Nur quoting Abu Ayyub al-Ansari as a good example, even though he said this in the privacy of his house. Allah said:
وَلَوْلَا إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ قُلْتُم مَّا يَكُونُ لَنَا أَن نَّتَكَلَّمَ بِهَٰذَا سُبْحَانَكَ هَٰذَا بُهْتَانٌ عَظِيمٌ
"If only you had said upon hearing it (the slander), 'How can we speak about such a thing! Glory be to You [O Lord]! This is a heinous slander!'" [Quran, 24:16]What a praise for this man that Allah quotes him directly in the Quran.
This shows us just because we are married to somebody, doesn't mean we will get away with ghibah (غيبة - backbiting) and namimah (نميمة - gossiping/tattletaling). Even between husband and wife you are not allowed to do ghibah and namimah. The Prophet PBUH said, "One of the sins a person will be punished for in the grave is namimah." It is forbidden in our shariah.
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Lessons From the Incident
Of the benefits we can derive:
1. The evils of slander (lying), ghibah (backbiting), and namimah (spreading tales). Each one is a separate sin. And the bulk of these sins are major sins, and they become even more major when they involve the ird (عرض - reputation/honor) of a woman, and this becomes a sin that is worthy of being punished by the shariah with had (حد) — and there are only 5 or 6 sins punishable with had (zina, riddah, qadhf, etc.)
2. Allah will test the believers by various means. Even Aisha RA, a young lady, had to go through her trials so that her rank is raised up. The more Allah loves someone, the more He shall test them.
3. Every time of ease is always followed by a time of difficulty, and every time of difficulty is followed by a time of ease. We don't last in either state in this life; everyone goes through trials up and down. "So, surely with hardship comes ease. Surely with [that] hardship comes [more] ease" [Quran, 94:5-6].
4. The level the munafiqun go down to is simply beyond that which is reasonable. For them to speak about the wife of the Prophet PBUH in such a manner, it really shows they have no morals or dignity. And even then, there was still wisdom in this incident of the Slander. Allah SWT said, "Do not think this is bad for you. Rather, it is good for you" [Quran, 24:11] — and there are many wisdoms we can derive of why this was good. And this shows us that if something so painful as the Slander of Aisha RA was for the good of society and there was benefit that came out of it, then every single calamity we undergo, there is some good in it whether we realize it or not.
5. The fruits of patience will always be sweet. Being patient and turning to Allah will always vindicate you. If you are truthful and sincere, Allah will help you even when no one else does.
6. This establishes beyond a shadow of a doubt the high honor and status of Aisha RA. The one whom Allah SWT freed from above the seven heavens, more than 25 verses of the Quran have come down specifically talking about her RA. And therefore she is the Pure the daughter of the Pure, the Innocent the daughter of the Innocent, the Siddiqa the daughter of the Siddiq. (And therefore, anybody who accuses her of immorality, such a person is beyond the pale of Islam. We do not mince our words about this. It doesn't matter who they are, what they call themselves. Allah SWT has freed her from above the seven heavens. And anybody who dares accuse her of any crime of chastity and morality, we do not consider this person/group/sect/firqah to be Muslim. To be fair however, the group that is typically accused of making this accusation, it is not true for us to say that they ALL make this accusation. Some amongst them do, and some amongst them don't; so we need to be fair. And Allah says in the Quran, "Do not let the hatred of a people lead you to injustice. Be just! That is closer to righteousness" [Quran, 5:8]. So we need to be very clear that there is a controversy within that group; and these days, the mainstream amongst them do not have this belief. It is only a very fringe, very vocal, very wicked minority that have this belief. The bulk of them don't like our Mother, but they don't accuse her of this crime. So we need to be fair. They have things to say that are not nice about her tension with Ali RA, but they do not accuse her of what Abdullah ibn Ubayy accused her of. And as long as they don't get to that level, then it does not reach kufr. The minute they accuse her of what Allah has freed her from, then we will say we don't accept this people as being Muslim. So we do an individual case-by-case basis. We don't pass judgment on the entire group, because the majority of them don't make this accusation. And anybody amongst us who accuses them of making this accusation about Aisha RA, we need to say, "Ya akhi, please be academic. Please be precise," because no, not all of them say this about Aisha RA. And when you make this accusation, you are the one who causes more fitna and firqah. You can say they don't like Aisha RA for other reasons, that's true; but don't say they accuse Aisha RA of what Abdullah ibn Ubayy accused her of. That is simply not true.)
1. The evils of slander (lying), ghibah (backbiting), and namimah (spreading tales). Each one is a separate sin. And the bulk of these sins are major sins, and they become even more major when they involve the ird (عرض - reputation/honor) of a woman, and this becomes a sin that is worthy of being punished by the shariah with had (حد) — and there are only 5 or 6 sins punishable with had (zina, riddah, qadhf, etc.)
2. Allah will test the believers by various means. Even Aisha RA, a young lady, had to go through her trials so that her rank is raised up. The more Allah loves someone, the more He shall test them.
3. Every time of ease is always followed by a time of difficulty, and every time of difficulty is followed by a time of ease. We don't last in either state in this life; everyone goes through trials up and down. "So, surely with hardship comes ease. Surely with [that] hardship comes [more] ease" [Quran, 94:5-6].
4. The level the munafiqun go down to is simply beyond that which is reasonable. For them to speak about the wife of the Prophet PBUH in such a manner, it really shows they have no morals or dignity. And even then, there was still wisdom in this incident of the Slander. Allah SWT said, "Do not think this is bad for you. Rather, it is good for you" [Quran, 24:11] — and there are many wisdoms we can derive of why this was good. And this shows us that if something so painful as the Slander of Aisha RA was for the good of society and there was benefit that came out of it, then every single calamity we undergo, there is some good in it whether we realize it or not.
5. The fruits of patience will always be sweet. Being patient and turning to Allah will always vindicate you. If you are truthful and sincere, Allah will help you even when no one else does.
6. This establishes beyond a shadow of a doubt the high honor and status of Aisha RA. The one whom Allah SWT freed from above the seven heavens, more than 25 verses of the Quran have come down specifically talking about her RA. And therefore she is the Pure the daughter of the Pure, the Innocent the daughter of the Innocent, the Siddiqa the daughter of the Siddiq. (And therefore, anybody who accuses her of immorality, such a person is beyond the pale of Islam. We do not mince our words about this. It doesn't matter who they are, what they call themselves. Allah SWT has freed her from above the seven heavens. And anybody who dares accuse her of any crime of chastity and morality, we do not consider this person/group/sect/firqah to be Muslim. To be fair however, the group that is typically accused of making this accusation, it is not true for us to say that they ALL make this accusation. Some amongst them do, and some amongst them don't; so we need to be fair. And Allah says in the Quran, "Do not let the hatred of a people lead you to injustice. Be just! That is closer to righteousness" [Quran, 5:8]. So we need to be very clear that there is a controversy within that group; and these days, the mainstream amongst them do not have this belief. It is only a very fringe, very vocal, very wicked minority that have this belief. The bulk of them don't like our Mother, but they don't accuse her of this crime. So we need to be fair. They have things to say that are not nice about her tension with Ali RA, but they do not accuse her of what Abdullah ibn Ubayy accused her of. And as long as they don't get to that level, then it does not reach kufr. The minute they accuse her of what Allah has freed her from, then we will say we don't accept this people as being Muslim. So we do an individual case-by-case basis. We don't pass judgment on the entire group, because the majority of them don't make this accusation. And anybody amongst us who accuses them of making this accusation about Aisha RA, we need to say, "Ya akhi, please be academic. Please be precise," because no, not all of them say this about Aisha RA. And when you make this accusation, you are the one who causes more fitna and firqah. You can say they don't like Aisha RA for other reasons, that's true; but don't say they accuse Aisha RA of what Abdullah ibn Ubayy accused her of. That is simply not true.)
[Transcribed by Br. Safwan Khan & Faizan]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, April 2021]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, April 2021]
jazakaallahuu khair
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