Ayesha reported,

Whenever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ intended to set out on a journey, he would draw lots among his wives, and whichever one's lot came out, he would take her with him.Ayesha said, "He drew lots among us before a military expedition, and my lot came out, so I went with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ after the verse of the veil had been revealed. I was carried in my howdah and lowered down still inside it. We traveled until the Messenger of Allah ﷺ finished that expedition and turned back. As we drew near Medina on the return journey, he announced one night that we would resume the march. When they made the announcement, I got up and walked beyond the army.After I had relieved myself, I came back to my mount and felt at my chest, only to discover that a necklace of mine made of Zafar onyx had broken and fallen. I went back and searched for it, and the search detained me. The men who used to load my howdah came, lifted it, and placed it on the camel I usually rode, assuming I was inside. Women in those days were light, not heavy or fleshy, since they ate only small amounts of food. So the men noticed nothing strange about the howdah's lightness when they raised and loaded it. Besides, I was a young girl. They drove the camel and set off.I found my necklace only after the army had moved on. When I came to their campsite, there was no one there to call to and no one to answer. So I made for the spot where I had been, thinking they would miss me and come back for me. While I was sitting there, my eyes overcame me and I fell asleep.Safwan bin Muattal al-Sulami, then al-Zakwani, had been traveling behind the army. He came upon my place by morning and saw the dark shape of a sleeping person. He recognized me when he saw me, for he had seen me before the verse of the veil was revealed. I awoke at his saying 'Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun' when he recognized me, and I covered my face with my outer garment. By Allah, we did not exchange a single word, nor did I hear anything from him besides those words. He brought his camel down, stepped on its foreleg, and I stood and mounted it. He set off leading the camel until we reached the army, which had halted at midday in the heat.Then those who were doomed to perish concerning me perished. The one who took the lead in spreading the slander was Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul."Urwa said, "I was told that this slander was being spread and talked about in his presence, and he would approve of it, listen to it, and stir it up further."Urwa also said, "None of those who slandered her were named except Hassan bin Thabit, Mistah bin Uthatha, and Hamna bint Jahsh, along with others I know nothing about, except that they were a band, as Allah the Exalted said. The chief of them is said to have been Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul."Urwa said, "Ayesha used to dislike Hassan being cursed in her presence, and she would say, 'He is the one who said,My father, his father, and my honor Are a shield for the honor of Muhammad among you.'"Ayesha continued, "We arrived in Medina, and after my arrival I fell ill for a month while the people were spreading the words of the slanderers, of which I was completely unaware. What troubled me during my illness was that I did not see from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ the kindness I used to see from him whenever I was sick. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would just enter, greet, and ask, 'How is that one of yours?' Then he would leave. That troubled me, but I sensed no evil until I went out, after I had recovered, with Umm Mistah toward al-Manasi, which was where we relieved ourselves. We would only go out at night, and this was before we had latrines built near our houses. Our practice was the practice of the early Arabs in the open country regarding relieving ourselves, and we found it disagreeable to have latrines built next to our homes.So I and Umm Mistah set out. She 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 al-Siddiq, and her son was Mistah bin Uthatha bin Abbad bin al-Muttalib. Umm Mistah and I came back toward my house after we had finished our business, and Umm Mistah stumbled in her wrap and said, 'May Mistah perish.'I said to her, 'What an evil thing you have said! Are you cursing a man who fought at Badr?'She said, 'My dear girl, have you not heard what he has said?'I said, 'What has he said?'She told me what the slanderers were saying, and my illness only grew worse. When I returned home, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came in to me, greeted me, and said, 'How is that one of yours?'I said to him, 'Will you allow me to go to my parents?' I wanted to verify the news from them.The Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave me permission, and I said to my mother, 'Mother, what are people saying?'She said, 'My little daughter, take it easy. By Allah, there has hardly ever been a beautiful woman with a husband who loves her, and who has fellow-wives, without their saying much against her.'I said, 'Glory be to Allah! Have people really been talking about this?'I cried that whole night until morning. My tears did not cease, and no sleep came to my eyes. Then in the morning I was still crying.The Messenger of Allah ﷺ called Ali bin Abu Talib and Usama bin Zayd when the revelation was delayed, to ask them and consult them about divorcing his wife. As for Usama, he advised the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in line with what he knew of the innocence of his family and what he felt for them in his heart. Usama said, 'They are your family, and we know nothing but good of them.'As for Ali, he said, 'Messenger of Allah, Allah has not restricted you, and women besides her are many. Ask her maidservant, she will tell you the truth.'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ called Barira and said, 'Barira, have you ever seen anything that aroused your suspicion?'Barira said to him, 'By Him who sent you with the truth, I have never seen anything in her that I would fault, except that she is a young girl who falls asleep over her family's dough so the household sheep comes and eats it.'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up that day and, on the pulpit, asked for support against Abdullah bin Ubayy. He said, 'Muslims, who will support me against a man who has hurt me concerning my family? By Allah, I know nothing of my family except good, and they have mentioned a man of whom I know nothing but good, and who never enters my family's quarters except with me.'Saad bin Muaz, of the Banu Abd al-Ashhal, stood up and said, 'I will support you, Messenger of Allah. If he is from the Aws, I will strike off his neck. If he is from our brothers of Khazraj, you give us your command, and we will carry it out.'Then a man from the Khazraj stood up. The mother of Hassan was a cousin of his from his clan. This was Saad bin Ubada, the chief of the Khazraj. He had been a righteous man before that, but tribal zeal carried him away. He said to Saad, 'You have lied, by Allah! You will not kill him, and you have no power to kill him. If he were from your own clan, you would not want him killed.'Then Usayd bin Hudayr, who was Saad's cousin, stood up and said to Saad bin Ubada, 'You have lied, by Allah! We will surely kill him. You are a hypocrite arguing on behalf of the hypocrites.'The two tribes, Aws and Khazraj, became aroused until they were on the verge of fighting, while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was standing on the pulpit. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ kept calming them down until they fell silent, and he himself was silent.I cried that whole day. My tears did not cease, and no sleep came to my eyes. My parents were with me in the morning. I had cried for two nights and a day without my tears stopping or any sleep coming, until I thought weeping would split my liver. While my parents were sitting with me and I was crying, a woman of the Ansar asked permission to enter, and I gave her leave. She sat down and wept with me.While we were like that, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered upon us, greeted, and sat down. He had not sat with me since the slander began, and a month had passed without any revelation coming to him about my affair. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited the testimony of faith when he sat down, then said, 'Now then, Ayesha, such and such has reached me about you. If you are innocent, Allah will declare your innocence. If you have committed a sin, then seek Allah's forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance, for when a servant confesses and then repents, Allah accepts his repentance.'When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ finished speaking, my tears stopped completely until I could not feel a single drop. I said to my father, 'Answer the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for me regarding what he has said.'My father said, 'By Allah, I do not know what to say to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.'I said to my mother, 'Answer the Messenger of Allah ﷺ regarding what he has said.'My mother said, 'By Allah, I do not know what to say to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.'So I said, though I was a young girl who had not read much of the Quran, 'By Allah, I know that you have heard this story until it has settled in your minds and you have believed it. If I tell you I am innocent, and Allah knows I am innocent, you will not believe me. If I confess to something, and Allah knows I am innocent of it, you will believe me. By Allah, I find no comparison for me and you except the father of Yusuf when he said, "Rather, your souls have enticed you to something, so patience is most fitting. And Allah is the One sought for help against what you describe" [Yusuf 12:18].'Then I turned away and lay down on my bed. Allah knew that I was innocent at that moment and that He would clear me by my innocence. But by Allah, I did not think that Allah would send down a revelation about my affair to be recited. I considered myself too insignificant for Allah to speak about me with words. I had only hoped that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would see a vision in his sleep through which Allah would clear my name.By Allah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had not left his seat, and no one in the household had gone out, before revelation came down on him. He was overcome by what used to seize him, and the sweat began to roll off him like pearls, though it was a cold day, from the weight of the words being sent down upon him.When the state passed from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he was laughing. The first thing he said was, 'Ayesha, as for Allah, He has cleared you.'My mother said to me, 'Get up and go to him.'I said, 'By Allah, I will not get up and go to him, and I will praise none but Allah .'Allah the Exalted sent down, "Indeed, those who came with the slander are a band among you" [Nur 24:11], the ten verses. Allah revealed these concerning my innocence.Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, who used to provide for Mistah bin Uthatha because of his kinship to him and his poverty, said, 'By Allah, I will never spend anything on Mistah after what he said about Ayesha.'Then Allah revealed, "Let not those of virtue among you and wealth swear not to give to their relatives..." up to His words "...and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful" [Nur 24:22].Abu Bakr al-Siddiq said, 'Yes, by Allah, I do indeed love that Allah should forgive me.' So he restored to Mistah the support he had been giving him and said, 'By Allah, I will never withhold it from him.'"Ayesha continued, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ had asked Zaynab bint Jahsh about my affair. He said to Zaynab, 'What did you know, or what did you see?'She said, 'Messenger of Allah, I guard my hearing and my sight. By Allah, I know nothing but good.'"Ayesha said, "She was the one among the Prophet's ﷺ wives who used to vie with me, and Allah protected her through her piety. Her sister Hamna, however, took up the fight on her behalf, and so she was destroyed among those who were destroyed."Ibn Shihab said, "This is what has reached me of the report from this group."Then Urwa said, "Ayesha said, 'By Allah, the man about whom what was said was said used to say, ‘Glory be to Allah! By Him in whose hand my soul is, I have never uncovered the garment of any woman.’" She said, "He was later killed in the way of Allah."

عن عائشة قالت

كان رسول الله ﷺ إذا أراد سفرا أقرع بين أزواجه، فأيهن خرج سهمها، خرج بها رسول الله ﷺ معه. قالت عائشة: فأقرع بيننا في غزوة غزاها، فخرج فيها سهمي، فخرجت مع رسول الله ﷺ بعد ما أنزل الحجاب، فكنت أحمل في هودجي، وأنزل فيه، فسرنا حتى إذا فرغ رسول الله ﷺ من غزوته تلك، وقفل، دنونا من المدينة قافلين، آذن ليلة بالرحيل، فقمت حين آذنوا بالرحيل، فمشيت حتى جاوزت الجيش. فلما قضيت شأني أقبلت إلى رحلي، فلمست صدري، فإذا عقد لي من جزع ظفار قد انقطع، فرجعت، فالتمست عقدي، فحبسني ابتغاؤه، قالت: وأقبل الرهط الذين كانوا يرحلوني، فاحتملوا هودجي، فرحلوه على بعيري الذي كنت أركب عليه، وهم يحسبون أني فيه، وكان النساء إذ ذاك خفافا لم يهبلن، ولم يغشهن اللحم، إنما يأكلن العلقة من الطعام، فلم يستنكر القوم خفة الهودج حين رفعوه، وحملوه، وكنت جارية حديثة السن، فبعثوا الجمل، فساروا، ووجدت عقدي، بعد ما استمر الجيش، فجئت منازلهم، وليس بها منهم داع ولا مجيب، فتيممت منزلي الذي كنت به وظننت أنهم سيفقدوني، فيرجعون إلي، فبينا أنا جالسة في منزلي غلبتني عيني، فنمت، وكان صفوان بن المعطل السلمي ثم الذكواني من وراء الجيش، فأصبح عند منزلي، فرأى سواد إنسان نائم، فعرفني حين رآني، وكان رآني قبل الحجاب، فاستيقظت باسترجاعه حين عرفني، فخمرت وجهي بجلبابي، والله ما تكلمنا بكلمة، ولا سمعت منه كلمة غير استرجاعه، وهوى حتى أناخ راحلته، فوطئ على يدها فقمت إليها، فركبتها، فانطلق يقود بي الراحلة حتى أتينا الجيش موغرين في نحر الظهيرة وهم نزول. قالت: فهلك في من هلك، وكان الذي تولى كبر الإفك عبد الله بن أبي ابن سلول. قال عروة: أخبرت أنه كان يشاع ويتحدث به عنده، فيقره، ويستمعه ويستوشيه. وقال عروة أيضا: لم يسم من أهل الإفك أيضا إلا حسان بن ثابت ومسطح بن أثاثة وحمنة بنت جحش في ناس آخرين، لا علم لي بهم غير أنهم عصبة، كما قال الله تعالى، وإن كبر ذلك يقال له عبد الله بن أبي ابن سلول. قال عروة: كانت عائشة تكره أن يسب عندها حسان، وتقول إنه الذي قال: فإن أبي ووالده وعرضي لعرض محمد منكم وقاء قالت عائشة: فقدمنا المدينة، فاشتكيت حين قدمت شهرا، والناس يفيضون في قول أصحاب الإفك، لا أشعر بشيء من ذلك، وهو يريبني في وجعي أني لا أعرف من رسول الله ﷺ اللطف الذي كنت أرى منه حين أشكو، إنما يدخل علي رسول الله ﷺ، فيسلم، ثم يقول: كيف تيكم؟ ثم ينصرف، فذلك يريبني، ولا أشعر بالشر حتى خرجت حين نقهت، فخرجت مع أم مسطح قبل المناصع، وكان متبرزنا، وكنا لا نخرج إلا ليلا إلى ليل، وذلك قبل أن نتخذ الكنف قريبا من بيوتنا، قالت: وأمرنا أمر العرب الأول في البرية قبل الغائط، وكنا نتأذى بالكنف أن نتخذها عند بيوتنا، قالت: فانطلقت أنا وأم مسطح-وهي ابنة أبي رهم بن المطلب بن عبد مناف، وأمها بنت صخر بن عامر خالة أبي بكر الصديق، وابنها مسطح بن أثاثة بن عباد بن المطلب- فأقبلت أنا وأم مسطح قبل بيتي حين فرغنا من شأننا، فعثرت أم مسطح في مرطها، فقالت: تعس مسطح. فقلت لها: بئس ما قلت! أتسبين رجلا شهد بدرا؟ فقالت: أي هنتاه! ولم تسمعي ما قال، قالت: وقلت: ما قال؟ فأخبرتني بقول أهل الإفك، قالت: فازددت مرضا على مرض، فلما رجعت إلى بيتي دخل علي رسول الله ﷺ فسلم، ثم قال: كيف تيكم؟ فقلت له: أتأذن لي أن آتي أبوي؟ قالت: وأريد أن أستيقن الخبر من قبلهما. قالت: فأذن لي رسول الله ﷺ، فقلت لأمي: يا أمتاه! ماذا يتحدث الناس؟ قالت: يا بنية! هوني عليك، فوالله، لقلما كانت امرأة قط وضيئة عند رجل يحبها لها ضرائر إلا أكثرن عليها، قالت: فقلت: سبحان الله! أولقد تحدث الناس بهذا. قالت: فبكيت تلك الليلة حتى أصبحت، لا يرقأ لي دمع، ولا أكتحل بنوم، ثم أصبحت أبكي. قالت: ودعا رسول الله ﷺ علي بن أبي طالب، وأسامة بن زيد حين استلبث الوحي يسألهما، ويستشيرهما في فراق أهله، قالت: فأما أسامة، فأشار على رسول الله ﷺ بالذي يعلم من براءة أهله، وبالذي يعلم لهم في نفسه، فقال أسامة: أهلك ولا نعلم إلا خيرا. وأما علي، فقال: يا رسول الله! لم يضيق الله عليك، والنساء سواها كثير، وسل الجارية تصدقك. قالت: فدعا رسول الله ﷺ بريرة، فقال: أي بريرة! هل رأيت من شيء يريبك؟ قالت له بريرة: والذي بعثك بالحق، ما رأيت عليها أمرا قط أغمصه، غير أنها جارية حديثة السن، تنام عن عجين أهلها، فتأتي الداجن، فتأكله. قالت: فقام رسول الله ﷺ من يومه، فاستعذر من عبد الله بن أبي وهو على المنبر، فقال: يا معشر المسلمين! من يعذرني من رجل قد بلغني عنه أذاه في أهلي، والله ما علمت على أهلي إلا خيرا، ولقد ذكروا رجلا ما علمت عليه إلا خيرا، وما يدخل على أهلي إلا معي. قالت: فقام سعد بن معاذ أخو بني عبد الأشهل، فقال: أنا، يا رسول الله! أعذرك، فإن كان من الأوس ضربت عنقه، وإن كان من إخواننا من الخزرج أمرتنا، ففعلنا أمرك. قالت: فقام رجل من الخزرج (وكانت أم حسان بنت عمه من فخذه) وهو سعد بن عبادة، وهو سيد الخزرج. قالت: وكان قبل ذلك رجلا صالحا، ولكن احتملته الحمية، فقال لسعد: كذبت لعمر الله! لا تقتله، ولا تقدر على قتله، ولو كان من رهطك ما أحببت أن يقتل، فقام أسيد بن حضير-وهو ابن عم سعد- فقال لسعد بن عبادة: كذبت لعمر الله! لنقتلنه، فإنك منافق تجادل عن المنافقين. قالت: فثار الحيان: الأوس والخزرج حتى هموا أن يقتتلوا، ورسول الله ﷺ قائم على المنبر، قالت: فلم يزل رسول الله ﷺ يخفضهم حتى سكتوا، وسكت، قالت: فبكيت يومي ذلك كله لا يرقأ لي دمع، ولا أكتحل بنوم، قالت: وأصبح أبواي عندي، وقد بكيت ليلتين ويوما لا يرقأ لي دمع، ولا أكتحل بنوم حتى إني لأظن أن البكاء فالق كبدي، فبينا أبواي جالسان عندي وأنا أبكي، فاستأذنت علي امرأة من الأنصار، فأذنت لها، فجلست تبكي معي، قالت: فبينا نحن على ذلك دخل رسول الله ﷺ علينا، فسلم، ثم جلس، قالت: ولم يجلس عندي منذ قيل ما قيل قبلها، وقد لبث شهرا لا يوحى إليه في شأني بشيء، قالت: فتشهد رسول الله ﷺ حين جلس، ثم قال: أما بعد، يا عائشة! إنه بلغني عنك كذا وكذا، فإن كنت بريئة، فسيبرئك الله، وإن كنت ألممت بذنب، فاستغفري الله، وتوبي إليه، فإن العبد إذا اعترف ثم تاب تاب الله عليه. قالت: فلما قضى رسول الله ﷺ مقالته قلص دمعي حتى ما أحس منه قطرة، فقلت لأبي: أجب رسول الله ﷺ عني فيما قال، فقال أبي: والله ما أدري ما أقول لرسول الله ﷺ، فقلت لأمي: أجيبي رسول الله ﷺ فيما قال، قالت أمي: والله ما أدري ما أقول لرسول الله ﷺ فقلت-وأنا جارية حديثة السن، لا أقرأ من القرآن كثيرا- إني والله! لقد علمت لقد سمعتم هذا الحديث حتى استقر في أنفسكم، وصدقتم به، فلئن قلت لكم: إني بريئة لا تصدقوني، ولئن اعترفت لكم بأمر والله يعلم أني منه بريئة لتصدقني، فوالله لا أجد لي ولكم مثلا إلا أبا يوسف حين قال: {وجاءوا على قميصه بدم كذب قال بل سولت لكم أنفسكم أمرا فصبر جميل والله المستعان على ما تصفون} [يوسف: ١٨]، ثم تحولت، واضطجعت على فراشي، والله يعلم أني حينئذ بريئة، وأن الله مبرئي ببراءتي، ولكن والله ما كنت أظن أن الله منزل في شأني وحيا يتلى، لشأني في نفسي كان أحقر من أن يتكلم الله في بأمر، ولكن كنت أرجو أن يرى رسول الله ﷺ في النوم رؤيا يبرئني الله بها، فوالله ما رام رسول الله ﷺ مجلسه، ولا خرج أحد من أهل البيت حتى أنزل عليه، فأخذه ما كان يأخذه من البرحاء حتى إنه ليتحدر منه من العرق مثل الجمان وهو في يوم شات، من ثقل القول الذي أنزل عليه. قالت: فسري عن رسول الله ﷺ وهو يضحك، فكانت أول كلمة تكلم بها أن قال: يا عائشة! أما الله، فقد برأك. قالت: فقالت لي أمي: قومي إليه، فقلت: والله لا أقوم إليه، ولا أحمد إلا الله عز وجل. قالت: وأنزل الله تعالى: {إن الذين جاءوا بالإفك عصبة منكم} العشر الآيات. ثم أنزل الله هذا في براءتي. قال أبو بكر الصديق-وكان ينفق على مسطح بن أثاثة لقرابته منه وفقره-: والله لا أنفق على مسطح شيئا أبدا بعد الذي قال لعائشة ما قال، فأنزل الله: {ولا يأتل أولو الفضل منكم}-إلى قوله- {والله غفور رحيم} [سورة النور: ٢٢] قال أبو بكر الصديق: بلى والله إني لأحب أن يغفر الله لي، فرجع إلى مسطح النفقة التي كان ينفق عليه. وقال: والله لا أنزعها منه أبدا. قالت عائشة: وكان رسول الله ﷺ سأل زينب بنت جحش عن أمري، فقال لزينب: ماذا علمت أو رأيت؟ فقالت: يا رسول الله! أحمي سمعي وبصري، والله ما علمت إلا خيرا. قالت عائشة: وهي التي كانت تساميني من أزواج النبي ﷺ، فعصمها الله بالورع، قالت: وطفقت أختها حمنة تحارب لها، فهلكت فيمن هلك. قال ابن شهاب: فهذا الذي بلغني من حديث هؤلاء الرهط. ثم قال عروة: قالت عائشة: والله إن الرجل الذي قيل له ما قيل ليقول: سبحان الله! فوالذي نفسي بيده ما كشفت من كنف أنثى قط. قالت: ثم قتل بعد ذلك في سبيل الله.