THE STORY OF THE IFK (SLANDER)
Ibn Ishaq related that ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: Whenever Allah’s Messenger intended to go on a journey, he used to draw lots amongst his wives. Whomever the lot fell on would travel with him. When it was the time of the Battle of Banu Mustaliq the lot fell on me so I proceeded with him.”
She said further: In those days the women would eat lightly, they did not like meat because they would put on weight. While the camel was being saddled, I would sit in my Hawdaj. The people would come to carry the Hawdaj from its lower part, lifting it up and placing it on the back of the camel where they would fasten it with a rope. They would hold the camel by the head and then they would proceed.
When the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had finished that journey he turned back, and when he was nearing Madinah he halted and spent part of the night there. Then one of his men announced that they should be on their way. While they were getting ready, I went out for some purpose, wearing a necklace of mine around my neck. When I finished, it slipped from my neck without my knowing, and when I returned to the camel, I felt my neck for it but could not find it. Meanwhile, the group had already started off, and I returned to the place where I had been and looked for it until I found it. The men who had been saddling my camel for me came, and having already finished the preparation, picked up the Hawdaj, thinking that I was in it. Then they took the camel by its head and went off with it. I went back to the camp and not a soul was there, the men had gone. So I wrapped myself in my gown and lay down in my place. I knew that if I was missed the men would come back for me.
By Allah, I had barely laid down when Safwan Ibn Al-Mu‘attal AsSulami, who had remained behind from the army for the purpose of picking up some abandoned properties of the people so that he may return them to their respective owners, saw me.”
It is also claimed that he was left behind due to his heavy sleeping. This is corroborated by the Hadith related by Abu Dawood that his wife complained to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, about him saying, “O Messenger of Allah, he sleeps beyond the time of Salat As-Subh, he beats me when I pray and he forces me to break my fast.” He responded that he was a heavy sleeper, a trait for which his family was well- known. Then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “Offer your prayer whenever you wake up.” He also alleged that his wife would lengthen her prayer (in the night) elongating her recitation in it and that she used to fast a lot while he was present (with her).” Thus Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, forbade the woman not to fast while her husband is present except with his permission. (Hadith)
As-Suhaili said: Safwan, may Allah be pleased with him, was martyred during the Khilafah of Mu‘awiyah. His leg was amputated (in battle) and he kept fighting till he was killed, may Allah be pleased with him. He was buried in Al-Jazeerah at a spot called Shimtat.
It is also possible that he had tarried behind for some of his needs and had not spent the night with the (other) people. When he saw a black object perching in the distance, he came toward me. He used to see me before the veil was prescribed for us, so when he recognized me he exclaimed: ‘Inna lillah wa inna ilayhi raji‘oon’ (To Allah we belong and to Him is our return.) the wife of Allah’s Messenger?” while I was wrapped in my garment. He asked, “What has kept you back? May Allah shower His Mercy on you!” I did not reply. Then he brought his camel over and said, “Mount” and stood back from me. I mounted and he took the camel by its head and set off in search of the group. By Allah we did not overtake them nor was I missed until the morning when they had halted. When they had rested, the man appeared leading the camel with me riding it. Then the slanderers said what they said and the camp was disturbed, but, by Allah, I had no knowledge of that.
Then we arrived in Madinah and shortly afterward I became seriously ill and so I heard nothing of the matter. However, the talk reached the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and my parents and they did not mention a thing to me, more or less.
I missed some of the Prophet’s usual kindness to me during this illness and I disliked that from him. Whenever he came in to see me while my mother was nursing me, he would say: “How is she?” and would say nothing more. I found some resentment in my heart so I said to him, “O Messenger of Allah, will you permit me to go over to my mother?” He replied: “Alright.”
She continued: So I was taken to my mother’s house still unaware of what had happened until I recovered from my illness about twenty days later. We were simple people and we used not to have toilets in our houses like the foreigners would have. We loathed and detested them. Instead, we used to go out into the open spaces of Madinah and the women would go out every night.
One night I went out for my needs with Umm Mistah. By Allah she was walking with me when she tripped over her gown and exclaimed, “Wretched be Mistah!” I said, “By Allah, it is a bad thing to say of one of the Muhajireen (Emigrants) who fought at Badr!” Then she said, “Haven’t you heard the news, daughter of Abu Bakr?” I replied, “What news?” Then she informed me of what the slanderers were spreading. I said, “Did that really happen?” She said, “Yes, by Allah, it happened!” And by Allah I was not able to do what I had come to do, so I went back and by Allah, I did not stop crying until I felt that my heart would break. I said to my mother, “May Allah forgive you, the people were talking about all this and you did not mention a word of it to me?” She replied, “My little daughter, do not be grieved for by Allah, seldom is there a beautiful woman married to a man who loves her and has co-wives but they gossip about her and people do the same.”
She added: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had stood up and addressed the people while I had no knowledge of it. He praised Allah, the Almighty, then said: “O people, what is the matter with certain men that they disturb me about my family and say about them what is not true?
By Allah, I know only good of them, and they say the same about a man of whom, by Allah I only know good, and who never enters a house of mine except in my company.”
She continued, “Most of the gossip came from ‘Abdullah Ibn Ubayy of the Khazraj tribe, besides what Mistah and Hamnah Bint Jahsh said. That was because her sister Zainab Bint Jahsh was a wife of the Prophet, and only she among all the wives competed with me for his favor. As for Zainab, Allah protected her with her religion and she spoke nothing but good. However, Hamnah gossiped all she could, opposing me for her sister’s sake.”
When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessing of Allah be upon him, made his speech, Usaid Ibn Hudair, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “O Messenger of Allah, if they are from the Aws, let us rid you of them; and if they are from our Khazraj brothers, then give us your orders, for, by Allah, they deserve to have their heads cut off.” Sa‘d Ibn ‘Ubadah, may Allah be pleased with him, got up and before that, he was known to be a pious man and said, “You have made this statement only because you know that they are of the Khazraj, and if they had been from your tribe you would not have said that.”
Usaid said, “It is you who lied, by Allah, you are a hypocrite defending the hypocrites.”
Emotions ran very high so much so that the two groups almost broke into a fight. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, stepped down from the pulpit and came in to see me. He called ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib and Usamah Ibin Zaid, may Allah be pleased with them, and asked for their opinion.
Usamah, may Allah be pleased with him, spoke only good, saying, ‘O Messenger of Allah, they are your family, and this is a lie and falsehood.” ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, however said, “O Messenger of Allah, women are plentiful and you are capable of marrying another one but ask the slave-girl and she will tell you the truth.” The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, called Bareerah and questioned her, and ‘Ali got up and gave her a severe beating, saying, “Tell the Messenger of Allah the truth!” She replied, “By Allah, I only know good of her, and I find no fault with ‘A’ishah except that I knead dough and tell her to watch it, but she falls asleep and the sheep come and eat it!”
Another time, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, came in to see me while my parents and another woman from the Ansar were with me. I was weeping and she too was weeping. He sat down, praised Allah and then said: “‘A’ishah, you know what people say about you, so fear Allah, and if you have done wrong as people say, then repent to Allah, for He accepts repentance from His servants.” And by Allah as he said this my tears ceased, and I did not feel them anymore. I waited for my parents to reply on my behalf but they did not speak.”
She said: By Allah, I used to consider myself to be too inconsequential for Allah, the Almighty, to reveal the Quran about me. However, I hoped that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, would see something in his dream by which Allah would clear me of the charge because He knew my innocence. As for the Qur’an being revealed about me, by Allah, I felt myself to be too insignificant for that.
When I saw that my parents would not speak, I said to them, “Will you not reply to the Messenger of Allah?” “By Allah we do not know what to say to him,” they said. By Allah I do not know of a household which suffered as the family of Abu Bakr did in those days.
Then she said, “When they kept silent, I burst into tears again, then I said: ‘By Allah, I shall never repent to Allah for what you mention. By Allah, I know that if I deny what the people say, you would not believe me.’
Then I searched for the name of Ya‘qoob (in my memory) but I could not remember it, so I said, “I say only what the father of Yoosuf, peace be upon him, said: ‘So (for me) patience is most fitting. And it is Allah (Alone) Whose help can be sought against that which you assert.’” (Surah Yusuf: 18)
By Allah, Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had not shifted from his sitting position when there came upon him what used to come upon him. So he was wrapped in his garment and a pillow was placed under his head. As for me, when I saw that, I was not afraid nor was I worried, for I knew that I was innocent and that Allah, the Almighty, would not wrong me. As for my parents, by Him in Whose Hands is ‘A’ishah soul, the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had hardly recovered when I thought that they would die from fear that confirmation of what the people said would come from Allah, the Almighty. Then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, recovered and sat up, and there rolled down from his face sweat like pearls on a wintry day.
He sat wiping the perspiration from his face and saying: “Be of good cheer, ‘A’ishah! Allah has revealed your innocence.” I said, “Praise be to Allah!” Then he went out to the people and addressed them, reciting to them the Verses of the Qur’an that were revealed regarding the incident. Then he ordered that Mistah Ibn Uthathah, Hassan Ibn Thabit and Hamnah Bint Jahsh be all brought for they were among those who spread the slander and he carried out on them their prescribed punishment.
This Hadith is also related in the Saheehain through Az-Zuhri. This sequence has copious benefits. It mentions the prescribed punishment meted out to Hassan and those with him. Abu Dawood related it in his Sunan. A Muslim poet said concerning the lashing of Hassan and his companions:
Hassan did taste what befitted him,
And Hamnah, when they made the evil claim, and Mistah,
They dabbled into accusing the wife of their Prophet,
And they incurred the anger of the Owner of the Noble Throne thus,
They were grieved.
They harmed the Messenger of Allah by (slandering) her,
They were draped in encompassing shame that
persisted and they were disgraced, They were made to
taste lashes like showers of rain,
Coming down profusely.
By: Ibn Katheer
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