Ayesha reported,

Whenever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ intended to set out on a journey, he would draw lots among his wives, and whichever of them was chosen by lot would accompany him.Ayesha said, "He cast lots among us before a military expedition he was undertaking, and the lot fell to me, so I went out with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ after the verse of the veil had been revealed. I was carried in my howdah and set down in it. We traveled until the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had finished that expedition and was returning. As we drew near Madinah, he announced one night that we would resume the march. When the announcement to depart was made, I rose and walked until I had passed beyond the army. After I had relieved myself, I came back to my mount and felt my chest, only to find that a necklace of mine, made of Zafar onyx beads, had broken off. So I went back and searched for my necklace, and my search detained me.The men who used to load my howdah came and lifted it up, placing it on the camel I rode, assuming I was inside. Women in those days were light, not heavy or fleshy, for they ate only small amounts of food. So the men did not notice the lightness of the howdah when they raised it and loaded it. Besides, I was a young girl. They drove the camel forward and went on. I found my necklace after the army had moved on, and I came to their camp, but there was no one there to call to or 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 grew heavy and I fell asleep. Now Safwan bin Muattal al-Sulami, then al-Zakwani, had been behind the army. He came upon my resting place in the morning and saw the form of a sleeping person. He recognized me when he saw me, for he had seen me before the veil was prescribed. I awoke at his utterance of 'Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun' when he recognized me. I covered my face with my outer garment. By Allah, we did not exchange a single word, nor did I hear from him any word other than that phrase. He dismounted and made his camel kneel, stepping on its foreleg, and I rose and mounted it. He led the camel along until we reached the army, which had halted in the heat of midday. Then those who were destined to perish did perish, and the one who took on the greatest share of the slander was Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul."Urwa said, "I was told that the slander was spoken in his presence, and he would confirm it, listen to it, and stir it up further."Urwa also said, "None of those who spread the slander were named except Hassan bin Thabit, Mistah bin Uthatha, and Hamna bint Jahsh, along with others I do not know about, except that they were a group as Allah the Exalted said. The chief of them, it is said, was Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul."Urwa said, "Ayesha disliked it when Hassan was cursed in her presence and would say, 'He is the one who said,My father, his father, and my own honor are a shield for the honor of Muhammad against you.'"Ayesha said, "We arrived in Madinah, and after our arrival I fell ill for a month while the people were busy spreading the talk of the slanderers, though I was unaware of any of it. What raised my suspicion during my illness was that I did not feel from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ the tenderness I used to receive from him whenever I was sick. He would only come in, greet us, and ask, 'How is that one of yours?' Then he would leave. This troubled me, but I did not perceive any wrongdoing.When I had recovered somewhat, I went out with Umm Mistah toward al-Manasi, the place where we relieved ourselves. We did not go out except from one night to the next, and this was before we had latrines built near our houses. Our practice was that of the early Arabs in the open country regarding relieving ourselves, and we found it troublesome to have latrines near our houses.So I set out with Umm Mistah, who was the daughter of Abu Ruhm bin Muttalib bin Abd Manaf. 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 Muttalib. Umm Mistah and I came back toward my house when we had finished. Umm Mistah stumbled in her wrap and said, 'May Mistah perish.'I said to her, 'What an evil thing to say. Are you cursing a man who fought at Badr?'She replied, 'My dear, have you not heard what he said?'I asked, 'What did he say?'Then she told me what the slanderers had been saying, and my illness grew worse upon my illness.When I returned home, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came in, greeted me, and asked, 'How is that one of yours?'I said to him, 'Will you give me leave to go to my parents?' I wanted to verify the news from them. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave me permission, and I went.I asked my mother, 'Mother, what are the people saying?'She said, 'My little daughter, take it easy. By Allah, rarely is there a beautiful woman with a husband who loves her and whose co-wives do not multiply slander against her.'I said, 'Glory be to Allah, are people really saying this?' I wept that night until morning came without my tears stopping or my eyes finding any sleep. Then I awoke still weeping."She continued, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ called Ali bin Abu Talib and Usama bin Zayd when the revelation was delayed, to consult them about parting from his wife.As for Usama, he advised the Messenger of Allah ﷺ according to what he knew of his wife's innocence and the affection he felt for them. Usama said, 'She is your wife, and we know nothing but good of her.'But Ali said, 'Messenger of Allah, Allah has not restricted you. There are many women besides her. Ask the maidservant, and she will tell you the truth.'So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ called Barira and asked, 'Barira, have you ever seen anything from her that aroused your suspicion?'Barira said to him, 'By the One who sent you with the truth, I have never seen anything in her to find fault with, except that she is a young girl who falls asleep over her family's dough, so the household animal comes and eats it.'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then stood up that day and sought support against Abdullah bin Ubayy from the pulpit. He said, 'Muslims, who will support me against a man whose harm against my family has reached me? By Allah, I know nothing of my family but good. They have mentioned a man of whom I know nothing but good, and he never enters upon my family except in my company.'Saad bin Muaz, of 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 head, and if he is from our brothers the Khazraj, you have only to command us and we will carry out your order.'Then a man of the Khazraj stood up. The mother of Hassan was his cousin, of his clan. He was Saad bin Ubada, the chief of the Khazraj. He had been a righteous man before this, but tribal zeal carried him away, and he said to Saad, 'You lie, by Allah's life. You shall not kill him, nor are you able to kill him. Had he been from your own clan, you would not have wished him killed.'Then Usayd bin Hudayr, who was Saad's cousin, stood up and said to Saad bin Ubada, 'You lie, by Allah's life. We shall surely kill him. You are a hypocrite arguing on behalf of the hypocrites.'The two tribes, the Aws and the Khazraj, were stirred up until they nearly came to blows, while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood on the pulpit. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ kept calming them until they grew quiet and he too fell silent.I wept that whole day, my tears not stopping nor my eyes finding any sleep. My parents were with me. I had wept two nights and a day, my tears not stopping nor my eyes finding any sleep, until I thought weeping would split my liver. While my parents were sitting with me as I wept, a woman of the Ansar asked permission to enter. I admitted her, and she sat weeping with me.While we were like that, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came in to us, greeted us, and sat down. He had not sat with me since what had been said was said, and a month had passed without any revelation coming to him concerning my affair. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave 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 you innocent, and 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 turns to him in mercy.'When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had finished his words, my tears dried up until I could not feel a single drop. I said to my father, 'Answer the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on my behalf concerning 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 concerning 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, and I was a young girl who had not memorized much of the Quran, 'By Allah, I know that you have heard this story until it has settled in your hearts and you have believed it. If I tell you I am innocent, and Allah knows I am innocent, you will not believe me. And if I confess to something, while Allah knows I am innocent of it, you will believe me. By Allah, I find no comparison for myself and you except the father of Yusuf when he said, "So patience is most fitting, and Allah is the One whose help is sought against what you describe" [Yusuf 12:18].'Then I turned away and lay down on my bed. Allah knew I was innocent at that moment and that He would declare my innocence. But by Allah, I never thought that Allah would send down concerning my affair a revelation to be recited, for my own affair seemed too insignificant to me for Allah to speak about it in revelation. I only hoped that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would see in his sleep a vision by which Allah would clear me. By Allah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had not yet left his seat, nor had any member of the household gone out, when revelation came down upon him. He was seized by what used to seize him of intense difficulty, until drops of sweat like pearls poured down from him, even on a cold day, from the weight of what was being revealed to him.When the state passed from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he was smiling, and the first words he spoke were, 'Ayesha, Allah has declared you innocent.'My mother said to me, 'Get up and go to him.'I said, 'By Allah, I will not get up to him, and I praise none but Allah .'"Allah the Exalted then revealed "Indeed, those who came with the slander are a group among you" [Nur 24:11], the ten verses that follow. Allah revealed all of this concerning my innocence.Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, who used to provide for Mistah bin Uthatha because of his kinship and his poverty, said, "By Allah, I will never spend anything on Mistah again after what he said about Ayesha."So Allah revealed, "And let not those of virtue among you and wealth swear not to give to their relatives... and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful" [Nur 24:22].Abu Bakr al-Siddiq said, "Yes, by Allah, I do 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 withdraw it from him."Ayesha said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ had asked Zaynab bint Jahsh about my affair. He said to Zaynab, 'What do you know or what have you seen?'She said, 'Messenger of Allah, I protect my hearing and my sight. By Allah, I know nothing but good.' She was the one among the Prophet's wives ﷺ who used to vie with me, but Allah preserved her through her piety. Her sister Hamna, however, fought on her behalf, and so she perished among those who perished."Ibn Shihab said, "This is what reached me of the account of these people."Then Urwa said, "Ayesha said, 'By Allah, the man about whom what was said was said used to say, Glory be to Allah, by the One in whose hand is my soul, I have never lifted the garment of any woman.' He was later killed in the cause 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 ودنونا 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 محيب، 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 يشاء ويتحدث به عنده، فيقره ويستمعه ويستوشيه. وقال عروة أيضا: لم يسم من أهل الإفك أيضا إلا حسان بن ثابت، ومسطح بن أناثة، وحمنة بنت جحش في ناس آخرين، لا علم لي بهم، غير أنهم عصبة- كما قال الله تعالى- وإن كبر ذلك يقال 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 يريني في وجعي أني لا أعرف من رسول الله ﷺ اللطف الذي كنت أرى منه حين أشتكي إنما يدخل على 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 تتأذي بالكتف 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 أولم تسمعي ما قال؟ قالت: وقلت: ما قال؟ فأخبرتني بقول أهل الإفك. قالت: فازددت مرضا على مرضي، فلما رجعت إلى بيني دخل على 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 كثرن عليها. قالت: فقلت: سبحان الله، أولقد تحدث الناس بهذا؟ قالت: فبكيت تلك الليلة، حتى أصبحت لا يرقا لي دمع ولا أكتحل بنوم، ثم أصبحت أبكي- قالت: ودها 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 على فقال: يا رسول الله لم يضيق الله عليك، والنساء سواها كثير، وسل الجارية تصدقك. قالت: فدعا رسول الله ﷺ بريرة، فقال: أي بريرة هل رأيتِ 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 فعلنا 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 سكنوا وسكت، قالت: فبكيت يومي ذلك كله، لا يرقأ لي دمع ولا أكتحل بنوم، قالت: وأصبح أبواي عندي، وقد بكيت ليلتين ويوما، لا يرقا لي دمع ولا أكتحل بنوم، حتى إني لأظن أن البكاء فالق كبدي، فبينا أبواي جالسان عندي وأنا أبكي فاستأذنت على 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 يوحي 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، فسيرتك الله، وإن كنت الممت 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: {فصبر جميل والله المستعان على ما تصفون} [يوسف: ١٨] ثم تحولت واضطجعت على فراشي، والله يعلم أني حينئذ بريئة، وأن الله مبرني ببراءتي- ولكن والله ما كنت أظن أن الله منزل في شأني وحيا يتلي، 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: فسرى عن رسول الله ﷺ وهو يضحك، فكانت أول كلمة تكلم بها أن قال: يا عائشة أما الله فقد براك قالت: فقالت لي أمي قومي إليه. فقلت: والله لا أقوم إليه، فإني لا أحمد إلا الله عز وجل، قالت: وأنزل الله تعالى {إن الذين جاءوا بالإفك عصبة منكم} [النور: ١١] 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 أولوا الفضل منكم} إلى قوله- {والله غفور رحيم} [ 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 أنثي قط. قالت: ثم قتل بعد ذلك في سبيل الله.