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Our Mother ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her.

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“As for ‘A’ishah, Allah has declared your innocence.”

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The people most severely tested are the prophets, then those most like them, and then those most like them.

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Our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was tested with various trials, yet he remained patient.

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Among the most difficult of these for him personally

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was the slander against the honor of ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,

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which lasted for a full month during which no revelation was sent down to him.

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Then, Allah revealed the innocence of ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, in the Qur’an, to be recited until the Day of Resurrection.

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This trial is known as the Incident of the Slander (al-Ifk).

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If we were to discuss this incident in detail, it would require more than one session.

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However, we shall extract only the final portion of it,

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and conclude the "O ‘A’ishah" series with it,

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in the hope of meeting you in another series,

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if Allah grants us and you life until the coming Ramadan, insha’Allah.

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‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, says in her narration of the story of the Incident of the Slander:

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“My parents were with me,

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and they had not yet left when the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, entered.

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He had already prayed the ‘Asr prayer.

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Then he entered,

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while my parents were sitting on my right and left.

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He praised Allah and extolled Him, then said:

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‘To proceed:

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O ‘A’ishah,

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if you have committed a fault or done wrong, then repent to Allah,

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for Allah accepts repentance from His servants.’

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She said:

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‘A woman from the Ansar had come,

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and she was sitting at the door.

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I said,

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“Do you not feel ashamed before this woman to mention such a thing?”’

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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, exhorted me.

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I turned to my father

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and said to him, ‘Answer him.’

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He said,

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‘What should I say?’

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I turned to my mother

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and said, ‘Answer him.’

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She said,

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‘What should I say?’

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When they did not answer him,

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I testified, praised Allah, and extolled Him as He deserves,

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then I said,

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‘To proceed:

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By Allah, if I were to tell you that I did not do it—

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and Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, bears witness that I am truthful—

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that would not benefit me with you.

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You have spoken of it, and your hearts have become filled with it.

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And if I were to tell you that I did do it—

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and Allah knows that I did not do it—

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you would surely say, “She has confessed to it herself.”

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By Allah, I find no example for myself and for you

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except for the father of Yusuf (Jacob), when he said:

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“So patience is most fitting.”’

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I could not recall his name.

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[The verse: ﴾So patience is most fitting. And Allah is the one sought for help against that which you describe.﴿]

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“And they came with false blood on his shirt. He said: Nay, but your minds have beguiled you into something. (My course is) comely patience. And Allah it is Whose help is to be sought in that (predicament) which ye describe.” (12:18)

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Then, revelation descended upon the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, at that very moment.

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We remained silent until it was lifted from him.

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I could see the joy on his face

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as he wiped his forehead and said,

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‘Rejoice, O ‘A’ishah!

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For Allah has revealed your innocence.’

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She said:

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‘I was at the height of my anger.

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My parents said to me,

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“Go to him.”

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I said,

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“No, by Allah, I will not go to him,

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nor will I praise him, nor will I praise you both.

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Rather, I praise Allah, who has revealed my innocence.”

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You heard it,

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yet you neither denied it nor changed it.’”

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Narrated by al-Bukhari.

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The Incident of the Slander contains many lessons.

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Scholars have written dedicated works on it,

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and the scholars of hadith have explained it in the books of hadith,

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and the exegetes in the books of Tafsir.

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The occasion does not allow for mentioning all the benefits contained in this incident,

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but perhaps we can conclude these articles with some of its benefits.

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The first benefit:

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“You have spoken of it, and your hearts have become filled with it.”

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When rumors spread in society

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and everyone talks about them without verification,

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this rumor turns into a perceived reality in people's souls

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due to its frequent circulation and the lack of anyone denying it.

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This is what ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, pointed to with this statement,

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because she was certain of her innocence,

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and she assumed that everyone who heard the news would be certain of her innocence.

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We have a lesson in this:

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we must not believe news that attacks the honor of people,

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even if it spreads throughout society.

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We must verify what we hear,

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for the enemies of Islam are keen to spread lies about the callers to Islam

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and about the scholars to tarnish their image and turn people away from them,

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and to pressure them to stop speaking the truth.

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The danger of these rumors to individual Muslims lies

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in their believing them due to hearing them frequently without denial,

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until they settle in their hearts,

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causing them to think ill of the scholars of the Ummah and its callers,

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and they contribute to attacking their honor without realizing it.

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The second benefit:

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The saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him:

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“Rejoice, O ‘A’ishah!

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For Allah has revealed your innocence.”

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In another narration by al-Bukhari:

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“O ‘A’ishah,

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as for Allah, He has declared your innocence.”

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Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, declared her innocent of what people were saying.

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“Allah! There is no Allah save Him. He gathereth you all unto a Day of Resurrection whereof there is no doubt. Who is more true in statement than Allah?” (4:87)

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“But as for those who believe and do good works We shall bring them into Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide for ever. It is a promise from Allah in truth; and who can be more truthful than Allah in utterance?” (4:122)

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So, whoever attacks her honor after that

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is only calling Allah a liar regarding what He declared her innocent of.

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Therefore, scholars have ruled that whoever attacks the honor of ‘A’ishah

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after Allah has declared her innocent

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is a disbeliever, because he is denying the word of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, in the Noble Qur’an,

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which He revealed to His Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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through Jibril the Trustworthy.

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The third benefit:

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The saying of ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her:

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“No, by Allah, I will not go to him,

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nor will I praise him, nor will I praise you both.

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Rather, I praise Allah, who has revealed my innocence.”

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“You heard it, yet you neither denied it nor changed it.”

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‘A’ishah was in a state of extreme anger

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because of this heinous accusation made against her,

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and the silence of her parents regarding her innocence and their failure to defend her.

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So when Allah declared her innocent from above seven heavens,

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and her mother asked her to thank the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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for her innocence,

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‘A’ishah said these words.

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The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, did not get angry with her

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for this statement of hers;

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rather, he excused her for what she said,

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for she had recognized the truth for its rightful owner,

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and directed her praise to Allah, who had revealed her innocence.

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Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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“Her excuse for saying that

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was what she mentioned regarding the anger that had overcome her

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because they did not hasten to deny the one who said about her what he said,

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despite their certainty of her good character.”

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Ibn al-Jawzi said:

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“She only said that

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out of coquetry, just as a beloved acts toward her lover.”

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It was also said:

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“She pointed to the oneness of Allah, the Exalted, by her saying,

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‘He is the one who revealed my innocence,’

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so it was appropriate to single Him out with praise at that moment,

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and it does not necessitate abandoning praise thereafter.”

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It is also possible that she adhered to the literal meaning of his saying, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to her:

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“Praise Allah.”

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She understood from it a command to single out Allah, the Exalted, with praise,

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so she said that.

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As for the other words she added,

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they were prompted by anger.

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This stance of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in excusing her for what she said

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is part of his beautiful character, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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and his kind treatment of his family.

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He sought an excuse for her,

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for she was the one whose honor was attacked,

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people spoke against her,

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and even those closest to her did not defend her,

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despite their knowledge of her good conduct and the purity of her heart.

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The fourth benefit:

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It is a great honor for ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,

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that Allah revealed verses about her to be recited until the Day of Resurrection,

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declaring her innocence of what was attributed to her.

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Muslims continue to recite these verses in their prayers,

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so the innocence of ‘A’ishah echoes in their ears,

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softening their hearts,

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and raising the status of ‘A’ishah in their souls.

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Whoever does not benefit from what Allah revealed in the Qur’an

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and persists in attacking her honor,

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then Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, will take vengeance upon him in this world and the Hereafter.

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The continuation of attacks on the honor of ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,

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is a continuation of her reward,

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so that it does not cease with her death.

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This is a great virtue not granted to everyone.

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So praise be to Allah who revealed the innocence of ‘A’ishah in His Book,

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and praise be to Allah who declared her innocent Himself,

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and praise be to Allah who made her the wife of our Prophet,

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and praise be to Allah who guided us to love her,

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and praise be to Allah who facilitated the writing of this series about her in this blessed month,

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and praise be to Allah who made us among those who love the family of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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and defend them.

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I ask Allah, the Almighty and Majestic,

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to gather us with our Prophet and his family in the highest Paradise,

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and to accept from us our love for the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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and his family, from his wives and his descendants,

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and to place that in the scale of our good deeds.

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And our final prayer is that all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

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Our Mother ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her.