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(the wife of the Prophet) “Whenever Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) intended to go on a journey, he would draw lots
amongst his wives and would take with him the one upon whom the lot fell. During a Ghazwa of his,
he drew lots amongst us and the lot fell upon me, and I proceeded with him after Allah had decreed
the use of the veil by women. I was carried in a Howdah (on the camel) and dismounted while still in
it. When Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) was through with his Ghazwa and returned home, and we approached the
city of Medina, Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) ordered us to proceed at night. When the order of setting off was
given, I walked till I was past the army to answer the call of nature. After finishing I returned (to the
camp) to depart (with the others) and suddenly realized that my necklace over my chest was missing.
So, I returned to look for it and was delayed because of that. The people who used to carry me on the
camel, came to my Howdah and put it on the back of the camel, thinking that I was in it, as, at that
time, women were light in weight, and thin and lean, and did not use to eat much. So, those people did
not feel the difference in the heaviness of the Howdah while lifting it, and they put it over the camel.
At that time I was a young lady. They set the camel moving and proceeded on. I found my necklace
after the army had gone, and came to their camp to find nobody. So, I went to the place where I used
to stay, thinking that they would discover my absence and come back in my search. While in that
state, I felt sleepy and slept.
Safwan bin Mu’attal As-Sulami Adh-Dhakwani was behind the army and reached my abode in the
morning. When he saw a sleeping person, he came to me, and he used to see me before veiling. So, I
got up when I heard him saying, “Inna lil-lah-wa inn a ilaihi rajiun (We are for Allah, and we will
return to Him).” He made his camel knell down. He got down from his camel, and put his leg on the
front legs of the camel and then I rode and sat over it. Safwan set out walking, leading the camel by
the rope till we reached the army who had halted to take rest at midday. Then whoever was meant for
destruction, fell into destruction, (some people accused me falsely) and the leader of the false accusers
was `Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul. After that we returned to Medina, and I became ill for one month
while the people were spreading the forged statements of the false accusers. I was feeling during my
ailment as if I were not receiving the usual kindness from the Prophet (ﷺ) which I used to receive from
him when I got sick. But he would come, greet and say, ‘How is that (girl)?’ I did not know anything
of what was going on till I recovered from my ailment and went out with Um Mistah to the Manasi
where we used to answer the call of nature, and we used not to go to answer the call of nature except
from night to night and that was before we had lavatories near to our houses. And this habit of ours
was similar to the habit of the old ‘Arabs in the open country (or away from houses). So. I and Um
Mistah bint Ruhm went out walking. Um Mistah stumbled because of her long dress and on that she
said, ‘Let Mistah be ruined.’ I said, ‘You are saying a bad word. Why are you abusing a man who took
part in (the battle of) Badr?’ She said, ‘O Hanata (you there) didn’t you hear what they said?’ Then she
told me the rumors of the false accusers.
My sickness was aggravated, and when I returned home, Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) came to me, and after
greeting he said, ‘How is that (girl)?’ I requested him to allow me to go to my parents. I wanted then to
be sure of the news through them I Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) allowed me, and I went to my parents and asked
my mother, ‘What are the people talking about?’ She said, ‘O my daughter! Don’t worry much about
this matter. By Allah, never is there a charming woman loved by her husband who has other wives,
but the women would forge false news about her.’ I said, ‘Glorified be Allah! Are the people really
taking of this matter?’ That night I kept on weeping and could not sleep till morning. In the morning
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) called `Ali bin Abu Talib and Usama bin Zaid when he saw the Divine Inspiration
delayed, to consul them about divorcing his wife (i.e. `Aisha). Usama bin Zaid said what he knew of
the good reputation of his wives and added, ‘O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! Keep you wife, for, by Allah, we
know nothing about her but good.’ `Ali bin Abu Talib said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! Allah has no imposed
restrictions on you, and there are many women other than she, yet you may ask the woman-servant
who will tell you the truth.’ On that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) called Barirah and said, ‘O Barirah. Did you ever
see anything which roused your suspicions about her?’ Barirah said, ‘No, by Allah Who has sent you
with the Truth, I have never seen in her anything faulty except that she is a girl of immature age, who
sometimes sleeps and leaves the dough for the goats to eat.’ On that day Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) ascended the
pulpit and requested that somebody support him in punishing `Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul. Allah’s
Apostle said, ‘Who will support me to punish that person (`Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul) who has hurt
me by slandering the reputation of my family? By Allah, I know nothing about my family but good,
and they have accused a person about whom I know nothing except good, and he never entered my
house except in my company.’
Sa`d bin Mu`adh got up and said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! by Allah, I will relieve you from him. If that
man is from the tribe of the Aus, then we will chop his head off, and if he is from our brothers, the
Khazraj, then order us, and we will fulfill your order.’ On that Sa`d bin ‘Ubada, the chief of the
Khazraj and before this incident, he had been a pious man, got up, motivated by his zeal for his tribe
and said, ‘By Allah, you have told a lie; you cannot kill him, and you will never be able to kill him.’
On that Usaid bin Al-Hadir got up and said (to Sa`d bin ‘Ubada), ‘By Allah! you are a liar. By Allah,
we will kill him; and you are a hypocrite, defending the hypocrites.’ On this the two tribes of Aus and
Khazraj got excited and were about to fight each other, while Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) was standing on the
pulpit. He got down and quieted them till they became silent and he kept quiet. On that day I kept on
weeping so much so that neither did my tears stop, nor could I sleep.
In the morning my parents were with me and I had wept for two nights and a day, till I thought my
liver would burst from weeping. While they were sitting with me and I was weeping, an Ansari
woman asked my permission to enter, and I allowed her to come in. She sat down and started weeping
with me. While we were in this state, Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) came and sat down and he had never sat with me
since the day they forged the accusation. No revelation regarding my case came to him for a month.
He recited Tashah-hud (i.e. None has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is His
Apostle) and then said, ‘O `Aisha! I have been informed such-and-such about you; if you are innocent,
then Allah will soon reveal your innocence, and if you have committed a sin, then repent to Allah and
ask Him to forgive you, for when a person confesses his sin and asks Allah for forgiveness, Allah
accepts his repentance.’ When Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) finished his speech my tears ceased completely and
there remained not even a single drop of it. I requested my father to reply to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) on my
behalf. My father said, By Allah, I do not know what to say to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ).’ I said to my mother,
‘Talk to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) on my behalf.’ She said, ‘By Allah, I do not know what to say to Allah’s
Apostle.
I was a young girl and did not have much knowledge of the Qur’an. I said. ‘I know, by Allah, that you
have listened to what people are saying and that has been planted in your minds and you have taken it
as a truth. Now, if I told you that I am innocent and Allah knows that I am innocent, you would not
believe me and if I confessed to you falsely that I am guilty, and Allah knows that I am innocent you
would believe me. By Allah, I don’t compare my situation with you except to the situation of Joseph’s
father (i.e. Jacob) who said, ‘So (for me) patience is most fitting against that which you assert and it is
Allah (Alone) whose help can be sought.’ Then I turned to the other side of my bed hoping that Allah
would prove my innocence. By Allah I never thought that Allah would reveal Divine Inspiration in
my case, as I considered myself too inferior to be talked of in the Holy Qur’an. I had hoped that
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) might have a dream in which Allah would prove my innocence. By Allah, Allah’s
Apostle had not got up and nobody had left the house before the Divine Inspiration came to Allah’s
Apostle. So, there overtook him the same state which used to overtake him, (when he used to have, on
being inspired divinely). He was sweating so much so that the drops of the sweat were dropping like
pearls though it was a (cold) wintry day. When that state of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) was over, he was smiling
and the first word he said, `Aisha! Thank Allah, for Allah has declared your innocence.’ My mother
told me to go to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) . I replied, ‘By Allah I will not go to him and will not thank but Allah.’
So Allah revealed: “Verily! They who spread the slander are a gang among you . . .” (24.11)
When Allah gave the declaration of my Innocence, Abu Bakr, who used to provide for Mistah bin
Uthatha for he was his relative, said, ‘By Allah, I will never provide Mistah with anything because of
what he said about Aisha.’ But Allah later revealed: —
“And let not those who are good and wealthy among you swear not to help their kinsmen, those in
need and those who left their homes in Allah’s Cause. Let them forgive and overlook. Do you not wish
that Allah should forgive you? Verily! Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.” (24.22) After that Abu
Bakr said, ‘Yes ! By Allah! I like that Allah should forgive me,’ and resumed helping Mistah whom he
used to help before.
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) also asked Zainab bint Jahsh (i.e. the Prophet’s wife about me saying, ‘What do you
know and what did you see?’ She replied, ‘O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! I refrain to claim hearing or seeing what
I have not heard or seen. By Allah, I know nothing except goodness about Aisha.” Aisha further added
“Zainab was competing with me (in her beauty and the Prophet’s love), yet Allah protected her (from
being malicious), for she had piety.”