The Exegesis of the Saying of Allah the Exalted: “Indeed, those who brought the slander are a group from among you. Do not consider it a bad thing for you; rather, it is a good thing for you. For every one of them is what he has earned of [sin]”

A group of the believers said so in your view. What comes after that?
The student: ...

The Shaykh : ... Hassan ibn Thabit, Abdullah ibn Abi, Mistah, and Hinnah bint Jahsh. First, Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: The “wa” here indicates a mental covenant, meaning what is known and understood by them. And His saying “with the slander” means the worst kind of lying, as the author stated. Yes, this is the worst kind of lying, like the lying brought by these people, because it involves disparaging the Mothers of the Believers and, consequently, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), as is clear from the context of the verses. And His saying means a group. And His saying “from among you” is an address to the believers. The fact that they are from among the believers indicates that they did not leave the faith by this slander. They did not leave the faith because it occurred before the ruling in this matter was clarified. Otherwise, whoever slanders one of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Aisha or any other, is a disbeliever and an apostate who is given the opportunity to repent; if he repents, well and good, otherwise he is killed. The author counted Abdullah ibn Abi among this group on the basis that Abdullah ibn Abi appeared to be a Muslim, but in reality he was a hypocrite. Moreover, Abdullah ibn Abi did not explicitly engage in such slander; rather, he was a wicked person who gathered them and spread it among people with a phrase that did not explicitly state it. And yet, he is the one who bore the greatest burden of it, as will come later. We say that the address in His saying “from among you” is to the believers. And His saying There is no doubt that people like Hassan (may Allah be pleased with him), Mistah ibn Athathah, and Hinnah bint Jahsh are believers, and that they did not leave the faith by what they did, because it was before the ruling was clarified. However, what is problematic is counting Abdullah ibn Abi among them. The clarification of this issue is to say that Abdullah ibn Abi appears to be with the believers while in reality he is from among the hypocrites. He is counted among them based on the appearance, not based on the reality and the truth. And His saying, the Exalted: Why? Because there is no doubt that when this slander occurred, the believers were afflicted with the harm they suffered, and they thought that it was a bad thing. So Allah the Exalted wanted to remove this thought from their hearts before He clarified His ruling, so He said, “Do not consider it a bad thing for you,” because this is the first thing that should be addressed regarding this slander, which is removing what some believers think, namely that this slander is a bad thing. Then, after this removal, the treatment comes. They say that “removal precedes adornment,” meaning that you remove the ugliness and distortion from a thing before it is adorned with something beautiful. Because you remove the thorns before you spread the carpet, is that not so? Therefore, Allah prohibited us from considering this a bad thing so that it is uprooted from our hearts first, and then we are ready for the adornment and establishing what is established regarding this slander. It became clear through this that when treating things, we should first remove the harm to open the way for the good so that it may enter.
And here we also say that the most important thing should be brought forward, and the most important thing in this matter is to remove from the hearts the thought that this slander is a bad thing for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), for the family of Abu Bakr, and for the believers in general. Because the reality of the matter, if this had occurred—and God forbid that it should occur—would have been a bad thing for the family of Abu Bakr and for the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Therefore, it is not possible for the believers to truly hold this thought. The distinguished ones among the Companions, the majority of them, denied it and said, “It is not possible that this is the case.” Among those who denied it was Usamah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) and others; they denied that... But some people, due to the excessive promotion and rumors, and because Satan also whispers in their hearts, became somewhat doubtful. The believing Companions were divided in this matter into three groups: a group became involved in this matter; a group among them denied it strongly and said, “This is not possible”; and the third group hesitated and doubted the matter. But the distinguished ones among the Companions, and the majority of them, denied it, as mentioned by the scholars of knowledge. First, how do we not consider it a bad thing? We believe in that because Allah said And although a person may initially think that it is a bad thing, and this is a known thing—if someone slanders your family, the first thing you think is that you know this is a bad thing directed at you, and this is an established fact—when Allah said: the problem ended and was resolved by the prohibition of Allah the Exalted, the All-Knowing of what will be, that it is not a bad thing. It remains to be said, “Rather, it is a good thing for you.” We also believe in this and that it is a good thing, a good thing for us. But what is the good that appeared in this slander? We say the good that appeared in this slander is a good without parallel, where the innocence of the Mother of the Believers, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), appeared in a way that nothing equals it. Allah testified to her innocence from above His Throne, Blessed and Exalted is He.
Second, the purity and cleanliness of the bed of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) appeared through this, and that it is not possible for the bed of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to be defiled by this.
Third, among the good is the great reward that resulted from the harm, hardship, and great effort that befell the believers in this incident. And among the wisdom of Allah the Mighty and Majestic is that the revelation was interrupted for a full month; no revelation came down to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in order for the believer to be distinguished from the hypocrite, and in order for the longing of the believers for the clarification of Allah the Exalted in this great and important issue to intensify, and in order for their reward to increase during this period.
Then, in it is also the good of the elevation of the status of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and this is above the purity of his bed and its cleanliness: the elevation of his status and the fact that Allah the Exalted Himself defends him.
It also contains good in the discipline of the believers and their admonition regarding what they should be upon, such as not speaking carelessly or being bold in attacking the honor of the noble ones, among other things that will become clear, if Allah wills, during the course of this great story. Allah the Exalted said: Allah the Exalted will reward you for it and will make clear the innocence of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) and of the one who came with her, who is Safwan. For she said, "I was..." to the end of it. This is also a good thing for Safwan ibn al-Mu'attal (may Allah be pleased with him), for when Allah revealed the innocence of Aisha from that matter, and he was the one the hypocrites suspected with her, what do we take from that? It is the clarification of the innocence of Safwan (may Allah be pleased with him). Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "I was with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a campaign after the hijab was revealed. This campaign is called the Campaign of al-Muraysi' and the Campaign of Banu al-Mustaliq." The author did not specify when this campaign took place, but it becomes clear to us when it was? When? After the hijab was revealed. When was the hijab revealed? In the sixth year of the Hijrah. Therefore, this campaign was in the sixth year, at its end, or in the seventh year. As for the statement of some historians that it was in the fifth or fourth year, that is an error on their part. The correct view is that it was in the sixth year, at its end, because she explicitly stated that it was after the hijab was revealed. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also asked Zaynab about her matter, and Zaynab was the one for whom the verse of the hijab was revealed upon the marriage of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to her. So this campaign, the Campaign of al-Muraysi', which is the Campaign of Banu al-Mustaliq, was in the sixth year, at its end. She said (may Allah be pleased with her), "So he finished it..." What? This campaign, after the verse of the hijab had been revealed, so he finished it and returned. He approached Medina and gave the order to depart one night, as you heard. I attended to my needs and went toward the camel. Then I found its knot broken... I found my necklace, with a broken 'ayn and a silent kaf, the necklace. I found my necklace and it had been cut. So I went back to look for it, and they loaded my howdah, which is what one rides in, onto my camel, thinking I was in it. The women were light; they only ate al-'uqqa, which is a small amount of food. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) spoke about the story of al-Ifk, saying that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) returned from this campaign one night, he gave the order to depart. So I went to relieve myself, as a person does when he wants to ride or sleep or the like, he empties himself. I went to relieve myself, meaning to urinate or defecate. When I returned, I found the necklace had been cut. So I went back to look for it. The historians mentioned that this necklace was a loan to her from her sister Asma'. I went to look for it and found the necklace. When I found the necklace, I returned to my place, and the people had loaded my howdah, and they did not think I was not in it, because as she said, the women were light; the flesh had not grown on them because they only ate al-'uqqa of food, meaning a small amount. Yes. Then the howdah they loaded was not carried by one or two men who would distinguish its lightness, but by a group. And the custom is that a group does not feel the weight of a thing; it does not concern them. So they carried it thinking she was in it. When I returned and did not find them, I knew that the people would miss me and return to me. This is well known, and this is from her intelligence and mind. She did not go right or left. She did not say, "Catch up with me" or wander around. She remained in her place. And it is amazing that from her calmness and composure, she slept in that place. When she slept, Safwan ibn al-Mu'attal (may Allah be pleased with him) was at the rear of the army. He was a heavy sleeper and slept deeply. When he woke up, he caught up with the army. When he came to their place, he saw the dark shape of a person, so he approached it, and what happened happened. Now we read the story... And I found myself after they had gone, so I sat in the place where I was, and I thought that the people would miss me and return to me. Then sleep overtook me and I slept. Safwan had slept behind the army, so he set out, with a shadda on the ra, meaning he traveled, and the dal, adlaja, meaning he descended from the end of the night for rest. This is the meaning of 'aras, meaning he descended at the end of the night for rest. She said, "So he traveled from his place, and he arrived at his place, meaning the army's camp. He saw the dark shape of a sleeping person, meaning his figure. He recognized me when he saw me, and he had seen me before the hijab. So I woke up with his istirja', in what he recognized me by, his saying, 'Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.' So I covered my face, meaning I covered it with my jilbab, meaning I covered it with the blanket. By Allah, he did not speak a word to me, and I did not hear a word from him other than his istirja', until he dismounted his mount and put his hand on it, so I rode it. He set out, guiding the mount for me, until we reached the army after they had descended, to the end of it." (May Allah be pleased with him), when he saw the dark shape of the person, he approached it. When he approached, he found Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) sleeping, and she had not covered her face because there was no one around her. He recognized her (may Allah be pleased with him), and he had seen her before the hijab, so he recognized her. He said, "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un." Then he dismounted his camel and put his knee on it until she rode. He did not speak a word to her; he did not speak a word to her. He only made istirja' (may Allah be pleased with him) out of fear of what might happen, expecting a matter that happened, for a woman in the wilderness alone, and a man comes to her, lagging behind the army, and she is lagging behind him. This is undoubtedly a calamity and a trial from Allah. And for this reason, he saw that... (may Allah be pleased with him), so he made istirja'. But because of his chastity and his reverence for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his reverence for the Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her), he did not speak a word to her. He did not say, "Ride," nor did he say, "What left you behind?" nor did he say, "There is no harm on you." He did not speak a word at all, out of respect for the bed of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and respect for him. He only dismounted the camel and put his knee on it until she rode (may Allah be pleased with her). Then he went to guide her until he reached the army. When did he reach it? ... In the middle of the day, meaning at the time when people stand in a place, the heat is intense. This is what "the middle of the day" means, intense heat. Even now in our colloquial language, they say, "By Allah, the heat here is apparent," meaning intense heat. She said, "So perished in me those who perished, and the one who took the greatest part of it among them was Abdullah ibn Abi ibn Salul." This is the end of her statement. It was narrated by the two Shaykhs.
When what happened did happen, and Abdullah ibn Abi and his like among the hypocrites found a way to breathe and to disparage the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), they began to speak, saying, "What did he bring? What did he leave behind? What did he leave behind regarding Aisha?" Then they began to spread the story, shaping it and embellishing it until the news became widespread. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was pained, and he had to be pained. In reality, he was pained from two aspects: first, because Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was his bed and the most beloved of his women to him, and he loved her and she loved him; and second, because she was the daughter of the most honorable person to him, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him). How could this matter occur? And how could it be? So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was in great distress, despite his intense patience and his understanding of his family's purity and their distance from what they were accused of. So much of what was said entered him that he began to consult some of his companions about whether to divorce Aisha or not. Some advised him not to divorce her, saying, "Your family, O Messenger of Allah, we know nothing but good about them". Others advised him to divorce her, seeing the distress he (peace and blessings be upon him) was in, saying that if he divorced her, he would find relief. Among those who advised this was Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) cousin, because he was a close relative of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and saw great hardship and distress in the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He said, "Perhaps if he divorces her, he will find relief and peace." But the senior Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said, "This is a matter that is not possible." Yes, and among those who advised him was Usamah ibn Zayd, who advised him to keep her and not divorce her under any circumstances. The matter remained thus, with dispute, anxiety, and distress, until the end of the month. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) did not know what people were saying and was unaware of anything, because she was ill and in her father's house. She did not learn of anything until the end. She went out to relieve herself and stumbled. Her mother, Umm Rumman, said, "Woe to Mistah", because her mother also knew in her heart what had happened. She singled out Mistah ibn Uthathah from among those who said what they said because he was the son of Abu Bakr's maternal aunt, a close relative of his. It was expected of someone like him to defend the case because of his kinship, but the decree of Allah was a predetermined destiny. When she said, "Woe to Mistah," Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was surprised that Umm Rumman was saying what she was saying about Mistah, even though he was the son of Abu Bakr's maternal aunt. So she asked, "What is his matter? What is the situation?" Her mother informed her of the matter and said, "The people are saying such and such about this matter." Her pain increased and her illness worsened until she was weeping without ceasing (may Allah be pleased with her). It was her right to do so, because the matter was great. One day, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to them. She had also been displeased with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), because she was accustomed to his gentleness and... The question is: if she was ill and he came to her, he would ask and verify. But this time, he did not verify; rather, he said, and would sit for a while and then leave. On one of the days, he had come and said, ? As usual, and while he was sitting, revelation came down to him, the relief from Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and the exoneration of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). When the revelation passed, and he was (peace and blessings be upon him), he said to her, "Rejoice, O Aisha." She said, "From you or from Allah?" He said: She said, "Praise be to Allah." Then the story of the slander ended, but what happened in this great trial did occur.
Allah the Exalted says: “upon him” In that, for every one of them, meaning from these groups, The author said, “upon him,” so the lam means “upon.” This is what the author saw, that the lam means “upon.” And if it is included with the meaning of “upon,” why did he deviate from it to the lam to indicate that they deserve what is upon them of sin? So the lam is for deserving, meaning to indicate that these groups who committed what they committed deserve what is upon them of sin. And his saying, “for you is what you have earned,” this is justice from Allah the Exalted in retribution for the evil, and that a person does not bear except what he has earned. And in it is also evidence that in this matter, they are not sharing in one sin, but each one has his full sin in what he shared in in this case.
And his saying, “who took upon himself the greater part of it, meaning he bore most of it, beginning by delving into it and spreading it, and he is Abdullah ibn Abi. He has a great punishment, which is the Fire in the Hereafter.” “Who took upon himself the greater part of it” — the sentence was brought in this form for exaggeration. He did not say, “And for whoever took upon himself the greater part of it from them, he has a great punishment,” but rather he said, He made it, in reality, two sentences in one, because “who” is the subject and “he has” is the predicate placed before it, and “a great punishment” is a second subject, so it became as if the sentence was in a place to indicate importance and emphasis and to point to the fact that his taking upon himself this thing is a great matter. “Who took upon himself the greater part of it” — “took upon himself” means he cherished it and gave it his attention. And his saying, means most of it, and “the greater part of a thing” means most of it, meaning he began with it and became to nurture it, grow it, and spread it in the gatherings and to fill hearts with hatred because of it. And he is Abdullah ibn Abi, and he is worthy of such baseness because he is a hypocrite, indeed he is the head of the hypocrites, and he wished for such a matter to occur so that he would find a way to attack the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his bed, especially his companions, may Allah curse him. He says, Punishment — what is the meaning of punishment? ... and “great” means great in its magnitude, great in its type and kind, and great in its duration, for it, and may Allah protect us, is in the lowest depth of the Fire. There is no one from the people of the Fire lower than the hypocrites. And the head of the hypocrites in this Ummah is who? Abdullah ibn Abi. So he will be lower in the lowest depth of the Fire. Therefore, his punishment is great, and may Allah protect us, in its form and duration and magnitude. So this is “who took upon himself the greater part of it from them, he has a great punishment.” We remain with: did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) punish those who spoke? What is the answer? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not punish any of them except the believers, and they are Hassan ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him), Mis'hat ibn Athathah, and Humaynah bint Jahsh, who is the sister of Zaynab bint Jahsh, and Zaynab, the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who was a co-wife of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked her about Aisha, she spoke well of her, and her sister perished among those who perished. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) punished them with the punishment of false accusation of adultery, eighty lashes. Yes. And as for the hypocrites, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not punish them; he did not punish them. Either because the hudud is purification and expiation, and the hypocrites are not worthy of purification or expiation, and this is a clear reasoning, or it is clear in terms of meaning, but in terms of reality, it may not be clear, because the hypocrites appear to be Muslims, so it was necessary that the apparent rulings of Islam be applied to them, and their inner secrets remain with Allah the Exalted. And others said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not punish them because they did not explicitly state that Safwan did such and such to Aisha, but they were gathering the story and shaping it with phrases that give this meaning, but without explicit statement. And it is known that one who does not explicitly state adultery is not punished with the hudud of false accusation of adultery. Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not punish them. And it is possible that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) left punishing them for this and other reasons. It may be that he left punishing Abdullah ibn Abi because he is the head of the hypocrites, and he was feared to be a leader among his people, and it was feared that there would be a great fitnah in that. And the hudud of false accusation of adultery, on the view that it is for the human being, allows its dropping if the one to whom it belongs drops it.
But what appears, and Allah knows best, is that the reason for that is that the hypocrites, as is their custom, the hypocrite is cunning and cannot be explicit, and his custom is deception in everything. So you find them not being explicit, but circling around the thing until they fill the hearts of people with it. And with this, the Companions, who are explicit, stated what they thought, even if it was a false thought, but in any case, they thought this, so they stated it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) punished them with the punishment of false accusation of adultery.