Ayesha reported,

When what was said about me was being said, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up to address the people, and I was unaware of it. He pronounced the testimony of faith, praised Allah and glorified Him as He deserves, then said, "To proceed. Advise me regarding people who have slandered my family. By Allah, I have never known anything but good of my wife. They have made accusations against a man about whom, by Allah, I have never known anything but good, and who has never entered my house except in my presence, and never accompanied me on a journey except that I was with him."Saad bin Muaz stood and said, "Messenger of Allah, we say strike off their necks."Then a man from the Khazraj stood up. The mother of Hassan bin Thabit was from this man's clan. He said, "You have lied. By Allah, if they had been from the Aws, you would not have wanted their necks struck off." It nearly came to violence between the Aws and the Khazraj inside the mosque, and I knew nothing of it.That evening I went out to relieve myself, with Umm Mistah accompanying me. She stumbled and said, "May Mistah perish."I said, "Why do you curse your son?"She fell silent. Then she stumbled a second time and said, "May Mistah perish."I said, "Why do you curse your son?"Then she stumbled a third time and said, "May Mistah perish."I rebuked her and said, "Why do you curse your son?"She said, "By Allah, I only curse him because of you."I asked, "On what account of mine?"So she told me the story.I said, "Has this really happened?"She said, "Yes, by Allah."I returned to my house, and the need for which I had gone out left me entirely. I felt nothing of it, neither slight nor strong, and I came down with a fever. I said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, "Send me to my father's house."So he sent the boy with me, and I entered the house and found Umm Ruman there. She said, "What has brought you here, my daughter?"I told her, and she said, "Make light of the matter, my daughter. By Allah, rarely is there a beautiful woman married to a man who loves her, and who has co-wives, except that they envy her and speak ill of her."I said, "Does my father know about it?"She said, "Yes."I said, "And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?"She said, "And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ."I broke down and wept. Abu Bakr heard my voice while he was upstairs reciting, so he came down and said to my mother, "What is the matter with her?"She said, "She has heard what has been said about her."His eyes filled with tears and he said, "I implore you, my daughter, return to your house."So I returned. My parents were with me, and they remained with me until the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came in to me after the afternoon prayer. My parents flanked me on my right and left. The Prophet ﷺ pronounced the testimony of faith, praised Allah and glorified Him as He deserves, then said, "To proceed. Ayesha, if you have committed a wrong and done injustice, repent to Allah , for Allah accepts the repentance of His servants."A woman from the Ansar had come and was sitting at the door. I said, "Have you no shame before this woman, that she should hear you say something?"I said to my father, "Answer him."He said, "What should I say?"I said to my mother, "Answer him."She said, "What should I say?"When neither of them answered him, I pronounced the testimony of faith, praised Allah and glorified Him as He deserves, then said, "To proceed. By Allah, if I tell you that I did not do it, and Allah ﷻ bears witness that I am truthful, that will not benefit me with you, for you have spoken of the matter and your hearts have absorbed it. And if I tell you that I did it, while Allah knows that I did not, you will say she has confessed to it against herself. By Allah, I find no comparison for myself and you except the father of Yusuf," and I could not recall his name, "Beautiful patience, and Allah is the One whose help is sought against what you describe" [Yusuf 12:18].At that moment revelation came down upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. When it lifted from him, I could see joy on his face as he wiped his brow and said, "Rejoice, Ayesha. Allah has revealed your innocence."I was at the height of my anger. My parents said to me, "Get up and go to him."I said, "By Allah, I will not get up and go to him, nor will I praise him, nor will I praise the two of you. You heard it and did not deny it nor change it. Rather, I praise Allah, who has revealed my innocence."The Messenger of Allah ﷺ had come to my house and asked the servant girl about me. She said, "No, by Allah, I know no fault in her except that she would fall asleep and the sheep would come in and eat her dough," or her leaven. Hisham was uncertain which.Some of his companions rebuked her and said, "Tell the Messenger of Allah ﷺ the truth," until they made the matter clear to her.Urwa said, "Whoever said that was reproached for it."She said, "No, by Allah, I know nothing about her except what a goldsmith knows about pure red gold."The matter reached the man who had been accused, and he said, "Glory be to Allah. By Allah, I have never uncovered the garment of any woman." He was later killed as a martyr in the cause of Allah.Ayesha said, "As for Zaynab bint Jahsh, Allah protected her by her religious commitment, and she said only what was good. As for her sister Hamna, she perished among those who perished."Those who spoke about the matter were the hypocrite Abdullah bin Ubayy, who would stir it up and gather it together, and he was the one who took the larger share of it among them, along with Mistah and Hassan bin Thabit.Abu Bakr swore that he would never again give Mistah any benefit. So Allah revealed, "And let not those of virtue among you and wealth" meaning Abu Bakr, "swear not to give to their relatives and the poor" meaning Mistah, "Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful" [Nur 24:22].Abu Bakr said, "Yes, by Allah, we do love that Allah forgive us." So Abu Bakr resumed providing for Mistah as he had been doing.

حدثنا أبو أسامة حدثنا هشام عن أبيه

عن عائشة قالت

لما ذكر من شأني الذي ذكر وما علمت به قام رسول الله ﷺ في خطيبا وما علمت به فتشهد فحمد الله عز وجل وأثنى عليه بما هو أهله ثم قال أما بعد أشيروا علي في ناس أبنوا أهلي وايم الله ما علمت على أهلي سوءا قط وأبنوهم بمن والله ما علمت عليه من سوء قط ولا دخل بيتي قط إلا وأنا حاضر ولا غبت في سفر إلا غاب معي فقام سعد بن معاذ فقال نرى يا رسول الله أن تضرب أعناقهم فقام رجل من الخزرج وكانت أم حسان بن ثابت من رهط ذلك الرجل فقال كذبت أما والله لو كانوا من الأوس ما أحببت أن تضرب أعناقهم حتى كادوا أن يكون بين الأوس والخزرج في المسجد شر وما علمت به فلما كان مساء ذلك اليوم خرجت لبعض حاجتي ومعي أم مسطح فعثرت فقالت تعس مسطح فقلت علام تسبين ابنك فسكتت فعثرت الثانية فقالت تعس مسطح فقلت علام تسبين ابنك ثم عثرت الثالثة فقالت تعس مسطح فانتهرتها فقلت علام تسبين ابنك فقالت والله ما أسبه إلا فيك فقلت في أي شأني فذكرت لي الحديث فقلت وقد كان هذا قالت نعم والله فرجعت إلى بيتي فكان الذي خرجت له لم أخرج له لا أجد منه قليلا ولا كثيرا ووعكت فقلت لرسول الله ﷺ أرسلني إلى بيت أبي فأرسل معي الغلام فدخلت الدار فإذا أنا بأم رومان فقالت ما جاء بك يا ابنته فأخبرتها فقالت خفضي عليك الشأن فإنه والله لقلما كانت امرأة جميلة تكون عند رجل يحبها ولها ضرائر إلا حسدنها وقلن فيها قلت وقد علم به أبي قالت نعم قلت ورسول الله ﷺ قالت ورسول الله ﷺ فاستعبرت فبكيت فسمع أبو بكر صوتي وهو فوق البيت يقرأ فنزل فقال لأمي ما شأنها قالت بلغها الذي ذكر من أمرها ففاضت عيناه فقال أقسمت عليك يا ابنته إلا رجعت إلى بيتك فرجعت وأصبح أبواي عندي فلم يزالا عندي حتى دخل علي رسول الله ﷺ بعد العصر وقد اكتنفني أبواي عن يميني وعن شمالي فتشهد النبي ﷺ فحمد الله وأثنى عليه بما هو أهله ثم قال أما بعد يا عائشة إن كنت قارفت سوءا وظلمت توبي إلى الله عز وجل فإن الله عز وجل يقبل التوبة عن عباده وقد جاءت امرأة من الأنصار فهي جالسة بالباب فقلت ألا تستحيي من هذه المرأة أن تقول شيئا فقلت لأبي أجبه فقال أقول ماذا فقلت لأمي أجيبيه فقالت أقول ماذا فلما لم يجيباه تشهدت فحمدت الله عز وجل وأثنيت عليه بما هو أهله ثم قلت أما بعد فوالله لئن قلت لكم إني لم أفعل والله ﷻ يشهد إني لصادقة ما ذاك بنافعي عندكم لقد تكلمتم به وأشربته قلوبكم ولئن قلت لكم إني قد فعلت والله عز وجل يعلم أني لم أفعل لتقولن قد باءت به على نفسها فإني والله ما أجد لي ولكم مثلا إلا أبا يوسف وما أحفظ اسمه {صبر جميل والله المستعان على ما تصفون} فأنزل على رسول الله ﷺ ساعتئذ فرفع عنه وإني لأستبين السرور في وجهه وهو يمسح جبينه وهو يقول أبشري يا عائشة فقد أنزل الله عز وجل براءتك فكنت أشد ما كنت غضبا فقال لي أبواي قومي إليه قلت والله لا أقوم إليه ولا أحمده ولا أحمدكما لقد سمعتموه فما أنكرتموه ولا غيرتموه ولكن أحمد الله الذي أنزل براءتي ولقد جاء رسول الله ﷺ بيتي فسأل الجارية عني فقالت لا والله ما أعلم عليها عيبا إلا أنها كانت تنام حتى تدخل الشاة فتأكل خميرتها أو عجينتها شك هشام فانتهرها بعض أصحابه وقال اصدقي رسول الله ﷺ حتى أسقطوا لها به قال عروة فعيب ذلك على من قاله فقالت لا والله ما أعلم عليها إلا ما يعلم الصائغ على تبر الذهب الأحمر وبلغ ذلك الرجل الذي قيل له فقال سبحان الله والله ما كشفت كنف أنثى قط فقتل شهيدا في سبيل الله قالت عائشة فأما زينب بنت جحش فعصمها الله عز وجل بدينها فلم تقل إلا خيرا وأما أختها حمنة فهلكت فيمن هلك وكان الذين تكلموا فيه المنافق عبد الله بن أبي كان يستوشيه ويجمعه وهو الذي تولى كبره منهم ومسطح وحسان بن ثابت فحلف أبو بكر أن لا ينفع مسطحا بنافعة أبدا فأنزل الله عز وجل {ولا يأتل أولو الفضل منكم والسعة} يعني أبا بكر {أن يؤتوا أولي القربى والمساكين} يعني مسطحا {ألا تحبون أن يغفر الله لكم والله غفور رحيم} فقال أبو بكر بلى والله إنا لنحب أن يغفر لنا وعاد أبو بكر لمسطح بما كان يصنع به