The Great Calumny

However, who knows the mischief with which the dispositions of the hypocrites of Madīnah were leavened. Nothing would open their eyes. Quite the contrary, every failure would further intensify their mischief and sedition. On the return of this very journey, another dangerous conspiracy was hatched, which was many times greater than the one alluded to above, with respect to its type and seditious influence. That is to say, the incident of the famous calumny against Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah Ṣiddīqah(ra), which took place whilst returning from this very Ghazwah.1 This false allegation was similar in nature to the aspersion hurled at Ḥaḍrat Maryam, the mother of Ḥaḍrat Jesus(as), or Sīta, the wife of Rāmchandar Jī by evil people. It seems more appropriate to describe this incident in the words of Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah(ra) herself, because it is an extremely detailed and interesting account, which not only provides reliable details relevant to the actual occurrence, but also sheds ample light on the civilisation and custom of that era. Hence, crucial extracts from the narration of Bukhārī as related by Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah(ra) are presented below. Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah(ra) relates:

“It was a custom of the Holy Prophet(sa) that when he intended to embark on a journey, he used to draw lots amongst his wives, then he would take along with him the one on whom the lot fell. On one occasion, before a Ghazwah, he drew lots in the same manner, and the lot fell on me. Thus, the Holy Prophet(sa) took me along. This was the time when injunctions on Pardah had already been revealed. Hence, during this journey, I would sit in a litter, and it would be placed on the back of a camel. Wherever a halt was made, it would be placed on the ground. When the Holy Prophet(sa) set back after having finished from his Ghazwah, and we approached near the city of Madīnah, one night, the Holy Prophet(sa) ordered a departure. When I heard this announcement, I left to one side, away from the army, in order to attend to the call of nature, and returned after I had finished. When I returned to my camel, I found that my necklace had been lost. I went back in search of it and was delayed a short while. In the meantime, those who had been appointed to lift my litter and place it on the back of the camel arrived, and assuming that I was in the litter, lifted it and placed it on the camel, and marched on with the army. In that era, women were light in weight and flesh did not accumulate their bodies in abundance, as they used to eat only a little food, due to difficult times. The attendants, therefore, did not suspect that I was not already in the litter. Then, at the time, I was still a young girl. In any case, when I returned after finding my necklace, lo and behold, the army had left, and the plain was empty. I became extremely worried, but I thought to myself that I should remain at my place, because when people realize that I had been left behind, they would surely return. Therefore, I sat on my spot and was soon overcome by sleep. Now, it so happened that Ṣafwān bin Mu‘aṭṭal was a Companion, whose duty was to stay behind the army (so that fallen items, etc., could be safeguarded). When he arrived from behind the army and reached my resting place just before dawn, he found me sleeping there alone. Since he had already seen me prior to the revelation of injunctions relevant to Pardah, he recognized me immediately, upon which he became flustered and said:

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I was awakened by his voice, and upon seeing him, immediately veiled my face with my head cover. By God, he did not say a word to me, nor did I hear any words from him except for the ones just mentioned. After this, he brought forward his camel and made it kneel close to me. Then he placed his foot upon its knees (so that it would not stand up suddenly). I mounted upon the camel, and Ṣafwān began to walk ahead, leading it by its halter, until we finally reached the place where the Muslim army had setup camp. This is the account, due to which those who were to be ruined, ruined themselves. The key proponent who was responsible for spreading this slander was ‘Abdullāh bin Ubayy bin Sulūl, chief of the hypocrites. After this, we reached Madīnah, and it so happened that as soon as we arrived, I fell ill, and this illness lasted for one month. During this time, the forged statements of the slanderers were noised widely and rumours were spread. However, until then, I had absolutely no notion of this calumny. One thing I did notice, however, was that during my period of illness, the Holy Prophet(sa) did not extend to me the usual affection and kindness that I was accustomed to, and this troubled me greatly. When the Holy Prophet(sa) would visit me, he would only say, “How are you feeling now?” Then he would return. This grieved me deeply. I remained unaware in this state, and my illness rendered me very weak and frail. During these days, I learnt of the scandal which was being propagated about me by chance from a lady named Ummi Miṣṭaḥ, who was distantly related to us as well. Furthermore, I learnt that her son Miṣṭaḥ was also among those who had slandered me. When I heard these things, I forgot about my actual illness, and it was as if another illness took hold of me. After this, when the Holy Prophet(sa) came to visit me as usual and asked, “How are you feeling now?” I submitted, “O Messenger of Allāh! If you permit, may I go to the home of my parents for a few days?” The Holy Prophet(sa) granted permission and I went to them. My purpose in doing so was to investigate as to whether such things were actually being said about me. As such, I went there and inquired of my mother. My mother said, “O Daughter! Worry not, it is common that when a person has more than one wife, and he loves one more than the others, other women spread scandal. I spontaneously said, “Holy is Allāh! Holy is Allāh! Are people actually saying these things about me?” Then I began to weep, and my tears would not stop. I did not sleep all night. At dawn, I was still weeping. On that day, the Holy Prophet(sa) called ‘Alī bin Abī Ṭālib(ra) and Usāmah bin Zaid(ra) to seek their counsel, because there had been quite a delay in revelation being sent down (and the Holy Prophet(sa) was very worried in respect to this matter). The Holy Prophet(sa) asked both of them, “In the current state, when such things are being said what shall I do? Shall I sever my relations with ‘Ā’ishah?” Usāmah(ra) submitted, “O Messenger of Allāh! ‘Ā’ishah(ra) is your wife (i.e., as God the Exalted has chosen her to be your wife, then He has done so considering her to be worthy), and By God, We know nothing but goodness with respect to ‘Ā’ishah.” However, (taking the distress of the Holy Prophet(sa) into consideration), ‘Alī(ra) said, “O Messenger of Allāh! Allāh the Exalted has not put you in difficulty, and there are plenty of women other than ‘Ā’ishah(ra). Nonetheless, (I know nothing of the actual incident), inquire of the household maid, perhaps she knows something and may be able to tell you the actual truth.” Upon this, the Holy Prophet(sa) called for his maid and inquired, “Have you ever seen anything in ‘Ā’ishah(ra) as may be considered suspicious?” Barirah responded, “I swear by that God who has sent you with the truth, I have never seen anything evil about her, except that on account of her young age, she is a bit careless. It often happens that she leaves the dough exposed and falls asleep, while the goats come and consume it.

On the same day, the Holy Prophet(sa) delivered an address in the mosque and said, “I have been given great grief with respect to my family. Is there anyone from among you who can put an end to this? By God, I know nothing of my wife except piety and goodness. Moreover, I also consider the man who has been mentioned in this connection to be pious. He has never come to my home in my absence.” Upon hearing this address of the Holy Prophet(sa), Sa‘d bin Mu‘ādh, chief of the Aus tribe stood up and submitted, “O Messenger of Allāh! I shall put an end to this. If this person is from our tribe, we consider him worthy of death, and shall sever his head at once. If he is from our brethren (i.e., from the Khazraj tribe), even still, we are prepared to do as you command.” Upon this, Sa‘d bin ‘Ubādah, chief of the Khazraj tribe stood up, and though he was a righteous man, at the time, he was overcome by ignorant indignation and said, “You have spoken a lie. By God! You shall not kill a man from our tribe, nor do you possess the power to do so. If such a person had been from among your tribe, you would not have said such a thing.” Upon this, Usaid bin Ḥuḍair, a chief of the Aus, who was the paternal-cousin of Sa‘d bin Mu‘ādh, stood up and addressed Sa‘d bin ‘Ubādah saying, “Sa‘d bin Mu‘ādh is not a liar, rather, you are a liar and a hypocrite at that, for you argue on behalf of the hypocrites. This exchange of remarks incensed some from among the Aus and Khazraj, and an altercation almost broke out, but the Holy Prophet(sa) who was still standing on the pulpit admonished everyone and diffused the situation. Then, the Holy Prophet(sa) descended the pulpit and left. My state was the same as usual, in that my tears would not stop, nor could I sleep. I remained as such for two whole nights and one day. I felt as if my liver would burst into pieces.

I was sitting by my parents in this very state, weeping, when a lady from the Anṣār sought permission and entered, and began to weep with me in a sympathetic manner. At this, the Messenger of Allāh(sa) arrived and sat down next to me. This was the first day that he had sat down with me after the calumny. A month had elapsed but no divine revelation had been sent down in my case. The Holy Prophet(sa) recited the Kalimah, praised God, then he addressed me saying, “O ‘Ā’ishah! I have been informed such and such thing about you. If you are innocent, I trust that God shall affirm your innocence. If, however, you have committed a mistake, you should seek forgiveness from God and bow before him, because when a person bows before God confessing his sin, Allāh accepts his repentance, and shows Mercy to him.” When the Holy Prophet(sa) had finished his address, I noticed that my tears had dried away completely, and there was absolutely no sign of them. At that time, I looked to my father and mother, and asked them to respond on my behalf, but they said, “By God! We do not know what to say in response.” At the time, I was a young girl and did not know much of the Qur’ān, but, being disappointed by my parents, I submitted to the Holy Prophet(sa) myself, “By God, I am aware that certain things which people have rumoured about me have reached you, and you have been affected by these statements. Hence, if I advocate my innocence, you shall doubt me, but if I accept myself as being guilty, despite my being innocent, you shall believe me. By God, I find myself in the situation of the father of Joseph(as), who said:

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That is to say, patience is better for me, and it is Allāh alone Whose help I seek against what these people assert.” Upon saying this, I turned to the other side and at the time I had firm conviction that since I was innocent, Allāh the Exalted would quickly manifest my innocence. However, I did not imagine that a Qur’ānic revelation would be sent down to clear me of the charges, and that God the Exalted would declare my innocence in His manifest word. I thought that perhaps the Messenger of Allāh would be shown a vision, etc. by Allāh the Exalted in this regard. However, by God, the Holy Prophet(sa) had not yet left this sitting, nor had any other person of the household left, when he was overtaken by the state which he would experience upon the receipt of divine revelation. Though it was a cold day, drops of perspiration began to fall from his countenance, and after sometime this state left him. The Holy Prophet(sa) smiled and looked towards me saying, “O ‘Ā’ishah! God has affirmed your innocence.” At this, my mother spontaneously said, “O ‘Ā’ishah! Get up! Thank the Messenger of Allāh.” At the time, since my heart was saturated with gratitude to God, I said, “Why should I thank the Holy Prophet(sa), I am thankful to my Lord alone, who has affirmed my innocence.” It was then that the verses of Sūrah Nūr were revealed, which begin with the following words:

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When my innocence had been affirmed, my father Abū Bakr, who would grant regular support to Miṣṭaḥ bin Uthāthah due to his poverty and kinship, swore that as Miṣṭaḥ had taken part in slandering ‘Ā’ishah, he would no longer render him this support. However, shortly thereafter, divine revelation was received that such an action was most displeasing, upon which, Abū Bakr reinstated his allowance. Moreover, prior to my being absolved, the Holy Prophet(sa) inquired of Zainab bint Jaḥash as to her opinion of me, and she responded, “O Messenger of Allāh! I consider ‘Ā’ishah to be a pious and God-fearing lady.” This was despite the fact that from among all the wives of the Holy Prophet(sa), Zainab was the only one who competed with me and acted as my rival. However, due to her virtue, Allāh the Exalted saved her from taking part in this calumny.”5

I have written this lengthy narration of Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah(ra) on the thought that firstly, as far as this issue is concerned, it is the most detailed and well-composed of all narrations. The facts which are ascertained from the narrations related by other narrators in parts, have been brought together in this sole narration. In addition to this, such enlightening insight is derived from this narration on the domestic life of the Holy Prophet(sa) that no historian can disregard it. Then, with regards to authenticity, this narration is of such an exceptionally high calibre that it leaves no room for uncertainty and doubt. Now, one should contemplate the magnitude of this conspiracy hatched by the hypocrites. The motive was not only to attack the honour of a chaste, extremely righteous, pious lady, rather, the greater objective was to directly destroy the honour of the Founder of Islām, and to dangerously shake the Islāmic society. This filthy and vile propaganda was spread by the hypocrites in such a manner that simple, yet loyal Muslims were caught in this snare of deception. The names of Ḥassān bin Thābit(ra), the poet, Ḥamnah bint Jaḥash, the sister of Zainab bint Jaḥash(ra), and Miṣṭaḥ bin Uthāthah, have especially been recorded.6 However, it is a testimony to her lofty character that Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah(ra) forgave them all, and did not harbour a grudge against them in her heart. As such, it is mentioned that after this occurrence, whenever Ḥassān bin Thābit would come to visit Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah(ra), she would receive him graciously. On one occasion, when he presented himself before Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah(ra), a Muslim named Masrūq, who was present as well, became astonished and said, “What! Do you grant Ḥassān the permission of audience?” Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah(ra) responded, “Let it be, the poor man has lost his sight, is this not misery enough? Then, I cannot forget that Ḥassān would compose verses in support of the Holy Prophet(sa) against his enemies.” Hence, Ḥassān was granted permission, upon which he came in and sat down. He spoke a verse in praise of Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah(ra):

“She is a pure and chaste woman, who possesses wisdom and foresight, and her position is above and beyond doubt and uncertainty; she does not eat the flesh of upright and innocent women, i.e., she does not slander them, nor does she speak ill of them in their absence.”

When Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah(ra) heard this couplet, she said, and in another narration the words have been related, meaning, “What about your own state, you did not prove to bear this quality, i.e., you took part in leveling an accusation against me though I was innocent.”7 Let us witness the Arabic scholarship, or prejudice, of Mr. Muir, who translates the above-mentioned couplet in an absolutely incorrect manner, in contradiction to the rules of Arabic grammar, and asserts that Ḥassān(ra) praised the slender body of ‘Ā’ishah(ra), who in turn taunted him on his large figure.8

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Mr. Muir has also committed other blatant mistakes in relating this incident. For example, he writes that Ṣafwān(ra) and ‘Ā’ishah(ra) were unable to catch the army en-route, and then openly entered Madīnah before the gaze of all,10 even though this is absolutely incorrect and categorically baseless. The Aḥādīth and history both substantiate that Ṣafwān and Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah(ra) managed to catch up to the Muslim army en-route in only a few hours.11 Thankfully enough, however, in relation to the actual calumny itself, Mr. Muir accepts the innocence of Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah(ra). As such, he writes:

“Little remark is needed regarding the character of Ayesha, and the alleged message from above to which it gave occasion. There are not materials sufficient for deciding upon the chargest brought against her, and the question is immaterial.”12

In terms of logic and narration, this allegation proves to be clearly false and forged, because except for the absolutely coincidental occurrence that Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah(ra) was left behind by the Muslim army, and then she caught up to it in the company of Ṣafwān(ra), the slanderers had nothing else in their hands. In other words, there were no witnesses, nor any further evidence; and of course, until a charge is substantiated, it cannot be accepted as true. Especially if the objection relates to such people whose life is proof of the purity of their dispositions. However, for the additional satisfaction of the Muslims and so that a fundamental rule could be established in relation to such cases for the future, divine revelation was sent down. This revelation confirmed the innocence of Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah(ra) and Ṣafwān(ra), and declared the aspersion as being completely false. Furthermore, it also presented such a fundamental law to the world with regards to occurrences of this nature, that the honour and dignity of the people, peace and harmony of society, and protection of the morality of the community was heavily based upon it. The foundation of this law was on the following rules:

Firstly, every person by default should be considered chaste and pure. In other words, every person should be considered innocent until definitive and categorical evidence is not presented against his purity and chastity.

Secondly, the honour and respect of a person is an extremely valuable thing, which should be especially safeguarded in comparison to all the other things of this world.

Thirdly, the propagation of indecency erases the fear of sin and destroys the morality of society, therefore it must be prevented.

Fourthly, when it is absolutely necessary that a criminal receives a punishment for adultery that serves as an example to others, it is also necessary that a person who makes a false accusation not be left without punishment.

In the context of these principles, the Holy Qur’ān presents the following law:

“A person who accuses another for having committed adultery (or fornication) is obliged to present at least four reliable eye-witnesses. If such a person presents these witnesses, the crime shall be established and the criminal shall be punished with a hundred lashes. In the administering of this punishment, no pity and leniency should be exercised. Moreover, this punishment should be administered openly in public so that it serves as a lesson for others. However, if the one to level this objection is unable to prove his claim according to the above-mentioned method, the defendant shall be considered innocent, and the claimant shall receive a punishment of eighty lashes for having levelled a false accusation. Furthermore, until such people reform themselves, their testimony is not to be accepted in any matter.”13

In this verse of the Holy Qur’ān, the justice in the punishment appointed for an adulterer is obvious, and there is no need to say anything in this respect. However, the severity in the punishment for those who level a false allegation may be objectionable to simple minded individuals. In actuality, the truth behind this is that it is an extremely dangerous and injurious action to level a false accusation against someone in such a case. In addition to unjustly and falsely attacking the most valuable possession of an individual, this also results in a most foul influence upon the morality of society. If such things are openly noised in society, the fear of the evil in adultery shall begin to diminish in the hearts of people and weaker dispositions shall begin to incline towards indecent thoughts. As a result, the climate of the country and nation shall become polluted with poison. Hence, it was necessary for a very strict punishment to be proposed for those who raise false allegations, so that except for a truthful person, no one else musters the courage to file a charge of this nature, and so that only such a person comes forward with an accusation, who actually possesses definitive proof. If someone is skeptical that Islām has employed undue rigidity in the matter of presenting evidence, in that four eye-witnesses to establish the crime is a stringent condition, this would be a superficial doubt. It is necessary to devise a satisfactory method by which to establish a crime. Why should an extremely solid and definitive method for the establishment of evidence not have been formulated to prove a crime, in which the most valuable possession of an individual is attacked, and the misuse of which creates an immensely dangerous and crude influence upon the peace and harmony of society, and upon the morals and values of a nation? This is especially taking into account that throughout the world, a generally accepted rule in the formulation of law is that it is far more preferable for a criminal to be considered innocent, as opposed to an innocent person being declared guilty.

At this instance, the question may also arise as to why a physical punishment has been prescribed for a person guilty of adultery. The response to this is that the philosophy of punishment in Islām is based on the principle that the type of punishment administered should be according to the nature of the crime committed, so that the prime objective of the punishment itself, which is reformation, may be brought about. Therefore, since the crime of adultery specifically relates to the dominance of physical passion and a lack of control, it was necessary to prescribe a physical punishment in this respect. In this manner, by administering pain to the physical faculties, a criminal may be directed towards reformation. Similarly, those who level false allegations receive physical punishment, because a person who raises a false accusation of adultery against another person and wishes to disgrace and inflict physical punishment upon someone else, should receive the same punishment he wished to inflict upon an innocent person, and thus be brought to his senses. In this manner, such punishments serve as a lesson for others, and both country and nation are safeguarded from foul influences. 14