Recap: When Did the Expedition of al-Muraysi' Take Place?
The timing of the Expedition of al-Muraysi' is subject to scholarly debate, with opinions primarily divided between the 5th and 6th years of the Hijrah. This discrepancy arises because the sahaba who narrated this incident recall it many years later, leading to inconsistent narratives due to the fallibility of human memory over time. When later scholars attempted to piece together these accounts, they encountered a chronological conflict involving two individuals mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari, both with authentic isnads:
i) Sa'd ibn Mu'adh — And we know that Sa'd died shortly after the Battle of Khandaq, which took place in Shawwal of the 5th year. Therefore, he could not have been alive in Sha'ban of the 6th year, leading some scholars to conclude that the Expedition of al-Muraysi' must have occurred in Sha'ban of the 5th year.
ii) Zaynab bint Jahsh — And we know that Zaynab did not marry the Prophet PBUH until the end of the 5th year, leading other scholars to conclude that the expedition must have taken place in Sha'ban of the 6th year.
Given this conflict, it appears that the mention of one of these figures in the narratives was incorrect.
We are following the view that the Expedition of al-Muraysi' took place in Sha'ban of the 5th year of the Hijrah. However, it is important to note that the majority of seerah books state it occurred in Sha'ban of the 6th year, as they follow the authority of Ibn Ishaq. In any case, most modern researchers —with many other evidences— have concluded that al-Muraysi' took place in Sha'ban of the 5th year. They affirm the presence of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, suggesting either (i) Zaynab bint Jahsh was mentioned in the narratives only as the Prophet's PBUH cousin and not his wife, or (ii) the mention of Zaynab was a mistake, and it was actually someone else.
It is also worth mentioning that this theoretical difference does not significantly alter our understanding of the event.
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Recap: Reasons the Hypocrites Joined the Expedition of al-Muraysi'
As we said, the hypocrites joined the Muslim army for the Expedition of al-Muraysi'. Why? Because it was (i) very close, (ii) no harvest season thus no temptation to stay, and (iii) it was a guaranteed win. Thus, all of the hypocrites participated, including the head Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul. This was the largest concentration of hypocrites ever in any expedition — so tensions were bound to rise and things were bound to happen.
Dispute Between an Ansari and a Muhajir
It is mentioned that one Ansari and one Muhajir amongst the young men of both sides went to collect water for the caravan. And on the way, they began disputing, and one of them kicked the other; and the other responded with a punch. And they began having a fistfight. At this, the Muhajir immediately said, "O Muhajirun, come and help me!" and the Ansari said, "O Ansar, come and help me!" So both groups came to see what happened, and each one sided with their own youth member. (We don't even know what the dispute was about — this is of the wisdom of the sahaba; they don't record the petty details.) So the Muhajirun and Ansar began disputing, and tempers flared, weapons were about to be drawn. The Prophet PBUH heard all of this commotion, rushed out of his tent, and he saw the Ansar on one side, the Muhajirun on the other side, all lined up yelling, shouting, screaming, and ready to battle. He asks, "What is going on?!" And they tell him the story that, "These young boys had a fight, they called out the Ansar, we called out the Muhajirun, and now we are resolving the dispute." The Prophet PBUH said, "Are you going back to the calls of Jahiliyyah? Leave it, for it is muntinah (منتنة - disgusting/rotting/filthy)!"—he used a very harsh word.
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Lessons From the Incident
Before we move on, let us derive a few quick lessons:
1. Look at how weak human nature is. This is the best generation of mankind ever (see Quran, [3:110]) — yet still, tempers are so easy to flare, and Iblis is waiting to divide the Muslim ummah up in this manner. Even for the best of the Muslims —the sahaba— the potential exists for this to flare up. And in this, we see the humanity of the sahaba — they are not angels. They can get angry. (And indeed, after the death of the Prophet PBUH, multiple fights between them occurred — Jamal [36 AH], Siffin [37 AH], etc.)
2. We also see that the Prophet PBUH called ethnic division 'rotting' and 'filthy.' This shows us that dividing ourselves up over any divisions is something completely filthy. The human nature should find it disgusting. And what is especially noteworthy in this division is that this division —Ansar and Muhajir— was unknown to the both of them five years ago — this is a brand new division; and it is a division that the Quran itself sanctions (see Quran, [9:100]); it's an Islamic division; yet still, it can be misused and abused as it was right now, and even this Islamic division can become un-Islamic. If this is the case with something that has Quranic origin —Muhajir and Ansar— then how about something that has a completely human origin? : Arab, non-Arab, Pakistani, Bengali, Indian, Syrian, Egyptian, north Egypt, south Egypt, etc. Subhan'Allah. If our Prophet PBUH said these divisions that are Quranic is filthy and disgusting if it's misused in this manner, then how about the divisions that are imaginary and man-made? How do they fall into the scheme of things? This shows us the filth and inherent un-Islamic concept of racism and social divide.
3. And how did the Prophet PBUH solve the dispute? He didn't get involved in the petty details (who said what, etc.), he just said, "Leave it!" i.e., "Get over it!" This shows us that for some disputes, we don't need to go to the nitty-gritty. When you are going to arbitrate between two people who are having a dispute, you need to use a lot of wisdom: Sometimes you need to go down to the minutiae (who said what, when did they say it, etc.), but sometimes, it's just best you don't. The Prophet PBUH just said, "Leave it!" — and they are made to feel foolish, "How could you have got into this? Come on, forget about it. You are all brothers. Bismillah, let's move on" — and the matter is forgotten.
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Zayd ibn Arqam RA Upon Discovering Abdullah ibn Ubayy's True Colors
When Abdullah ibn Ubayy heard that the dispute had been resolved, he became angry. He was of course happy to see the division and he wanted something to take place. So when the fitna was quelled and the fire was quenched, he became irritated. He said, "They (the Muhajirun) have competed with us in their numbers and their quantities. And this is exactly like 'fatten your dog only so that it will come back to eat you.'" He is mentioning the Muhajirun in a vulgar Arabic expression meaning 'it is very possible that the very person/friend you are helping will actually become an enemy to you.' He is comparing the Muhajirun and their leader (the Prophet PBUH) to dogs. And he says, "By Allah, if we return to Madinah, the honorable (the Yathribites) will definitely expel the inferior (the Muhajirun)!" And then he started blaming his own people and said, "You have brought this on yourselves! You have allowed them to come into your land! You have given them your money! You have shared your wealth! If only you withheld all of these, they would have been forced to go back to their own homes!" He is saying this in his private tent amongst his people where the majority are the munafiqun. But there was a young lad whose heart was full of Iman named Zayd ibn Arqam (زيد بن أرقم) listening. And he could not believe what he heard. It was clear kufr! So he rushes to his uncle, and he says, "I heard such-and-such!" And the uncle takes him to the Prophet PBUH and the young boy tells the Prophet PBUH exactly what Abdullah ibn Ubayy said.
Abdullah ibn Ubayy is called by the Prophet PBUH and confronted, "Did you just say this?" And Abdullah ibn Ubayy begins giving qasam (قسم - oath) after qasam, the strongest qasams imaginable, that he didn't say it. And so the Prophet PBUH accepted his excuse — after all, it was very vulgar things that were said, so it's just better to hope he didn't say it. After this event, there were huge tensions between the munafiqun and the Ansar of Madinah. After Abdullah ibn Ubayy left, Umar RA said, "Ya Rasulullah, let me just get rid of this guy!" — the Muslims all knew he was a munafiq. But the Prophet PBUH said, "Leave him (do not kill him) because I do not want the people to say that Muhammad killed his own Companions." And he PBUH immediately ordered all of the sahaba to pack their bags and rush back to Madinah. And he marched *non-stop* all the way to Madinah —20 hours straight— such that pretty much the next morning, they were outside of Madinah. And as soon as their heads hit the pillow, they were so tired they fell asleep for the rest of the day. What was the wisdom of this? To get the minds off of all of the things that happened. To stop all the gossip and chit-chats and forget everything that happened. It's human nature for gossiping and chit-chatting whispers to spread; so the Prophet PBUH stopped all this by just marching for 20 hours straight.
Abdullah ibn Ubayy is called by the Prophet PBUH and confronted, "Did you just say this?" And Abdullah ibn Ubayy begins giving qasam (قسم - oath) after qasam, the strongest qasams imaginable, that he didn't say it. And so the Prophet PBUH accepted his excuse — after all, it was very vulgar things that were said, so it's just better to hope he didn't say it. After this event, there were huge tensions between the munafiqun and the Ansar of Madinah. After Abdullah ibn Ubayy left, Umar RA said, "Ya Rasulullah, let me just get rid of this guy!" — the Muslims all knew he was a munafiq. But the Prophet PBUH said, "Leave him (do not kill him) because I do not want the people to say that Muhammad killed his own Companions." And he PBUH immediately ordered all of the sahaba to pack their bags and rush back to Madinah. And he marched *non-stop* all the way to Madinah —20 hours straight— such that pretty much the next morning, they were outside of Madinah. And as soon as their heads hit the pillow, they were so tired they fell asleep for the rest of the day. What was the wisdom of this? To get the minds off of all of the things that happened. To stop all the gossip and chit-chats and forget everything that happened. It's human nature for gossiping and chit-chatting whispers to spread; so the Prophet PBUH stopped all this by just marching for 20 hours straight.
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The Revelation of Surah al-Munafiqun
Zayd ibn Arqam became very depressed — he said, "It's the worst day of my life." After all, the Prophet PBUH has essentially 'rejected' his testimony; and in essence, has 'accepted' Abdullah ibn Ubayy's testimony over his.
But right that morning, Allah revealed the entirety of Surah al-Munafiqun!
إِذَا جَاءَكَ الْمُنَافِقُونَ قَالُوا نَشْهَدُ إِنَّكَ لَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ إِنَّكَ لَرَسُولُهُ وَاللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ لَكَاذِبُونَ
"When the hypocrites come to you [O Prophet], they say, 'We bear witness that you are certainly the Messenger of Allah' — and surely Allah knows that you are His Messenger — but Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are truly liars" [Quran, 63:1].ٱتَّخَذُوٓا۟ أَيْمَـٰنَهُمْ جُنَّةًۭ فَصَدُّوا۟ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ سَآءَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
"They have made their [false] oaths as a shield, hindering [others] from the Way of Allah. Evil indeed is what they do!" [Quran, 63:2].
And then Allah SWT goes on; and in the Surah, Abdullah ibn Ubayy is quoted by exact expression:
The whole Surah is a criticism of the munafiqun and exposing of the faults of the munafiqun.
And then Allah SWT goes on; and in the Surah, Abdullah ibn Ubayy is quoted by exact expression:
يَقُولُونَ لَئِن رَّجَعْنَا إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ لَيُخْرِجَنَّ الْأَعَزُّ مِنْهَا الْأَذَلَّ ۚ وَلِلَّهِ الْعِزَّةُ وَلِرَسُولِهِ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَلَٰكِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
"They say, 'If we return to Madinah, the honorable will definitely expel the inferior.' But all honor and power belongs to Allah, His Messenger, and the believers, yet the hypocrites do not know" [Quran, 63:8].The whole Surah is a criticism of the munafiqun and exposing of the faults of the munafiqun.
When this Surah was revealed, the Prophet PBUH called Zayd ibn Arqam, held him by the ear, and said, "Allah has confirmed that this (your ear I'm holding) has heard the truth!"—to calm him down. The Prophet PBUH cheered him up.
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Abdullah RA, the son of Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul
The news had spread in Madinah about what was happening. As was the custom, when the army was about to come in, a crier would come to tell the people that the army was coming back, and he would also bring information. So all of the news (about the revelation of Surah al-Munafiqun etc.) is spreading in the city of Madinah. And Abdullah ibn Ubayy's son, Abdullah ibn Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul (عبد الله بن عبد الله بن أبي بن سلول), hears of this. When he heard of this, he went outside of Madinah to meet the Prophet PBUH and said to him, "Ya Rasulullah, it has reached me that you are considering executing my father. If you command someone else to do it, I don't think I can see that man (i.e., the man who executes my father) walking around in Madinah except that I will kill him in return out of anger, and then I will go to Jahannam for killing a Muslim. So you should command me to do the execution!"
Subhan'Allah, it's amazing. He is worried about going to Jahannam and not about his father's reputation — and is saying, "Give me the commandment and I will kill my own father!" This is a real sign of obedience to Allah and His Messenger. And the Prophet PBUH said to him, "No. Rather, your duty is to be a good companion to him." And the Prophet PBUH promised him, "We shall be good and gentle with him as long as he lives with us." When he got this news, he was relieved, but was still very angry with his father, so he stood at the gate of Madinah waiting for his father to come, and when he came, he said, "You were the one who said, 'If we return to Madinah, the honorable will definitely expel the inferior.' But wallahi, I won't allow *you* to come back to Madinah until the Prophet PBUH gives you permission!" Therefore, Abdullah ibn Ubayy had to wait until he got permission to enter the city. It's just an amazing story.
As we know, Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul died in the lifetime of the Prophet PBUH [in 9 AH — see episode 93]; and it was his son, Abdullah ibn Abdullah ibn Ubayy, who went to the Prophet PBUH and said, "Give me one of your cloaks and I will use it as a kafan for my father perhaps Allah will forgive him." And so not only did the Prophet PBUH give the garment, but he also went to the cemetery and prayed janazah for Abdullah ibn Ubayy. This was before Allah revealed the verses of prohibition in Surah al-Tawbah (سورة التوبة). At the death of Abdullah ibn Ubayy, after the Prophet PBUH prayed janazah for him, that was when Allah revealed:
Subhan'Allah, it's amazing. He is worried about going to Jahannam and not about his father's reputation — and is saying, "Give me the commandment and I will kill my own father!" This is a real sign of obedience to Allah and His Messenger. And the Prophet PBUH said to him, "No. Rather, your duty is to be a good companion to him." And the Prophet PBUH promised him, "We shall be good and gentle with him as long as he lives with us." When he got this news, he was relieved, but was still very angry with his father, so he stood at the gate of Madinah waiting for his father to come, and when he came, he said, "You were the one who said, 'If we return to Madinah, the honorable will definitely expel the inferior.' But wallahi, I won't allow *you* to come back to Madinah until the Prophet PBUH gives you permission!" Therefore, Abdullah ibn Ubayy had to wait until he got permission to enter the city. It's just an amazing story.
As we know, Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul died in the lifetime of the Prophet PBUH [in 9 AH — see episode 93]; and it was his son, Abdullah ibn Abdullah ibn Ubayy, who went to the Prophet PBUH and said, "Give me one of your cloaks and I will use it as a kafan for my father perhaps Allah will forgive him." And so not only did the Prophet PBUH give the garment, but he also went to the cemetery and prayed janazah for Abdullah ibn Ubayy. This was before Allah revealed the verses of prohibition in Surah al-Tawbah (سورة التوبة). At the death of Abdullah ibn Ubayy, after the Prophet PBUH prayed janazah for him, that was when Allah revealed:
وَلَا تُصَلِّ عَلَىٰٓ أَحَدٍۢ مِّنْهُم مَّاتَ أَبَدًۭا وَلَا تَقُمْ عَلَىٰ قَبْرِهِۦٓ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَمَاتُوا۟ وَهُمْ فَـٰسِقُونَ
"And do not ever offer [funeral] prayers for any of their dead, nor stand by their grave [at burial], for they have lost faith in Allah and His Messenger and died rebellious" [Quran, 9:84].
This was all revealed *after* the Prophet PBUH himself went into Abdullah ibn Ubayy's grave to lower his body. And subhan'Allah, we see that the Prophet PBUH wanted even this person to be forgiven. But — Allah revealed Surah al-Tawbah.
اسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ أَوْ لَا تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ إِن تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةً فَلَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ
"[It does not matter] whether you [O Prophet] pray for them to be forgiven or not. Even if you pray for their forgiveness seventy times, Allah will never forgive them. That is because they have lost faith in Allah and His Messenger. And Allah does not guide the rebellious people" [Quran, 9:80].This was all revealed *after* the Prophet PBUH himself went into Abdullah ibn Ubayy's grave to lower his body. And subhan'Allah, we see that the Prophet PBUH wanted even this person to be forgiven. But — Allah revealed Surah al-Tawbah.
And Abdullah ibn Abdullah ibn Ubayy died a shaheed in the Battles of Ridda (حروب الردة) [in 12 AH] in the time of Abu Bakr RA. So we really don't have much information about him. He lived a short life after this and died within the next 7 years.
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The Outcome of the Incident
The main outcome of this incident was that the true nature of Abdullah ibn Ubayy was fully exposed by the testimony of the Quran in a way that was far more explicit than the verses of Uhud. Therefore, many of the munafiqun abandoned Abdullah ibn Ubayy and became true Muslims. The Prophet PBUH later remarked to Umar RA, "What do you think, O Umar? For indeed, if I had commanded him to be killed the day that you told me to kill him, I would have turned many people (his followers) away. But those same people, if I were to tell them to kill him now, they would be the ones doing it." He is telling Umar, "You wanted to kill him — but what do you think now? Many of them embraced Islam. If I had killed him, they all would have remained munafiq." And Umar RA responded, "Wallahi, I know the opinion of the Prophet PBUH is always more blessed than mine."
This incident is one of the main evidences (among dozen) for maslaha (مصلحة). Maslaha means public welfare (the good of the people). The Muslim ruler, jurist, or faqih, looks at the maslaha (what is good for the ummah), and then bases laws on that. The issue of maslaha is one of the sources of Islamic law.
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Maslaha in Islam
Maslaha is indeed a source of law — we saw the Prophet PBUH took into account what would be the repercussions if he killed Abdullah ibn Ubayy. He weighed the pros and the cons. And he basically said the cons outweigh the pros, "If I were to kill Abdullah ibn Ubayy, the perception would be that, 'Muhammad is killing his own people.'" This shows us it's a part of our religion to have a good image in front of others. PR is a part of every firm, company, group, ethnicity, and yes, even religion. Some overzealous Muslims say, "Who cares what other people think about us?" But this is wrong. We must think about the image we are giving of Islam to others. This is why the Muslim has to always be extra careful, scrupulous, honest, etc. There is an impression that has to be given. Not for our sake, not for our ego, but for the sake of Islam. The people need to know that this is what our religion teaches and practices.
(Footnote: Many books are being written on maslaha in our time. One organization has released over 10 books in English about maslaha in the last few years. It is very popular right now for one simple reason: Many 'progressives' believe maslaha can be used to trump Islamic law, e.g., if the Quran says X and it doesn't appeal to them, they say, "Oh no no, X doesn't make sense, so for the sake of maslaha, let's do something else"—they want to chip away from the text of the Quran and sunnah. And we completely disagree with this. They fail to realize that maslaha is an evidence in the *absence* of an Islamic text; not when there is an Islamic text — and this is what the classical four Sunni schools say. Even in this incident, Umar RA concluded, "Wallahi, I know the opinion of the Prophet PBUH is always going to have more barakah than mine." Therefore, there is no maslaha in opposition to a text. Maslaha is used when the text is silent, only in areas where the shariah doesn't say anything. As for something explicit in the Quran or sunnah, the maslaha is in obeying the command of Allah and His Messenger.)
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The Slander of Aisha RA
The third and last incident that happened on the way back from the Expedition of al-Muraysi' is the very long story of the Slander of Aisha RA. It is one of the most traumatic stories in the seerah because it deals with the Prophet's PBUH personal and intimate affairs. The very personal bond of a husband and a wife. It deals with the honor and the sanctity of marriage. And it shows us how low the munafiqun went — you simply cannot go lower than this. And one of the interesting things about this story is that it has been preserved in vivid detail in the first person by Aisha RA herself, in the most authentic books. There are ahadith that are 2, 3 pages long in Bukhari! Aisha RA is describing from her own memory the whole story of the Slander. Therefore, it's even more beneficial because we see it in the perspective of the actual person under attack. The story is indeed narrated in Bukhari and Muslim, therefore, it's the most authentic. We will simply look at the very long narration by Aisha RA herself in Bukhari (combined with some other narrations as well):
Aisha RA begins and she says, "The Prophet PBUH would cast lots amongst his wives whenever he went on a journey. And whoever's lot would be picked, that wife would accompany the Prophet PBUH." (Note 1: The meaning here is that the Prophet PBUH was fair with all of his wives in matters that he could control; but of course, for one journey, he cannot take all his wives, so he would draw lots. This shows us that drawing lots in this manner is something that is allowed.) (Note 2: This also shows us the Prophet PBUH would sometimes take his wives in an expedition — but only in situations where the victory is confirmed such as al-Muraysi'. It was a complete given that they would win, so there was no problem in taking a wife this time.) Aisha RA continued, "My name came up. So I traveled with the Prophet PBUH, and this was after the verses of hijab had been revealed." (Note 3: The verses of hijab were revealed at the end of the 4th year of the Hijrah — Dhu al-Qa'dah.) (Note 4: The verses of hijab were of the last commandments to be revealed — after salah, zakat, siyam, etc. No doubt hijab is important, but many of us have made it even more important than the salah. We need to get our priority straight.)
Aisha RA continued: "Therefore, I would travel in a howdah/hawdaj (هودج - a mini tent put on a camel)." (Note 5: The hijab of the Prophet's PBUH wives was extra: They had to be covered not just in their personal body, but their space as well. This is only for the wives of the Prophet PBUH, and this is explicit in the Quran. The Quran says, "And when you [believers] ask his wives (i.e., the Prophet's PBUH wives) for something, ask them from behind a barrier (hijab)" [Quran, 33:53]. So this is what Aisha RA is saying — Muraysi' took place after these verses were revealed. Also, note the term "hijab [حجاب]" in the Quran doesn't mean headscarf. In our vernacular, it means a headscarf, but this is modern Arabic; which is fine, but we need to know that that is not what the term "hijab" means in Quranic Arabic. In Quranic Arabic, "hijab" means a physical curtain that separates the entire body between you and the speaker. And this usage of "hijab" applied only to the wives of the Prophet PBUH. As for the headscarf, the Quran references this with the term "khimar [خمار]." Allah says, "Let them draw their veils [khumur] over their chests" [Quran, 24:31]. And it is important to note that the women of Jahiliyyah would always wear a headscarf — it was impossible for a dignified lady to not wear a headscarf; every single lady of respect and of the middle class would cover her hair [just like in America 100 years ago]. But they would throw it to the back [like a nun's headscarf] and their dresses get lower and lower [i.e., their chest is exposed]. So Allah said no, "When you wear the headscarf, cover the bosom [i.e., chest]." The point is Aisha said the verses of hijab had been revealed, and by this we mean an extra layer above and beyond the khimar/jilbab [جلباب - another Quranic term — see 33:59]. The khimar [headscarf] and jilbab are mentioned for all women, whereas hijab [barrier] is only for the wives of the Prophet PBUH.)
(Tangent: These days we hear 'the progressives' say, "The hijab was only for the wives of the Prophet PBUH!" — and this statement is true in the Quranic sense, but 'the progressives' intend something false through it. These people are saying the hijab how we understand it [i.e., the headscarf] is only for the wives of the Prophet PBUH, and this is wallahi foolishness that shows their complete ignorance of the Quran. In regards to headscarf, the Quran says very clearly, "Tell your wives, and your daughters, and the believing women, they should all cover themselves with a jilbab" [see Quran, 33:59], "And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their chastity, and not to reveal their adornments except what normally appears. Let them draw their khimar over their chests" [see Quran, 24:31].)
So Aisha RA explained why she was in a hawdaj.
And she continued, "After the expedition finished and we were on the way back, the Prophet PBUH gave orders to encamp the night outside of Madinah." (Note 6: Now, this is the night where the munafiqun have lost it. Why is the incident of the Slander happening now? Why are the hypocrites going to stoop to such a low level? Because it's the night when Surah al-Munafiqun has been revealed and Abdullah ibn Ubayy has been exposed. So now he is exacting revenge in a manner that is so unmanly and so unbecoming it shows the depth of the darkness of his heart.) Aisha RA continued, "When the orders were given to encamp, I stood up and walked away from the army to relieve myself. On the way back, I felt my chest, and lo and behold, my onyx necklace had been broken. I panicked and went back to find it, and I spent a long time trying to find the necklace." (Note 7: This shows her simplicity. Subhan'Allah, she is the most beloved wife of the most beloved prophet of Allah PBUH, and yet what is she wearing? And contrast this to what the wives of the pharaohs and kings are wearing.)
In the meantime, the orders were being given to the army to move. Everyone was dead tired, the city was one day away, it was the last step and they just wanted to go, so the people assigned to Aisha's hawdaj just picked up the hawdaj and left for Madinah without realizing she wasn't in it. And Aisha RA when narrating this story made an excuse for them, she says, "I myself was a young girl, I had not put on much weight, I was very light, so when they picked up the hawdaj, they didn't realize I was not in it." (Note 8: Subhan'Allah, she's narrating this incident 50 years later, without mentioning any of their names, and yet she's still excusing them. "It's not their fault," "Cut them some slack." Look at her innocence and adab.) (Note 9: And obviously, the men assigned for Aisha's hawdaj would not converse with her out of adab and respect. She is the wife of the Messenger of Allah. So they just let her be. There's no question of asking, "Aisha, are you there?" etc.)
Aisha RA continued, "When I returned to the camp, there was not a single person in sight!" (Note 10: Subhan'Allah, she didn't even realize the whole camp had gone. And this shows us she really did panic about the necklace.) She spent some time looking everywhere. But lo and behold, the necklace was underneath the place where her camel was sitting! She continued narrating, "I stayed in my place and I presumed as soon as they discovered I am missing, they would come back for me. While I was sitting, I fell asleep." (Note 11: Subhan'Allah, look at her bravery. Completely alone in the desert; not a drop of food or water, she just falls asleep. She has confidence that Allah will take care of her.)
And she narrates, "I only woke up when I heard a man say, 'La hawla wa la quwwata illa biLlah!' And lo and behold, it was Safwan ibn Muattal al-Sulami (صفوان بن المعطل السلمي)." (Note 12: Notice how when something happens, the sahaba would make adhkar [أذكار - dhikrs]. We need to make it a part of our habit/fitrah to say adhkar in place of curse words. This is the way of the sunnah. It's also a positive thing for dawah as well: If we make it our habit, when something happens, instantaneously a word of praise comes out, "AlhamduliLlah!" "La hawla wa la quwwata illa biLlah!" etc., and people are going to ask, "What did you mean by this?" "What happened?" and you explain, "Oh, I thanked God," etc. So this should be ingrained in us.) (Note 13: Safwan ibn Muattal was lagging behind the army. It was his qadr that he overslept the whole order to leave. So now he takes his camel and starts slowly making his way back to Madinah. And lo and behold, he sees this figure all alone in the desert, and it is Aisha RA.)
Aisha RA continued narrating, "He had seen me before the verse of hijab came down, so he recognized me. When I woke up and saw him, I covered my face with my jilbab. I swear by Allah, he did not speak one word to me. All he did was lower the camel, walk away so that I could ride on it (i.e., turning his back so that he didn't even see me getting on the camel), and then he guided the camel with his hands all the way back to Madinah (i.e., he walked and I was on the camel)." (Note 14: Subhan'Allah, this is a true gentleman. Safwan ibn Muattal was a very noble Companion. He wasn't even married yet. He got married after this event. And he died a shaheed in the reign of Umar RA, fighting in Armenia [16 AH].)
And they caught up with the army. But of course, who is at the back of the army? Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul. It's the standard place of the hypocrites — right at the end of the army. And Aisha RA narrated, "That was when the rumors began to spread by Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul."
Aisha RA said, "When I came to Madinah, I fell sick with a fever for one whole month, and so I was oblivious to the rumors as it was spreading around." In this one month, the rumors became bigger and bigger and bigger and Aisha RA was completely oblivious to what was happening. And the fact that she was cut off contributed to the rumors being spread.
To be continued in the next episode.
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The Wisdom in Not Mentioning the Minutiae of the Slander
One very beautiful point: Subhan'Allah, the books of seerah never mention the actual rumors that were being spread. The minutiae of the Slander was so disgusting that you don't even want to hint at it. So the authors just called it "the Slander." No books of seerah ever verbalize the slander. And this really shows us the incredible adab and wisdom and etiquette of our early scholars. They understood that it's not worth even mentioning what was said.
Compare this to the attitude of modern society: They want to spread every graphic detail on the front page news — and wallahi, it's disgusting. The more you spread violence and fahisha (فاحشة - indecency), the more desensitized people will become. The more you spread vulgarity, the more vulgar people will become. And what happens when you raise a generation desensitized to evil? They will accept this evil as normal and continue to lower the bar.
So in the adab of our early scholars, they never explicitly mention what the slander was.
[Transcribed by Br. Safwan Khan & Faizan]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, March 2021]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, March 2021]
