Aisha, the wife of the Prophet ﷺ, narrated: When the people of slander said about me what they said, Allah revealed my innocence. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ intended to go on a journey, he would draw lots amongst his wives, and whomever's lot came out, he would take her with him. So he drew lots amongst us for a battle he went out for, and my lot came out so I went out with him after the Hijab was revealed. I was carried in my howdah and taken down in it. And so we journeyed on until, when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ finished with that battle, we set out to return and drew near to Medina. He announced departure at night, so I got up and walked until I had passed the army. When I had finished [relieving myself], I came back to the camp but felt my chest to find that a necklace of mine made from onyx beads had broken [and fallen off]. I went back to look for my necklace, and my searching for it delayed me. Those who were saddling my camel went ahead, assuming I was in [the howdah]. At that time, women were light [in weight] because they hadn’t put on much flesh – they only ate a mouthful of food – so the people did not notice the howdah’s lightness when they lifted it up. They carried it away while I was a young girl. When I found my necklace after the army had moved on, I came to their campsite, but there was no one there. I stayed where I had been, thinking that they would miss me and come back for me. As I sat there, my eyes were overcome with sleep, and I fell asleep. Safwan ibn al-Mu’attal as-Sulami, who was then adh-Dhakwani, was behind the army, and he reached my campsite in the morning. He saw the form of a sleeping person. He had seen me before the hijab was prescribed, so he recognized me when he saw me. I woke up startled upon hearing him say “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un” recognizing me, and I covered my face with my Jilbab. By Allah! I did not speak to him even a word nor did I hear from him a word besides his saying "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.” He then made his camel kneel down and put his foot on its forelegs so that I could mount it. He set off, leading the camel I was riding until we caught up with the army when they had stopped at noontime. Those who perished then perished. The one who had taken the lead in spreading the slander was `Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul. We arrived at Medina, and I remained ill for a month. People were spreading the statements of the slanderers, and I was unaware of anything of that matter. What distressed me the most was that I did not find the same kindness from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that I used to experience from him when I got sick. He would only enter [my apartment], greet [me] and say, “How is that [person] doing?” I did not feel that he treated me with the same kindness as before. Until one night, I went out with Umm Mistah bint Abi Ruhm to al-Manasi’, which was our place to answer the call of nature at night. This was before we had lavatories close to our houses. We used to relieve ourselves like the early Arabs, in open places. Umm Mistah and I were walking along, and she stumbled over her waist-wrapper and said, “May Mistah be cursed!” I said to her, “What a bad thing to say! Are you cursing a man who was present at Badr?” She said, “O my dear! Haven’t you heard what they are saying?” And she told me what the people of slander were saying. So my illness was compounded with grief. When I returned home, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to visit me and said, “How is that [person] doing?” I said to him, “Will you permit me to go to my parents?” – for I wanted confirmation about the rumors from them. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave me permission, and I went to my parents. I said to my mother, “O my mother! What are the people talking about?” She said, “O my daughter, take it easy! By Allah! If there is a woman who is beautiful and her husband loves her and she has co-wives, they will always speak ill of her.” I said, “Glory be to Allah! Are the people really talking about that?!” So I cried the entire night until morning – my tears never stopped, nor did I sleep a wink. In the morning, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ summoned ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib and Usama ibn Zayd as the Revelation was delayed. He consulted them about divorcing his wife. Usama ibn Zayd spoke of what he knew about the good character [of the Prophet’s wives] and said, “O Messenger of Allah! They are your wives, and we do not know anything about them except good.” As for ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, he said, “O Messenger of Allah, Allah has not made it difficult for you; there are many women other than her. Ask the slave-girl; she will tell you the truth.” So, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ called Barira and said, “O Barira! Did you ever see anything which aroused your suspicion [about ‘Aisha]?” She said, “No, by the One Who has sent you with the truth! The only fault I know of her is that she is a young girl who sometimes falls asleep while kneading her dough, so the domestic goats come and eat it!” On that day, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up and sought refuge from Allah from ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, saying, “Who will relieve me of this man who has hurt me with regard to my family? By Allah, I do not know anything about my family except good. They even accused a man about whom I do not know anything but good, and he never entered my house except in my company.” Sa’d ibn Mu’adh stood up and said, “O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, I will relieve you of him. If he is from the Aws, then we will strike his neck! And if he is from our brethren, the Khazraj, then command us, and we will do what you order us to do.” Then Sa’d ibn ‘Ubadah stood up; he had been a righteous man before that, but tribalism incited him and he said, “By Allah, you have lied! You will not kill him, and you will never be able to do so!” Upon that, Usayd ibn Hudayr got up and said, “Indeed you have lied, by Allah! We will certainly kill him; you are a hypocrite who defends the hypocrites!” Then, both tribes – the Aws and Khazraj – were enraged and became furious while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was on the pulpit trying to calm them down until they settled down. I spent that day crying so much that my tears wouldn’t dry, nor could I get any sleep. By morning, I was at my parents’ home, having cried all night and day, until I felt like my liver would burst from crying. While we were sitting there and I was weeping, a woman from the Ansar asked permission to enter and I let her in. She sat down and cried with me. As we were like that, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered, and he sat down. He had not sat with me since the day the accusation was made against me. He had not received any revelation concerning me for an entire month! He then said, “O ‘Aisha! I have heard such-and-such about you. If you are innocent, then Allah will reveal your innocence. But if you have committed a sin, then repent to Allah and ask for His forgiveness, for when a person confesses their sins and repents, Allah accepts their repentance.” When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ finished his speech, my tears dried up to the point that I couldn’t feel a single tear. I said to my father, “Respond to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on my behalf regarding what he has said.” He replied, “By Allah, I do not know what to say to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.” Then I said to my mother, “Respond to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on my behalf.” She said, “By Allah, I do not know what to say to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.” I was a young girl and did not know much of the Qur’an. So I said, “By Allah! I understand that you have heard this story, and that it has settled within your hearts, and you have believed it. If I were to tell you that I am innocent – and Allah knows that I am innocent – you would not believe me. And if I were to confess to something that Allah knows I am innocent of, you would believe me! By Allah! I cannot find any comparison for my situation except that of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph), when he said: {So [for me] patience is most fitting. And it is Allah, to whom I ask for help against that which you describe.}” Then I turned on my side and lay on my bed. I hoped that Allah would reveal my innocence, but by Allah! I never thought that He would reveal a revelation concerning me, for I considered myself insignificant for the Qur’an to be revealed about me. However, I was hoping that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would see something in a dream by which Allah would prove my innocence. By Allah! The Messenger of Allah ﷺ had not left his seat, and no one had left the house, when Allah's Inspiration came to His Messenger, and the usual signs of inspiration came over him – he breathed heavily on a very hot day until drops of sweat like pearls were rolling down his face. When that state of inspiration was over and he was relieved, the first word he uttered with a smile was, “Be happy, O ‘Aisha! Allah has declared your innocence!” My mother said to me, “Get up and [go] to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ!” But I said, “By Allah, I will not get up and go to him! I will not praise anyone but Allah!” So Allah revealed: {Indeed, those who came with falsehood are a group among you…} When Allah revealed those verses about my innocence, Abu Bakr As-Siddiq – who used to support Mistah because of his kinship with him – said, “By Allah, I will never support Mistah with anything after what he has said about ‘Aisha!” So Allah revealed: {And let not those of virtue and wealth among you swear not to give [any longer] to their relatives and the poor and the emigrants in the cause of Allah…} until {…And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.} Thereupon, Abu Bakr said, “By Allah! I love that Allah should forgive me.” So he resumed supporting Mistah as he used to. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ had asked Zaynab bint Jahsh about me, and she said, “O Messenger of Allah! I protect my hearing and my sight! By Allah, I know nothing except good about her.” She used to compete with me [for the love of the Prophet], but Allah protected her because of her piety.
Umm ul Momineen Ayesha Radi Allahu Anha bayan karti hain keh jab logon ne mere bare mein ghalat baatein phelaeen to Allah Ta'ala ne meri bar'aat ke liye aayatein nazil farmaeen. Jab bhi Rasul Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam safar ka irada farmate to apni azwaj mein qur'a andazi farmate aur jis ka naam qur'a mein nikalta use apne saath le jate. Chunancha Aap Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ne ek ghazwa ke liye humare darmiyaan qur'a andazi farmaee to mera naam qur'a mein nikal aaya aur hijab ke farz hone ke baad mein Aap Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ke saath rawana huee. Mujhe hoj mein bithaya jata aur isi mein utara jata. Hum is safar par rawana hue, jab Rasul Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is jang se farigh hue to hum wapsi ke liye nikle aur Madinah ke qareeb pahunche. Aap Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ne raat ko rawangi ka elan farmaya, to mein uthi aur chalti rahi yahan tak ke mein lashkar se aage nikal gayee. Jab mein farigh ho kar wapas aayee to lashkar gah mein wapas aayee lekin apne seene par haath rakha to mehsoos kiya ke siyah motiyon ka mera haar toot gaya hai [aur gir gaya hai]. Mein apna haar dhoondne ke liye wapas chali gayee, aur use dhoondne mein mujhe dair ho gayee. Mere oont ko zeen karne wale yeh samajh kar ke mein [hoj] mein hoon, aage barh gaye. Is zamane mein auratein halki phulki hoti thi kyunke woh zyada gosht nahin khati thi – woh sirf ek luqma khati thi – is liye logon ne hoj ke halke pan ko mehsoos nahin kiya jab unhon ne use uthaya. Woh use le gaye jabke mein ek chhoti si larki thi. Jab mujhe apna haar lashkar ke chale jane ke baad mila to mein un ke parao par aayee to wahan koi nahin tha. Mein jahan thi wahin thehri rahi, yeh soch kar ke woh mujhe yaad karenge aur mere liye wapas aayenge. Jaise hi mein wahan baithi, meri aankhon mein neend chha gayee aur mein so gayee. Safwan bin Mu'attal Salmi jo is waqt Zikwani kehlate the, lashkar ke peeche the aur woh subah mere parao par pahunche. Unhon ne ek soye hue shakhs ki shakal dekhi. Unhon ne mujhe hijab ke farz hone se pehle dekha tha is liye jab unhon ne mujhe dekha to mujhe pehchan liya. Jab mein ne unhen "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un" kehte hue suna to chaunk kar uth baithi, aur mein ne apna chehra apne jilbab se dhaanp liya. Al DNA! Na to mein ne un se ek lafz bhi kaha aur na hi un se "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un" kehne ke siwa ek lafz bhi suna. Phir woh apne oont ko ghutnon ke bal bitha diya aur apne paaon is ke agle pairon par rakh liye taake mein is par sawar ho jaon. Woh chal para, is oont ki nakel thame hue jis par mein sawar thi yahan tak ke hum dopahar ke waqt lashkar mein ja mile jab woh ruke the. Jo halaq hue woh halaq hue. Is buhtan pheilane wala Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul tha. Hum Madinah pahunche, aur mein ek mah tak bimar rahi. Log buhtan tarashon ki baatein pheilate rahe aur mujhe is mamle ki kuch khabar na thi. Sab se zyada takleef mujhe is baat ki thi ke Rasul Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ki taraf se mujhe woh shafqat nahin mili jo mujhe bimar hone par Aap Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam se milti thi. Aap Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam sirf [mere hujre] mein dakhil hote, [mujhe] salam karte aur kehte, "Yeh [shakhs] kaisi hai?" Mujhe aisa nahin laga ke Aap Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ne mere saath pehle jaisa hi sulook kiya. Yahan tak ke ek raat mein Umm Mistah bint Abi Ruhm ke saath manasi gayee, jo raat ke waqt qaza e hajat ke liye humari jagah thi. Yeh is se pehle ki baat hai jab humare gharon ke qareeb bait ul khala hote the. Hum ibtidai arabon ki tarah khuli jagahon par qaza e hajat ke liye jaya karte the. Mein aur Umm Mistah chal rahe the ke woh apni chadar mein uljhi gayeen aur kehne lagin, "Mistah par lanat ho!" Mein ne un se kaha, "Kitni buri baat kehne wali! Kya tum is shakhs ko bura bhala keh rahi ho jo Badr mein maujood tha?" Is ne kaha, "Aye mere pyaare! Kya tum ne nahin suna ke woh kya keh rahe hain?" Aur unhon ne mujhe bataya ke buhtan tarashne wale log kya keh rahe hain. Is tarah meri bimari gham ke saath barh gayee. Jab mein ghar wapas aayee to Rasul Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam mujh se milne aaye aur kaha, "Yeh [shakhs] kaisi hai?" Mein ne Aap Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam se kaha, "Kya Aap mujhe mere walidain ke paas jane ki ijazat denge?" – Kyunke mein un se afwahon ki tasdeeq karna chahti thi. Rasul Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ne mujhe ijazat de di, aur mein apne walidain ke paas chali gayee. Mein ne apni walida se kaha, "Aye meri maan! Log kya keh rahe hain?" Unhon ne kaha, "Aye meri beti, aaram karo! Allah ki qasam! Agar koi aurat khoobsurat hai aur us ka shohar use pyaar karta hai aur us ki sauteli maan hai to woh hamesha us ke bare mein buraee karegi." Mein ne kaha, "Allah ki shaan hai! Kya log waqai yeh baat kar rahe hain?!" To mein sari raat subah tak roti rahi – mere aansu kabhi nahin rukte the aur na hi mujhe palak jhapakee aayee. Subah Rasul Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ne Ali bin Abi Talib aur Usama bin Zaid Radi Allahu Anhuma ko bulaya kyunke wahi mein takheer ho rahi thi. Aap Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ne un se apni biwi ko talaq dene ke bare mein mashwara kiya. Usama bin Zaid Radi Allahu Anhu ne [Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ki azwaj] ke achhe akhlaq ke bare mein apni raaye di aur kaha, "Aye Allah ke Rasul! Woh Aap ki biwiyan hain, aur hum un ke bare mein achchaee ke siwa kuch nahin jante." Jahan tak Ali bin Abi Talib Radi Allahu Anhu ka ta'aluq hai to unhon ne kaha, "Aye Allah ke Rasul! Allah ne Aap par mushkil nahin ki hai. Un ke ilawa bahut si auratein hain. Loundi se poochho woh tumhen sach bataegi." Chunancha Rasul Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ne Barirah Radi Allahu Anha ko bulaya aur farmaya, "Aye Barirah! Kya tum ne kabhi aisi koi cheez dekhi hai jis ne tumhen ['Ayesha] ke bare mein shak paida kiya ho?" Is ne kaha, "Nahin, is zaat ki qasam jis ne Aap ko haq ke saath bheja hai! Mein un mein sirf ek hi kharabi janti hoon ke woh ek chhoti larki hain jo kabhi kabhi apna aata goondhte hue so jati hain, is liye gharelu bakriyan aa kar use kha jati hain!" Is din Rasul Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam khade hue aur Allah bin Ubayy bin Salul se Allah ki panaah maangi aur farmaya, "Kaun mujhe is shakhs se nijaat dilaega jis ne mere ahl e khana ke bare mein mujhe takleef di hai? Allah ki qasam! Mein apne ghar walon ke bare mein achchaee ke siwa kuch nahin janta. Unhon ne ek aise shakhs par bhi ilzaam lagaya hai jis ke bare mein mein achchaee ke siwa kuch nahin janta, aur woh mere ghar mein kabhi mere saath dakhil nahin hua siwae mere saath." Sa'd bin Mu'adh Radi Allahu Anhu khade hue aur kaha, "Aye Allah ke Rasul! Allah ki qasam! Mein tumhen is se nijaat dilaunga. Agar woh Aus se hai to hum is ki gardan maar denge! Aur agar woh humare bhaiyon, yani Khazraj se hai, to humein hukum den, aur hum Aap Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ka hukum manenge." Phir Sa'd bin 'Ubadah Radi Allahu Anhu khade hue woh is se pehle nek insaan the lekin qabila parasti ne unhen uksaya aur unhon ne kaha, "Allah ki qasam! Tum ne jhoot bola hai! Tum use nahin maro ge aur tum kabhi aisa nahin kar sako ge!" Is par, Usaid bin Hudair Radi Allahu Anhu uthe aur kaha, "Be shak tum ne jhoot bola hai, Allah ki qasam! Hum zaroor use qatl karenge tum munafiq ho jo munafiqon ka difa' karte ho!" Phir, donon qabile – Aus aur Khazraj – ghusse mein aa gaye aur ghazabnak ho gaye jabke Rasul Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam mimbar par khade unhen pur sukoon karne ki koshish kar rahe the jab tak ke woh pur sukoon nahin ho gaye. Mein ne woh din itna roya ke mere aansu khushk na hote the aur na hi mujhe neend aati thi. Subah tak, mein apne walidain ke ghar par thi, sari raat aur din roti rahi, yahan tak ke mujhe laga ke mera jigar rote rote phat jaega. Jab hum wahan baithe the aur mein ro rahi thi to Ansar ki ek aurat ne andar aane ki ijazat maangi to mein ne use andar aane diya. Woh baith gayee aur mere saath royi. Jab hum is halat mein the to Rasul Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam tashreef laaye aur baith gaye. Woh is din se mere saath nahin baithe the jis din mujh par ilzaam lagaya gaya tha. Aap Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam par poora ek mahina meri taraf se koi wahi nazil nahin huee thi! Phir Aap Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ne farmaya, "Aye Ayesha! Mein ne tumhare bare mein aisi aur aisi baatein suni hain. Agar tum be gunaah ho to Allah tumhari bar'aat zahir kar dega. Lekin agar tum ne koi gunah kiya hai to Allah se tauba karo aur is se maafi mango, kyunke jab insaan apne gunahon ka e'tiraf karta hai aur tauba karta hai to Allah us ki tauba qubool karta hai." Jab Rasul Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ne apni taqreer khatam ki to mere aansu is had tak khushk ho chuke the ke mujhe ek aansu bhi mehsoos nahin hua. Mein ne apne walid se kaha, "Rasul Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ko jo kuch kehna hai is ka jawab meri taraf se den." Unhon ne jawab diya, "Allah ki qasam! Mujhe nahin maloom ke Rasul Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam se kya kahon." Phir mein ne apni maan se kaha, "Rasul Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ko meri taraf se jawab do." Is ne kaha, "Allah ki qasam! Mujhe nahin maloom ke Rasul Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam se kya kahon." Mein ek chhoti si larki thi aur mujhe Quran zyada nahin aata tha. To mein ne kaha, "Allah ki qasam! Mein samajh gayee hoon ke tum ne yeh kahani sun li hai aur yeh tumhare dilon mein baith gayee hai aur tum ne is par yaqeen kar liya hai. Agar mein tum se kahon ke mein be qusoor hoon – aur Allah janta hai ke mein be qusoor hoon – to tum mera yaqeen nahin karo ge. Aur agar mein aisi kisi cheez ka e'tiraf karoon jo Allah janta hai ke mein be qusoor hoon to tum mera yaqeen karo ge! Allah ki qasam! Mujhe apni surat e haal ka koi muqabla nahin mil sakta siwae Hazrat Yusuf Alaihissalam ke, jab unhon ne kaha tha: {To [mere liye] sabr karna hi behtar hai. Aur jo kuch tum bayan karte ho is ke muqabile mein mein Allah hi se madad mangta hoon.}" Phir mein karwat le kar apne bistar par lait gayee. Mujhe umeed thi ke Allah meri bar'aat zahir karega, lekin Allah ki qasam! Mein ne kabhi nahin socha tha ke woh mere bare mein koi wahi nazil karega, kyunke mein apne aap ko itna aham nahin samajhti thi ke mere bare mein Quran nazil ho. Taham, mujhe umeed thi ke Rasul Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam khwab mein kuch aisa dekhenge jis se Allah meri bar'aat sabit kar dega. Allah ki qasam! Rasul Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam apni jagah se nahin hatte the aur ghar se koi nahin nikla tha ke Allah Ta'ala ki taraf se Aap Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam par wahi nazil hone lagi aur wahi ki jo alamat Aap Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam par hua karti thi woh zahir hone lagin – Aap Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam garmi ke dinon mein is qadar tez tez saans lete the ke paseene ke qatre motiyon ki tarah Aap Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ke chehre se tapakte the. Jab wahi ki woh kefiyat khatam huee aur Aap Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ko sukoon mila to muskuraate hue sab se pehla lafz yeh kaha, "Khush ho jao aye Ayesha! Allah ne tumhen be gunaah qarar de diya hai!" Meri walida ne mujh se kaha, "Utho aur Rasul Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ke paas [jao]!" Lekin mein ne kaha, "Allah ki qasam! Na to mein uthon gi aur na hi un ke paas jaon gi! Mein Allah ke siwa kisi ki tareef nahin karoon gi!" To Allah Ta'ala ne farmaya: {Be shak woh log jo jhoot le kar aaye hain woh tumhari hi jama'at mein se hain...} Jab Allah Ta'ala ne meri bar'aat ke bare mein yeh aayatein nazil farmaeen to Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq Radi Allahu Anhu – jo Hazrat Mistah Radi Allahu Anha ki himayat un ki rishtedari ki wajah se karte the – ne kaha, "Allah ki qasam! Ayesha Radi Allahu Anha ke bare mein jo kuch unhon ne kaha hai is ke baad mein kabhi bhi Mistah Radi Allahu Anha ki himayat nahin karoonga!" To Allah Ta'ala ne farmaya: {Aur tum mein se jo log sahib e fazl aur sahib e daulat hain unhen yeh qasam na khayen ke woh apne rishtedaron aur miskeeno aur Allah ki rah mein hijrat karne walon ko [ab] kuch nahin denge...} Yahan tak ke {...Aur Allah bakhshne wala aur nihayat reham karne wala hai.} Is par Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq Radi Allahu Anhu ne farmaya, "Allah ki qasam! Mujhe yeh baat bahut pasand hai ke Allah mujhe maaf kar de." Chunancha woh Hazrat Mistah Radi Allahu Anha ki himayat karne lage jaisa ke pehle karte the. Rasul Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ne Zainab bint Jahsh Radi Allahu Anha se mere bare mein poochha tha to unhon ne kaha, "Aye Allah ke Rasul! Mein apni sama'at aur apni basarat ki hifazat karti hoon! Allah ki qasam! Mein un ke bare mein achchaee ke siwa kuch nahin janti." Woh mere saath [Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ki mohabbat ke liye] muqabla karti thi, lekin Allah Ta'ala ne un ki taqwa ki wajah se un ki hifazat farmaee.