Episode 59: The Incident of the Slander
Muslims Who Spread the Rumour:
Three Muslims fell into the trap of spreading rumours about Aisha and Safwan.
Hammanah bint Jahsh, the sister of Zaynab bint Jahsh, and the wife of the Prophet, spread the rumour because she wanted her sister to be put in a higher status over Aisha bint Abi Bakr.
Hassan ibn Thabit, the poet of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, also spread this rumour and so did Mistah bin Uthatha, a relative of Abu Bakr.
Aisha bint Abi Bakr’s Illness:
Aisha returned home from Madinah and she was sick.
At this time, she was unaware of the rumours that had started about her, but noticed that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ had changed towards her.
normally, the Prophet would speak to her but instead, he would come in and ask Aisha’s mother how she was doing.
Aisha bint Abi Bakr requested the Prophet ﷺ for her to stay with her parents and the Prophet agreed to this.
The Prophet Publicly Addresses the Rumours:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was hurt by the rumours and gathered the people and said: what is wrong with these people who are harming me? I know nothing about my family except good.
The Prophet ﷺ also defended Safwan by saying: what is wrong with these people who are accusing a man from amongst my companions, who is a good man and he never enters my house except that I am with him.
Usayd ibn Hudayr, one of the leaders of the tribe of Aws, got up and said: if the person making the rumour is part of our tribe, we will deal with him, and if he is from our brothers of the tribe of Khazraj, just order us and we will take care of that person. They deserve to have their necks cut!
Sa’d ibn Ubadah, one of the leaders of Khazraj, got angry and said: you have lied Wallah, and you will not cut the neck of anyone from Khazraj. The only reason you are saying this is because you know the person who started the rumour is from Khazraj.
Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul was in fact from the tribe of Khazraj.
Usayd ibn Hudayr replied: surely, you are a Munafiq! How are you defending this man?
A confrontation then broke out and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ calmed everybody down.
The Prophet Seeks Advice from Usamah ibn Zayd and Ali ibn Abi Talib:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ asked two of his closest companions for advice, and they were Usamah ibn Zayd and Ali ibn Abi Talib.
When the Prophet ﷺ asked Usamah, he replied: your family is honourable, you know your family and we know your family, none of these rumours can be true.
Ali ibn Abi Talib told the Prophet: you have many choices (in terms of marrying women) so you are not limited to Aisha, but I would advise you to ask her servant as she would have more insight. She can tell you if she noticed anything about the character of Aisha.
The Prophet Calls for Aisha’s Servant:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ called for the servant of Aisha, Barira and Ali asked her: tell the Prophet about anything you have seen from Aisha.
Barira replied: I have never seen anything from her, she is very good and she is very innocent.
Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari’s Wisdom:
Umm Ayyub Al-Ansari, the wife of Abu Ayyub, asked her husband if he had heard about the rumours.
Abu Ayyub asked his wife: would you do such a thing that they are accusing Aisha of? Umm Ayyub replied: Wallahi, no!
Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari asked his wife: would I do such a thing that they are accusing Safwan of? Umm Ayyub replied: Wallahi, no. You are too honourable!
Abu Ayyub said: you are saying you will never do it and I will never do it, Aisha is better than you and Safwan is better than me. Then, for sure Aisha can never do such a thing and Safwan can never do such a thing!
Aisha Learns of the Rumour:
Aisha bint Abi Bakr then went out to go to the bathroom accompanied by Umm Mistah, the mother of one of the Muslims that spread the rumour.
Umm Mistah tripped and fell down and as she got up, she said: may Mistah be cursed!
Aisha was surprised when she heard this and said: how can you say that about your own son, he is one of the companions who witnessed the Battle of Badr and he was one of the greatest companions of the Messenger of Allah.
Umm Mistah replied: has it not reached you what he said about you?
Aisha had no knowledge about this and Umm Mistah informed her about the rumours.
Aisha bint Abi Bakr was shocked by this, she started to cry and could not stop crying.
Confrontation at Abu Bakr’s House:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ then went to the house of Abu Bakr, as he knew that Aisha had found out about the rumours.
The Prophet ﷺ said to Aisha: if you are innocent, Allah will free you from blame, but if it is true, ask Allah for forgiveness and Allah will forgive you.
After hearing this, Aisha’s tears stopped and she was shocked and saddened that the Prophet was not sure about the situation. She told her parents to reply to the Prophet’s statement but even her parents were unsure about what to say.
Aisha ibn Abi Bakr said: Wallahi I will not repent to Allah from what you have mentioned because I never did it. You have heard these rumours about me and it seems you believe these rumours. So, if I tell you that I am innocent, you will not believe me, but if I falsely confess, then you will believe me.
Aisha continued: I have nothing to say except for what the father of Yusuf said: patience is beautiful and Allah is the helper of that which you describe.
Aisha bint Abi Bakr turned away and she was hoping that Allah would give the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ a sign to show that she was innocent.
Aisha later on said: I never thought I was significant enough to be mentioned in the Quran but I thought Allah SWT could show the Prophet through a dream.
Revelation of Aisha’s Innocence:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was now receiving a revelation in the house of Abu Bakr.
Abu Bakr was very scared because he was afraid that maybe the revelation would confirm the rumours.
Aisha bint Abi Bakr said: when she saw the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the state of receiving revelation, she was completely relaxed because she knew she was innocent.
As soon as the Prophet received the revelation, he said to Aisha: ya Aisha, praise Allah, surely Allah has declared your innocence.
Allah SWT revealed Ayats in the Quran regarding her innocence (Quran, 24:11-20).
The mother of Aisha, Umm Ruman, told her to stand up and thank the Prophet but Aisha replied: Wallahi, I will not stand and I will not thank anyone except Allah.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gathered the people and recited the Ayats of Surah An-Nur.
The rumour was now over and it was clear to everyone that Aisha bint Abi Bakr and Safwan ibn Muattal were innocent.
Punishment of the Slanderers:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ then ordered Hammanah bint Jahsh, Hassan ibn Thabit and Mistah bin Uthatha to be lashed eighty times.
These Muslims were good people that made a mistake and they asked Allah SWT to forgive them.
Abu Bakr was so hurt that his cousin Mistah was involved in the slander of his daughter Aisha that he said: Wallahi, I am not going to spend on him anymore (help him out financially).
Allah SWT then revealed an Ayat in Surah An-Nur: ‘Let them pardon and forgive. Do you not love to be forgiven by Allah? And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful’. (Quran, 24:22)
After this Ayat was revealed, Abu Bakr started to spend on Mistah again, he forgave him and said: Wallahi, I will never stop spending on him.