Ayesha reported,

When what was said about me was said, and I had no knowledge of it, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up to address the people. He gave the testimony of faith, praised Allah and extolled Him as He deserves, then said, "To proceed. Advise me concerning some people who have slandered my wife. By Allah, I have never known anything but good of my wife, and they have slandered her with a man of whom, by Allah, I have never known anything but good. He never entered my house except when I was present, nor was I ever absent on a journey without him being absent with me."Saad bin Muaz stood up and said, "Permit me, Messenger of Allah, to strike off their heads."Then a man from the Khazraj stood up. The mother of Hassan bin Thabit was from that man's clan. He said, "You lie. By Allah, if they had been from the Aws, you would not have wanted their heads struck off."It nearly came to violence between the Aws and the Khazraj inside the mosque, and I knew nothing of all this.On the evening of that day, I went out to relieve myself, and Umm Mistah was with me. She tripped and said, "May Mistah perish."I said to her, "Mother, do you curse your own son?"She fell silent. Then she tripped a second time and said, "May Mistah perish."I rebuked her and said, "Mother, do you curse your own son?"She fell silent. Then she tripped a third time and said, "May Mistah perish."I rebuked her and said, "Mother, do you curse your own son?"She said, "By Allah, I only curse him because of you."I said, "Why, what is the matter?"So she laid out the whole story for me.I said, "Did this really happen?"She said, "Yes, by Allah."I returned to my house feeling as though the errand I had gone out for was no longer needed, neither for a little nor for much, and I fell ill. I said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, "Send me to my father's house."He sent the boy with me. I entered the house and found Umm Ruman downstairs and Abu Bakr above the house reciting.My mother said, "What has brought you here, my daughter?"I told her and mentioned the story to her, but it had not affected her as it had affected me. She said, "My daughter, take it lightly. By Allah, rarely is there a beautiful woman with a husband who loves her, and who has co-wives, but they will envy her and speak ill of her."It had not affected her as it had affected me. I said, "Does my father know about it?"She said, "Yes."I said, "And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?"She said, "Yes."I broke down and wept. Abu Bakr heard my voice while he was above the house reciting. 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. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ had come to my house and had asked my maidservant about me. She said, "No, by Allah, I have known no fault in her except that she would fall asleep and the sheep would come in and eat her dough or her ferment."Some of his companions rebuked her and said, "Speak truthfully to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ," until they pressed her hard about it.She said, "Glory be to Allah. By Allah, I know nothing of her except what the goldsmith knows of pure red gold."The matter reached the man about whom this was said, and he said, "Glory be to Allah. By Allah, I have never uncovered the garment of any woman."Ayesha said, He was later killed as a martyr in the path of Allah.She said, My parents stayed with me through the morning, and they remained with me until the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came in to me, after he had prayed the afternoon prayer. He came in while my parents were on either side of me, on my right and on my left. The Prophet ﷺ gave the testimony of faith, praised Allah and extolled Him as He deserves, then said, "To proceed. Ayesha, if you have done wrong or committed a sin, repent to Allah, for Allah accepts the repentance of His servants."A woman of the Ansar had come and was sitting at the door. I said, "Have you no shame before this woman that you should mention anything?"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave his admonition, and I turned to my father and said, "Answer him."He said, "What should I say?"So I turned to my mother and said, "Answer him."She said, "What should I say?"When neither of them answered, I gave the testimony of faith, praised Allah and extolled Him as He deserves, then said, "By Allah, if I tell you that I did not do it, and Allah bears witness that I am truthful, that will not benefit me with you, for you have spoken and your hearts have absorbed it. And if I tell you that I did do it, while Allah knows that I did not do it, you will say that she has confessed it against herself. By Allah, I find no example for myself and you."She said, I tried to recall the name of Yaqub, but I could not, except for 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].She said, At that very moment revelation came down upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. We fell silent. When it was lifted from him, I could see joy in his face as he wiped his brow and said, "Good news, Ayesha. Allah has revealed your innocence."She said, I was then more angry than I had ever been. My parents said to me, "Get up and go to him."I said, "No, by Allah, I will not get up to him, nor will I praise him, nor will I praise the two of you. Rather, I praise Allah, who has revealed my innocence. You all heard it and did not deny it or change it."Ayesha used to say, As for Zaynab bint Jahsh, Allah preserved her by her religion, and she said nothing but good. As for her sister Hamna, she perished among those who perished. The ones who spoke about it were Mistah, Hassan bin Thabit, and the hypocrite Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul, who was the one orchestrating it and gathering it. He was the one who took the greatest share of it from among them, he and Hamna.She said, Abu Bakr swore that he would never benefit Mistah with any benefit, so Allah Most High revealed this verse, "And let not those of virtue among you and wealth swear not to give to their relatives and the needy and the emigrants for the cause of Allah" [Nur 24:22], meaning Abu Bakr, "to give to their relatives and the needy and the emigrants for the cause of Allah," meaning Mistah, up to His saying, "Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful" [Nur 24:22].Abu Bakr said, "Yes, by Allah, our Lord, we do love that You should forgive us." And he resumed doing for him what he had been doing.

حدثنا محمود بن غيلان حدثنا أبو أسامة عن هشام بن عروة أخبرني أبي

عن عائشة قالت

لما ذكر من شأني الذي ذكر وما علمت به قام رسول الله ﷺ في خطيبا فتشهد وحمد الله وأثنى عليه بما هو أهله ثم قال أما بعد أشيروا علي في أناس أبنوا أهلي والله ما علمت على أهلي من سوء قط وأبنوا 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 رضي الله عنه فقال ائذن لي يا رسول الله أن أضرب أعناقهم وقام رجل من بني الخزرج وكانت أم حسان ابن ثابت من رهط ذلك الرجل فقال كذبت أما والله أن لو كانوا من الأوس ما أحببت أن تضرب أعناقهم حتى كاد أن يكون بين الأوس والخزرج شر في المسجد وما علمت به فلما كان مساء ذلك اليوم خرجت لبعض حاجتي ومعي أم مسطح فعثرت فقالت تعس مسطح فقلت لها أي أم تسبين ابنك فسكتت ثم عثرت الثانية فقالت تعس مسطح فانتهرتها فقلت لها أي أم تسبين ابنك فسكتت ثم عثرت الثالثة فقالت تعس مسطح فانتهرتها فقلت لها أي أم تسبين ابنك فقالت والله ما أسبه إلا فيك فقلت في أي شيء قالت فبقرت لي الحديث قلت وقد كان هذا قالت نعم والله لقد رجعت إلى بيتي وكأن الذي خرجت له لم أخرج لا أجد منه قليلا ولا كثيرا ووعكت فقلت لرسول الله ﷺ أرسلني إلى بيت أبي فأرسل معي الغلام فدخلت الدار فوجدت أم رومان في السفل وأبو بكر فوق البيت يقرأ فقالت أمي ما جاء بك يا بنية قالت فأخبرتها وذكرت لها الحديث فإذا هو لم يبلغ منها ما بلغ مني قالت يا بنية خففي عليك الشأن فإنه والله لقلما كانت امرأة حسناء عند رجل يحبها لها ضرائر إلا حسدنها وقيل فيها فإذا هي لم يبلغ منها ما بلغ مني قالت قلت وقد علم به أبي قالت نعم قلت ورسول الله ﷺ قالت نعم واستعبرت وبكيت فسمع أبو بكر صوتي وهو فوق البيت يقرأ فنزل فقال لأمي ما شأنها قالت بلغها الذي ذكر من شأنها ففاضت عيناه فقال أقسمت عليك يا بنية إلا رجعت إلى بيتك فرجعت ولقد جاء رسول الله ﷺ بيتي فسأل عني خادمتي فقالت لا والله ما علمت عليها عيبا إلا أنها كانت ترقد حتى تدخل الشاة فتأكل خميرتها أو عجينتها وانتهرها بعض أصحابه فقال أصدقي رسول الله ﷺ حتى أسقطوا لها به فقالت سبحان الله والله ما علمت عليها إلا ما يعلم الصائغ على تبر الذهب الأحمر فبلغ الأمر ذلك الرجل الذي قيل له فقال سبحان الله والله ما كشفت كنف أنثى قط قالت عائشة فقتل شهيدا في سبيل الله قالت وأصبح أبواي عندي فلم يزالا حتى دخل علي رسول الله ﷺ وقد صلى العصر ثم دخل وقد اكتنفني أبواي عن يميني وعن شمالي فتشهد النبي ﷺ وحمد الله وأثنى عليه بما هو أهله ثم قال أما بعد يا عائشة إن كنت قارفت سوءا أو ظلمت فتوبي إلى الله فإن الله يقبل التوبة عن عباده قالت وقد جاءت امرأة من الأنصار وهي جالسة بالباب فقلت ألا تستحيي من هذه المرأة أن تذكر شيئا فوعظ رسول الله ﷺ فالتفت إلى أبي فقلت أجبه قال فماذا أقول فالتفت إلى أمي فقلت أجيبيه قالت أقول ماذا قالت فلما لم يجيبا تشهدت فحمدت الله وأثنيت عليه بما هو أهله ثم قلت أما والله لئن قلت لكم إني لم أفعل والله يشهد إني لصادقة ما ذاك بنافعي عندكم لي لقد تكلمتم وأشربت قلوبكم ولئن قلت إني قد فعلت والله يعلم أني لم أفعل لتقولن إنها قد باءت به على نفسها وإني والله ما أجد لي ولكم مثلا قالت والتمست اسم يعقوب فلم أقدر عليه إلا أبا يوسف حين قال {فصبر جميل والله المستعان على ما تصفون} قالت وأنزل على رسول الله ﷺ من ساعته فسكتنا فرفع عنه وإني لأتبين السرور في وجهه وهو يمسح جبينه ويقول البشرى يا عائشة فقد أنزل الله براءتك قالت فكنت أشد ما كنت غضبا فقال لي أبواي قومي إليه فقلت لا والله لا أقوم إليه ولا أحمده ولا أحمدكما ولكن أحمد الله الذي أنزل براءتي لقد سمعتموه فما أنكرتموه ولا غيرتموه وكانت عائشة تقول أما زينب بنت جحش فعصمها الله بدينها فلم تقل إلا خيرا وأما أختها حمنة فهلكت فيمن هلك وكان الذي يتكلم فيه مسطح وحسان بن ثابت والمنافق عبد الله بن أبي ابن سلول وهو الذي كان يسوسه ويجمعه وهو الذي تولى كبره منهم هو وحمنة قالت فحلف أبو بكر أن لا ينفع مسطحا بنافعة أبدا فأنزل الله تعالى هذه الآية {ولا يأتل أولوا الفضل منكم والسعة} إلى آخر الآية يعني أبا بكر {أن يؤتوا أولي القربى والمساكين والمهاجرين في سبيل الله} يعني مسطحا إلى قوله {ألا تحبون أن يغفر الله لكم والله غفور رحيم} قال أبو بكر بلى والله يا ربنا إنا لنحب أن تغفر لنا وعاد له بما كان يصنع