Calumny Against Ayesha

The most serious mischief of the evil-doers was the calumny against Ayesha (radhyAllahu ‘anha)  in which unfortunately some prominent members of the Muslim society  also got involved and which was fully exploited by traitors like Abdullah bin Ubayy and the slanderers included persons like Hassan, Mistah bin Asasa and hamna, a daughter of Jahsh. This is what happened: Ayesha (radhyAllahu ‘anha) who was travelling with a caravan lost her necklace and went in search of it. The caravan proceeded on its way without her. She was suffering this predicament when Safwan bin Almotal who was travelling behind respectfully offered to carry her to the place where the caravan was camping. The mischief-mongers concocted a shameful and slanderons tale and spread it with so much force that it travelled swiftly from mouth to mouth. The Prophet suffered great anguish and kept away from at first Ayesha (radhyAllahu ‘anha) who did not comprehended the situation but when she heard about the slander she began to spend sleepless nights in weeping. She appealed to her father and mother to intercede and clear her character but both expressed their inability to intercede and even the Prophet, her husband, who knew her character was helpless and with the rumours and the mental torture that he suffered, he could not find any answer. At last he decided to enquire into the matter personally and called   Ali and Usama bin Zaid for consultation. Usama frankly said that he knew nothing except good about the Prophet’s consort, but   Ali’s reply was hostile. He pointed out that there was nor dearth of women in Medina and the Prophet could take another wife instead of Ayesha (radhyAllahu ‘anha) and if he wanted he might ask about the slander from his maidservant. The Prophet accepted the latter part of   Ali’s advice and sent for the maidservant whom Ali warned to tell the truth before the Prophet. The maidservant said that she never found anything bad in   Ayesha (radhyAllahu ‘anha)  except that when at times she went out leaving the dough and Ayesha (radhyAllahu ‘anha)  quietly slept away and the dough was eaten up by the goat. There could be no better testimony to the character of Ayesha (radhyAllahu ‘anha) than this - she was painted as a simple, unsophisticated and pure girl with whose conduct no blemish could be associated. But in the meantime, the allegations continued to persist and the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) called a public meeting and addressed it in the following words:

“Praise be to God, after all what is the motive of these people who tease me in respect of my wife and go about telling things which are contrary to fact? By God, I have nothing but good wishes for them and they say these things about a person about whom I know nothing but good and who never entered my home in my absence.”

On this chief of Aus clan got up in a rage and said that “If this man is in our clan we will deal with him, but if he is of the clan of Khazraj I will await your order to cut off his head, as such men deserve nothing less.”

Since the person involved belonged to the clan of Khazraj, the chief of that clan, Sa’ad bin Ubada, flared up and said, “By God, we will not kill him. You have said this because the man concerned belongs to the Khazraj clan.”

There was some bitterness between the two clans and swords were about to be drawn when the Prophet came down from pulpit and pacified them and dispersed the meeting.

For about a month rumours about the allegation continued to circulate in the city and both the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and Ayesha (radhyAllahu ‘anha) suffered mental tortures until the light of revelation set all doubts at rest. The revelation was Surah Nur, which began with the words:

“A surah which We have sent down and which We have ordained: in it We have sent down clear signs in order that ye may receive admonition.” – (Surah An-Nur: 1)

“Those who brought forward the lie are a body among yourselves;… To every man among them (will come punishment) of the sin that he earned, and to him who took the lead among them, will be grievous penalty.” – (Surah An-Nur: 11)

The last words obviously refer to Abdullah bin Ubayy, who was the first to raise the scandal and fan it. The revelation also asks the Muslims:

“Why did not the believers – men and women- when they heard of the affair, - put the best construction on it in their own minds and say: “this charge is an obvious lie”?” – (Surah An-Nur: 12)

And also:

“Behold, ye received it on your tongues, and said it out of your mouths things of which ye had no knowledge, and yet ye thought it to be a light matter while it was most serious in the sight of God.” – (Surah An-Nur: 15)

And then the calumniators were chastised in the most solemn and awesome words:

“Those who slander chaste women, indiscreet but believing, are cursed in this life and in the hereafter, for them is a grievous penalty.” – (Surah An-Nur: 23)

While the calumny was taken up by some indiscreet Muslims the main body of the society kept itself clear of it as was indicated from the attitude of   Abu Ayyub Ansari. When his wife told him of this obscene rumour he asked her, “O mother of Ayyub, would you have done any such thing if you were in place of Ayesha (radhyAllahu ‘anha)?” And on her firm negative reply he said, “Then Ayesha (radhyAllahu ‘anha) is much better than you. And if I were in a place of Safwan I could not have thought of it, and Safwan is a better Muslim than myself”.

In fact when Safwan heard the slandering verses of Hassan he flew into a rage and struck   Hassan with his sword. Sabit bin Qais happened to pass that way and he separated the two and took Safwan to the house of Bani Hars. The matter was then referred to the Prophet who cooled their tempers and asked Safwan to pay damage to Hassan for his sword cut.

When legal punishment was administered Mistah bin Asasa, Hassan bin Sabit and Hamna, daughter of Jahsh, offered themselves for punishment and cleared their guilt by receiving eighty strokes of the lash. Hassan further washed away his guilt by composing following verses:

“She is a chaste lady covered in veil

Above all doubts and suspicions

She disdains interfering with the respectability of chaste women.

Her manners are polite. God has sanctified her disposition

And purified her from sins and evils.

Whatever has so far been said about her does not fit her.

It was in fact a concocted story from a man who spiced it and told me.”

And the dignity and character of Ayesha (radhyAllahu ‘anha)  was enhanced to the highest degree after the incident as when the revelation on the subject concluded and Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) smilingly congratulated Ayesha (radhyAllahu ‘anha) that God had cleared her conduct. Her mother asked Ayesha (radhyAllahu ‘anha) to rise and thank the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) but the dignified reply of Ayesha (radhyAllahu ‘anha) was such that it could never come from guilty conscience. This is what she said on the occasion:

“I will thank neither the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), nor you, nor my father but my God who has cleared my character while none of you even rebutted the false charge”.