Why did the hypocrites accuse Mrs. Aisha of adultery?

 Dear brother, this is our 13th lecture on the female companions- the msh3er of believers, may Allah be pleased with them. Our lecture today is about Mrs. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, and we will tackle the incident of slander.
 Dear brother, the incident of the slander was the worst affliction which befell the Prophet PBUH, as the hypocrites aimed to fight the Prophet PBUH by damaging his great reputation.
Sometimes you may be aggressive towards someone by waging battle against him, or you may be aggressive towards him by defaming him. So, the incident of slander was, in one way or another, an attempt from the hypocrites to defame the Prophet PBUH, and consequently to defame this true religion.
 Actually, the battle between right and falsehood is eternal, because each party has loyalty; the believers show loyalty towards one another, while the people of immorality and debauchery show loyalty towards one another, therefore you should ask yourself whom are you loyal to? So, the one who shows loyalty towards the believers and disavowal towards infidels and hypocrites is by the Lord of Ka'bah a real believer, while the one who shows loyalty towards non-believers has weak faith.
 Thus, the hypocrites aimed to distort the image of Islam through tarnishing the reputation of the Prophet PBUH by accusing his wife of committing adultery.
 When did the incident of slander happen? It happened after Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul, the chief of hypocrites, said to the Prophet PBUH and his companions: feed your dog, one day it shall eat you (he meant it as an insult to the Prophet PBUH), by Allah, when we return to Al-Madinah, indeed the more honorable (he meant himself and the other hypocrites with him) will expel there from the meaner (he meant the Prophet PBUH and the Immigrants).
 He, the chief of hypocrites, also said (addressing Al-Ansar): What have you done for yourselves! You allowed Al-Muhajereen (the immigrants) to dwell in your country (Al-Madinah), and you shared your wealth with them! By Allah, if you bring what you are doing to an end, they will immigrate to another country.
 Actually, this is an act of displacement process, so the long-term goal from the incident of slander is to displace the immigrants to another country, through distorting the reputation of Islam, and through defaming the Prophet PBUH, by accusing his pure wife of committing adultery.
Allah the Almighty says:

"Verily, they are but plotting a plot (against you O Muhammad (Peace be upon him))* And I (too) am planning a plan."

[At-Tariq, 15-16]

 What do we deduce from this incident? We deduce that you, as a believer, should keep in your mind that there are people who are against you, who try to defame you or to damage your reputation, so this worldly life is an abode of affliction not an abode of reward, and human rank (in Paradise) is raised in accordance with the misfortune that befell him.

The incident of Slander according to authentic ahadith

 Dear brother, below is the incident of slander as was stated in authentic books of ahadith: Mrs. Aisha, May Allah be pleased with her, said:
 ((Whenever the Messenger of Allah PBUH wanted to go on a journey, he used to cast lots among his wives, and the one whose lot was drawn would go with him. So he drew lots among us with regard to a campaign he was going out on, and mine was drawn, so I went out with the Messenger of Allah"
 There is great wisdom behind being accompanied with your wife in travel, which is well known by married men. In fact, the Prophet PBUH is considered a law-giver in terms of his words, his actions, his approval, and his attributes. So, Whenever the Messenger of Allah PBUH wanted to go on a journey, even if it was an invasion, he used to cast lots among his wives, and the one whose lot was drawn would go with him.
 Ms. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: In those times women were more slender and not so heavy, they only ate mouthfuls of food. I used to sit in my Howdah (litter), and some people used to lift my howdah from its bottom, then they put it onto my camel, tie its ropes then take the camel's head, and lead it.
 The meaning of these words is quite clear, there was a Howdah in which Mrs. Aisha used to sit, while two men used to lift it onto her camel, to fasten it, to take it's halter, then to lead the camel along with the army.
 Mrs. Aisha said: "We traveled until the Prophet PBUH completed his campaign, then we returned. As we were approaching Al-Madinah, we paused there at night for a while, then they announced that the journey was to be resumed. When I heard this, I walked quickly away from the army to answer the call of nature "
 I stated earlier that the incident of slander was highly probable not to happen; i.e. I want to clarify to you that every event which occurred in the time of the Prophet PBUH was intended for itself, it did not happen by chance, rather each event was intended for itself in order that the Prophet PBUH took the perfect attitude, as his acts were legislation.
 Mrs. Aisha said:" Then they announced that the journey was to be resumed. When I heard this, I walked quickly away from the army to answer the call of nature, I was wearing a necklace in my neck, then I came back to my howdah."
 Had not Mrs. Aisha had the need to answer the call of nature, she would not have gone away, and the incident of slander would not have happened.
Allah the Almighty says:

"Verily! Those who brought forth the slander (against Mrs. 'Aisha, the wife of the Prophet PBUH) are a group among you. Consider it not a bad thing for you. Nay, it is good for you."

[An-Nur, 11]

 She said: " Then they announced that the journey was to be resumed. When I heard this, I walked quickly away from the army to answer the call of nature, I was wearing a necklace in my neck, then I came back to my howdah. Then I put my hand to my chest and noticed that the necklace, that was made of onyx and cornelian, had broken"
Which means: the thread of the necklace was cut so it fell down on the ground, had the thread been thicker, it would not have been cut, and accordingly the incident of slander would not have happened.
 "I came back to my howdaj. Then I put my hand to my chest and noticed that a necklace of mine that was made of onyx and cornelian had broken, so I went back and looked for it, and I was delayed because of that. In the meantime, the people who used to lift my howdah onto my camel came along and put it on the camel, thinking that I was inside it as usual"
 She was so underweight that the people who carried her Howdah did not notice her absence. Had they noticed that, the incident of slander would not have happened. Also, had she looked for it in a near place, the incident of slander would not have happened because they would have seen her. Hence, that incident was intended for itself.
 Actually, sometimes you may have a problem; so you should not say: had not I traveled, had not I taken this way, had not I ridden in this vehicle, and had not I wanted to travel, this problem would not have happened. The Prophet PBUH said:

((Everything has a reality, and the servant of Allah will not reach the reality of faith till he knows that whatever. Happened to him would have never missed him, and whatever missed him would never have occurred))

[Ahmad ]

  You will really find inner peace when you believe that if Allah wants something to happen, it occurs according to His Will

((Do not say: If only I have done such and such, rather say: ' Allah have ordained it, and everything happens according to His Will, because the Phrase 'if only' opens the door for Satan's work))

[Muslim]

 You, as a believer, should never say the phrase ' if only' because psychological stress comes from remorse; so the believer feel no remorse, wish (without work), sorrow, nor sadness; all of these meanings do not exist. So, this Hadith is very important one, because a teaching by actions is better than teaching by words, as the actions speak louder than words.
 It was possible that this incident might not happen, there are more than twenty reason, however, the events that occurred in the time of the Prophet PBUH were intended for themselves so that to be a legislation, and so that Mrs. Aisha became a good example for every woman who was defamed.
 She said: "In the meantime, the people who used to lift my howdah onto my camel came along and put it on the camel, thinking that I was inside. They did not think anything of the howdah being so light when they lifted it up, as I was a young woman. They set off, and I found my necklace after the army had moved on. Then I came back to the place where we had stopped, and I saw no one to call or answer, and people had left".
 Which means: she moved away, and when she returned to the place of Howdah, people had left the place, no one to call or answer.
 She said:" So I went to the place where I had been, thinking that the people would miss me and come back for me. While I was sitting there, I fell asleep. Then Safwan bin Al-Mu`attal As-Sulami noticed me".
 Dear brother, you should know for sure that everything happens according to Allah's Will, and according to extremely deep wisdom, in other words, we should know for sure that everything happens out of Allah's Will, and whatever Allah wants will happen for sure, Allah's Will is related to the ultimate wisdom, and the ultimate wisdom is related to the absolute goodness.
 That noble companion saw the outline of a person sleeping, as Mrs. Aisha wrapped herself in her gown in the place where they left her, he had rested during the night behind the army for some of his needs.
 Had not he had that need, he would not have rested during the night behind the army, and the incident of slander would not have happened, because if he was not late, they would return to take her after a while, and that incident would not have happened.
 She said: "Safwan had rested during the night behind the army. Then he set out just before daybreak and reached the place where I was in the morning, where he saw the outline of a person sleeping (as she was wrapped in her gown). He came to me and recognized me when he saw me, as he had seen me before Hijab was made obligatory for me. When he saw me and said `Truly, to Allah we belong, and truly, to Him we shall return, O the Prophet's wife, why are you here may Allah have mercy on you?" I did not speak a word to him, and I did not hear him say anything except `Truly, to Allah we belong, and truly, to Him we shall return,' until he brought his camel and made it kneel and went away so that I could ride upon it, then he set out leading the camel so that we caught up with the army.
 What could that noble companion do instead of that? He saw the mother of believers, the wife of the Prophet PBUH alone, wrapped in her garment, could he leave her and go? It is impossible for him to do that.
 She said: "When we came back to Al-Madinah, I was ill for a month, and the people were talking about what the people of the slander were saying, and I knew nothing about it, the Prophet PBUH and my parents knew about it but they did not tell me anything".
 They did not mention to her anything because they were absolutely convinced of her innocence. Actually, it is too hard for an innocent man to be accused, it is unbearable, so it is a great injustice to accuse someone falsely.
 She said: " What upset me when I was ill was that I did not see the kindness I used to see on the part of the Messenger of Allah PBUH. When I was ill; he would just come in and say:,(How is that (lady)), and he said nothing more, while in the past he used to say to me when I was ill: How is Uwaish".
 Uwaish is a name of endearment to Mrs. Aisha, and it is a custom to twist the name either by shortening or changing it to show affection. So, the Prophet PBUH used to say to Mrs. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her: how is Uwaish, while that day he said to her: how is the Lady
 She said: "That is what upset me, so I asked his permission to go to my parents’ house for the medical care so he allowed me. I did not feel that there was anything wrong until I went out after I felt better, and Umm Mistah went out with me, walking towards Al-Manasi`, which is where we used to go to relieve ourselves, and we would not go out for that purpose except at night. This was before we had lavatories close to our houses; our habit was similar to that of the early Arabs in that we went out into the deserts to relieve ourselves, because we considered it troublesome and harmful to have lavatories in our houses. So I went out with Umm Mistah, who was the daughter of Abu Ruhm bin Al-Muttalib bin `Abd Manaf, and her mother was the daughter of Sakhr bin `Amir, the maternal aunt of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq. Her son was Mistah bin Uthathah bin `Abbad bin Al-Muttalib. When we finished what we had to do, the daughter of Abu Ruhm Umm Mistah and I came back towards my house. Umm Mistah stumbled over her apron and said, `May Mistah be ruined!"
 Now, Mrs. Aisha heard about the news for the first time, she did not see the kindness she used to see on the part of the Prophet PBUH which was relatively a kind of disaffection, because he PBUH used to say to her " How is Uwaish" while on that day he said: "How is the Lady". So, the sensitive good-hearted human being feels the slightest changes, so she asked the permission of the Prophet PBUH to go to her parents' house so he PBUH allowed her. So, while they were on their way to the dessert to relieve themselves, that woman said: May Mistah be ruined!"
Mrs. Aisha said: I said to her, `What a bad thing you have said! Are you abusing a man who was present at Badr"
 Mrs. Aisha knew nothing about that matter, because all what happened was that a noble companion saw the mother of believers alone in the road, so he asked her to ride upon his camel, then he set out leading the camel so that they caught up with the army.
 " She said, `Good grief, have you not heard what he said' I said, `What did he say' So she told me what the people of the slander were saying"
 She was accused of committing adultery with Safwan bin Al-Mu`attal As-Sulami. Actually, the incident of slander was possible not to happen, but Allah wanted it to occur, and the evidence of this is mentioned in the noble ayah below in which Allah the Almighty says:

"Verily! Those who brought forth the slander (against 'Aisha, the wife of the Prophet) are a group among you. Consider it not a bad thing for you. Nay, it is good for you."

[An-Nur, 11]

 likewise, dear brother, you should compare any adversity to this Hadith, Allah the Almighty says:

"Jihad (holy fighting in Allah's Cause) is ordained for you (Muslims) though you dislike it, and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know."

[Al-Baqarah, 216]

 Allah the Almighty is kind to whatever He wants; so Allah turns the human from one condition to another, from one level to another, from one rank to another, and from one position to another, He disciplines, refines, encourages, strengthens, and supports human, and gives him deep experience, how could human become fully mature? After a set of experience, each of which is gained after a tragedy, or after suffering a big problem.
 Once, Prophet Moses asked Allah not to have any enemy, but Allah the Almighty said that it could not happen! So, you should know that every human has an enemy, because the battle between right and falsehood is eternal, if you show loyalty to the people of truth and faith, the infidels will be against you.
 She said:" I asked astonishingly: did that happen?! she said yes, by Allah, it happened".
 Mrs. Aisha was terribly shocked at hearing the news, she said: "I cried so much that I thought my liver would burst from all that weeping."
 It is too hard for a noble pure lady to be accused of committing immorality.
 She said: "So, I went to my parents and asked my mother, `O my mother, what are the people talking about? Why you did not tell me anything about it?' My mother said, `Calm down, for by Allah, there is no beautiful woman who is loved by her husband and has co-wives but those co-wives would find fault with her".
 Which means: this is a common thing that occurs out of envy, because the envier lays charges blindly against the one whom he envies to satisfy himself from him.
 She said: Then the Prophet PBUH addressed people, while I did not know anything about that, saying:

(O Muslims, who will help me against a man who has hurt me by slandering my family By Allah, I know nothing about my family but good, and the people are blaming a man of whom I know nothing except good, and he has never entered upon my family except with me.)

  The Prophet PBUH was deeply hurt because they terribly wronged him by doubting the chastity of his wife.
 She said: The one who had the greater share therein was `Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul, with some people from Al-Khazrage tribe, along with Mistah."
 This means some of the companions were hurt, sh3er went soft on this matter, while many hypocrites were quite delighted, and they spoke too much against Mrs. Aisha, not to mention that they liked spreading immorality among the believers.
 Mrs. Aisha said: So, while my parents were sitting with me and I was weeping, a woman from Al-Ansar asked for permission to see me. I let her in, and she sat and wept with me. While we were in that state, the Messenger of Allah came in, greeted us and sat down. He had never sat with me since the rumors began, and a month had passed by without any revelation coming to him concerning my case. The Messenger of Allah reauthord the Tashahhud when he sat down, then he said,

(Thereafter, O `Aisha, I have been told such and such a thing about you, and if you are innocent, then Allah will reveal your innocence, but if you have committed a sin, then seek Allah's Forgiveness and turn in repentance to Him, for when a servant confesses his sin and repents to Allah, He accepts his repentance.)

 When the Messenger of Allah finished what he had to say, my tears stopped completely and I did not longer feel even one drop. Then I said to my father, `Answer the Messenger of Allah on my behalf.' He said, `I do not know what I should say to the Messenger of Allah.' So I said to my mother, `Answer the Messenger of Allah on my behalf.' She said, `I do not know what I should say to the Messenger of Allah. By Allah, at that point I knew I was innocent and that Allah would prove my innocence, but by Allah, I did not think that Allah would reveal Qur'an that would be forever reauthord concerning my situation, because I thought of myself as too insignificant for Allah to reveal anything concerning me. But I hoped that the Messenger of Allah would see a dream in which Allah would prove my innocence."
 She thought that Allah the Almighty would prove her innocence by showing the Prophet PBUH a dream, or Allah the Almighty would prove the innocence of this noble lady in a way or another, she said: " I did not think that Allah would reveal Qur'an that would be forever reauthord concerning my situation, because I thought of myself as too insignificant for Allah to reveal anything concerning me."
 She said: I said to my parents, `Answer the Messenger of Allah on my behalf.' they said, `we do not know what we should say to the Messenger of Allah.
 They had no answer because it was a great adversity, a heavy charge against a chaste pure lady, her husband was the Prophet PBUH, the Messenger of Allah, her father was Abu Bakr, her mother was Um Roman, all of them were great people. So, Mrs. Aisha is a good example for every innocent woman who is accused of immortality.
 She said: "By Allah, there was no family who had such a great adversity like the family of Abu Bakr in those days."
 Actually, life is full of tribulations, and there are some afflictions that are only known by Allah (that are too great), and the most afflicted among people are the prophets, follow them the lower ranked best, then the lowest ranked best of people.
 Human is put under trials according to his faith; i.e. if his faith is deep, then he is tested more severely, and this trial raises his rank in the Sight of Allah the Almighty.
 When the noble Prophet PBUH said to her:

(Thereafter, O `Aisha, I have been told such and such a thing about you, and if you are innocent, then Allah will reveal your innocence, but if you have committed a sin, then seek Allah's forgiveness and turn in repentance to Him, for when a servant confesses his sin and repents to Allah, He accepts his repentance.)

 She said: When the Messenger of Allah finished what he had to say, my tears stopped completely and I did not longer feel even one drop. Then I said to my father, `Answer the Messenger of Allah on my behalf.' He said, `I do not know what I should say to the Messenger of Allah.' So I said to my mother, `Answer the Messenger of Allah on my behalf.' She said, `I do not know what I should say to the Messenger of Allah.' So even though I was just a young girl who had not memorized much of the Qur'an, I said: `By Allah, I know that you have heard so much of this story that it has become planted in your minds and you believe it. So now if I tell you that I am innocent -- and Allah knows that I am innocent -- you will not believe me; but if I admit something to you -- and Allah knows that I am innocent -- you will believe me. By Allah, I cannot find any example to give you except for that which the Prophet Yusuf's father said:(Nay, but your own selves have made up a tale. So (for me) patience is most fitting. And it is Allah (Alone) Whose help can be sought against that which you assert.) ?

 Dear brother, I always say to you: grief is productive, because sometimes trials and tribulations make real men and women, so calamities are very serious like a standard, because when someone had great troubles, he/she became after it a real great person, Allah the Almighty says:

"Nay, but your own selves have made up a tale. So (for me) patience is most fitting. And it is Allah (Alone) Whose help can be sought against that which you assert."

[Yusuf, 18]

  She said: By Allah, the Messenger of Allah did not move from where he was sitting and no one left the house before Allah sent down revelation to His Prophet, and he was overtaken by the state that always overtook him when the revelation came upon him, we covered himself by his garment, and I put a pillow of leather under his head. When I saw that I was not afraid because I knew that I was innocent, and Allah will not be unjust to me, but my parents, by Allah Whom my soul is in His hand, were scared to death that Allah would affirm what people said."
 She was free from worry because she knew that she was innocent, while her parents showed great concern that the Revelation would confirm that rumor.
 She said: " When that state passed, the Prophet PBUH sat, and drops of sweat like pearls would run down him, even on a winter's day; this was because of the heaviness of the words which were being revealed to him, he mopped the sweat from his brow, smiled, and said:

(Be glad O `Aisha, Allah has declared your innocence.)

 Many times, human being feels that no one will help him except Allah the Almighty. Once, I heard one friend of mine saying: All praise be to Allah for His Existence. Actually, Allah the Almighty knows the truth, so if you are sound-hearted, righteous, and innocent then do not fear except Allah because He will reveal your innocence.
 Then Mrs. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, thanked Allah, and the Prophet PBUH addressed people and reauthor upon them what was revealed to him in regard to that incident.
There is a comment on this incident, Mrs. Aisha said:" My mother said to me, `Get up and go to the Prophet PBUH.' I said, `By Allah, I will not go to him and I will not give praise to anyone except Allah, may He be glorified, for He is the One Who has proven my innocence.', The Prophet PBUH smiled and said:

((She really knew The One Who is praise worthy))

The ayaat which proved Mrs. Aisha's innocence:

 Dear brother, below are the ayaat which proved the innocence of the believing, pure, and honest lady who was the daughter of Al-Siddiq, Allah the Almighty says:

" Verily! Those who brought forth the slander (against 'Aisha, the wife of the Prophet) are a group among you. Consider it not a bad thing for you. Nay, it is good for you. Unto every man among them will be paid that which he had earned of the sin, and as for him among them who had the greater share therein, his will be a great torment."

[An-Nur, 11]

 I clarified to you earlier that Tawheed (the oneness of Allah) does not annul the responsibility; i.e. attributing everything to Allah (believing that everything happens according to Allah's Will) does not mean that those who spread that rumor will not be held accountable, Allah the Almighty says:

" And as for him among them who had the greater share therein, his will be a great torment."

[An-Nur, 11]

 Allah the Almighty says:

" Why then, did not the believers, men and women, when you heard it (the slander) think good of their own people"

[An-Nur, 12]

 So, thinking good of your brother in faith, is a sign of your faith. Allah the Almighty says:

"Why then, did not the believers, men and women, when you heard it (the slander) think good of their own people and say: "This (charge) is an obvious lie?" * Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they (the slanderers) have not produced witnesses! Then with Allah they are the liars. * Had it not been for the Grace of Allah and His Mercy unto you in this world and in the Hereafter, a great torment would have touched you for that whereof you had spoken."

[An-Nur, 12-14]

  Dear brother, this chaste believing lady, may Allah be pleased with her, was put under test by Allah the Almighty in the most precious thing she owned; her chastity, she showed patience and asked the reward from Allah, so Allah the Almighty revealed her innocence.
 What do we deduce from this incident?
 Dear brother, we deduce from this incident that Allah is the truth, and He will definitely expose the truth, so if you are sure of your innocence and uprightness, Allah the Almighty will defend you, but beware not to be in a place or in a situation which arouses people's suspicions about you, then you blame them for that. For example, when the Prophet PBUH was walking with his wife Safiyyah, he met two Companions from Al-Ansar who were passing by. They sped up their pace when they saw him. He called them and said: " This is my wife Safiyyah"
We Learn from this incident that we should be extremely transparent, as it was said: transparency expels Satan.
 So, you should accustom yourself not to do anything that may have many explanations, you should avoid such things, but if it happens out of your will, you should clarify your intention and your purpose, so we should follow the method of the Prophet PBUH when he said: " This is my wife Safiyyah"
 You should not let people to lay charges against sh3er, for example: if someone wants to travel, and asks his brother in law to visit his wife from time to time to be reassured of her situation, then he should inform his neighbors that he will travel, and the sister of his wife will visit her from time to time, in order not to arouse their suspicions.
 Also, If you were asked by your friend to wait for him at his shop till he gets back from running some errands, you shouldn’t stay silent, for example, if your friend enters the shop while you were trying to exchange your 500 bill for 5 bills of one hundred each from him drawer, rather you should clarify to him that you was exchanging your money, it is better not to do that while he is outside the shop, lest Satan whispers to him that you were stealing from his money. Thus, you should accustom yourself not to perform any deed that could be interpreted in many ways, you should clarify and explain everything because, as I have just mentioned, transparency expels Satan.
 Once, I was in a shop, the shop owner was well known for his uprightness, he had an interior room in his shop, and there was a merchant from Aleppo in his shop, who was also a scholar, then a women entered his shop, he welcomed her warmly, and she did not seem to be a customer, I said to myself 'perhaps she is his sister' because I thought good of him, while that scholar from Aleppo was annoyed, after she left the shop, the shop owner told us that she was his sister, so you should be transparent.
 While it is not accepted in Islam to be in a suspicious situation, then blame people for laying charges against you. You should consider the relationships with your neighbors, your family, and your business partners. You should always clarify things and make them clear, you should not let people to defame you, as the hypocrites used to spread vicious rumors among people in Al-Madinah. So there is a great lesson for the believers in this incident.

Actually, we can deduce three lessons from this incident:

 The first lesson: When Allah wants something it will happen for sure.
 The second one: If you are on the right, Allah the Almighty will prove your innocence.
 The third one: you should not be in a suspicious situation, then blame people for arousing suspicions against you.