WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.660 Our Mother ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her. 00:00:04.660 --> 00:00:19.000 “As for ‘A’ishah, Allah has declared your innocence.” 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:24.399 The people most severely tested are the prophets, then those most like them, and then those most like them. 00:00:24.399 --> 00:00:31.339 Our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was tested with various trials, yet he remained patient. 00:00:31.339 --> 00:00:33.979 Among the most difficult of these for him personally 00:00:33.979 --> 00:00:37.539 was the slander against the honor of ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, 00:00:37.740 --> 00:00:42.539 which lasted for a full month during which no revelation was sent down to him. 00:00:42.539 --> 00:00:49.799 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. 00:00:49.799 --> 00:00:53.899 This trial is known as the Incident of the Slander (al-Ifk). 00:00:53.899 --> 00:01:00.200 If we were to discuss this incident in detail, it would require more than one session. 00:01:00.200 --> 00:01:03.799 However, we shall extract only the final portion of it, 00:01:03.799 --> 00:01:07.200 and conclude the "O ‘A’ishah" series with it, 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:11.000 in the hope of meeting you in another series, 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:16.590 if Allah grants us and you life until the coming Ramadan, insha’Allah. 00:01:16.590 --> 00:01:22.189 ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, says in her narration of the story of the Incident of the Slander: 00:01:22.189 --> 00:01:24.689 “My parents were with me, 00:01:24.689 --> 00:01:30.090 and they had not yet left when the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, entered. 00:01:30.090 --> 00:01:31.989 He had already prayed the ‘Asr prayer. 00:01:31.989 --> 00:01:33.489 Then he entered, 00:01:33.489 --> 00:01:37.689 while my parents were sitting on my right and left. 00:01:37.689 --> 00:01:41.290 He praised Allah and extolled Him, then said: 00:01:41.290 --> 00:01:42.790 ‘To proceed: 00:01:42.790 --> 00:01:44.489 O ‘A’ishah, 00:01:44.489 --> 00:01:49.290 if you have committed a fault or done wrong, then repent to Allah, 00:01:49.290 --> 00:01:53.090 for Allah accepts repentance from His servants.’ 00:01:53.090 --> 00:01:54.189 She said: 00:01:54.189 --> 00:01:56.890 ‘A woman from the Ansar had come, 00:01:56.890 --> 00:01:59.519 and she was sitting at the door. 00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:00.719 I said, 00:02:00.719 --> 00:02:05.219 “Do you not feel ashamed before this woman to mention such a thing?”’ 00:02:05.219 --> 00:02:08.919 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, exhorted me. 00:02:08.919 --> 00:02:10.719 I turned to my father 00:02:10.719 --> 00:02:12.919 and said to him, ‘Answer him.’ 00:02:12.919 --> 00:02:13.819 He said, 00:02:13.819 --> 00:02:15.719 ‘What should I say?’ 00:02:15.719 --> 00:02:17.719 I turned to my mother 00:02:17.719 --> 00:02:19.719 and said, ‘Answer him.’ 00:02:19.719 --> 00:02:20.919 She said, 00:02:20.919 --> 00:02:22.919 ‘What should I say?’ 00:02:22.919 --> 00:02:25.020 When they did not answer him, 00:02:25.020 --> 00:02:29.819 I testified, praised Allah, and extolled Him as He deserves, 00:02:29.819 --> 00:02:31.319 then I said, 00:02:31.319 --> 00:02:32.819 ‘To proceed: 00:02:32.819 --> 00:02:36.419 By Allah, if I were to tell you that I did not do it— 00:02:36.419 --> 00:02:40.219 and Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, bears witness that I am truthful— 00:02:40.219 --> 00:02:43.120 that would not benefit me with you. 00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:47.219 You have spoken of it, and your hearts have become filled with it. 00:02:47.219 --> 00:02:49.819 And if I were to tell you that I did do it— 00:02:49.819 --> 00:02:52.719 and Allah knows that I did not do it— 00:02:52.719 --> 00:02:56.719 you would surely say, “She has confessed to it herself.” 00:02:56.719 --> 00:03:00.419 By Allah, I find no example for myself and for you 00:03:00.419 --> 00:03:02.419 except for the father of Yusuf (Jacob), when he said: 00:03:02.419 --> 00:03:04.020 “So patience is most fitting.”’ 00:03:04.020 --> 00:03:06.719 I could not recall his name. 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:08.819 [The verse: ﴾So patience is most fitting. And Allah is the one sought for help against that which you describe.﴿] 00:03:08.819 --> 00:03:13.020 “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) 00:03:13.020 --> 00:03:17.919 Then, revelation descended upon the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, at that very moment. 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:20.219 We remained silent until it was lifted from him. 00:03:20.219 --> 00:03:23.520 I could see the joy on his face 00:03:23.520 --> 00:03:26.419 as he wiped his forehead and said, 00:03:26.419 --> 00:03:28.620 ‘Rejoice, O ‘A’ishah! 00:03:28.620 --> 00:03:31.620 For Allah has revealed your innocence.’ 00:03:31.620 --> 00:03:32.719 She said: 00:03:32.719 --> 00:03:35.620 ‘I was at the height of my anger. 00:03:35.620 --> 00:03:37.620 My parents said to me, 00:03:37.620 --> 00:03:39.219 “Go to him.” 00:03:39.219 --> 00:03:40.319 I said, 00:03:40.319 --> 00:03:42.819 “No, by Allah, I will not go to him, 00:03:42.819 --> 00:03:46.020 nor will I praise him, nor will I praise you both. 00:03:46.020 --> 00:03:50.219 Rather, I praise Allah, who has revealed my innocence.” 00:03:50.219 --> 00:03:51.819 You heard it, 00:03:51.819 --> 00:03:55.219 yet you neither denied it nor changed it.’” 00:03:55.319 --> 00:03:57.439 Narrated by al-Bukhari. 00:03:57.439 --> 00:04:01.439 The Incident of the Slander contains many lessons. 00:04:01.439 --> 00:04:05.539 Scholars have written dedicated works on it, 00:04:05.539 --> 00:04:09.139 and the scholars of hadith have explained it in the books of hadith, 00:04:09.139 --> 00:04:12.240 and the exegetes in the books of Tafsir. 00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:17.639 The occasion does not allow for mentioning all the benefits contained in this incident, 00:04:17.639 --> 00:04:22.839 but perhaps we can conclude these articles with some of its benefits. 00:04:22.839 --> 00:04:24.939 The first benefit: 00:04:24.939 --> 00:04:29.240 “You have spoken of it, and your hearts have become filled with it.” 00:04:29.240 --> 00:04:32.439 When rumors spread in society 00:04:32.439 --> 00:04:36.040 and everyone talks about them without verification, 00:04:36.040 --> 00:04:41.439 this rumor turns into a perceived reality in people's souls 00:04:41.439 --> 00:04:45.540 due to its frequent circulation and the lack of anyone denying it. 00:04:45.540 --> 00:04:50.740 This is what ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, pointed to with this statement, 00:04:50.740 --> 00:04:54.439 because she was certain of her innocence, 00:04:54.439 --> 00:04:59.839 and she assumed that everyone who heard the news would be certain of her innocence. 00:04:59.839 --> 00:05:02.240 We have a lesson in this: 00:05:02.240 --> 00:05:06.439 we must not believe news that attacks the honor of people, 00:05:06.439 --> 00:05:09.040 even if it spreads throughout society. 00:05:09.040 --> 00:05:12.240 We must verify what we hear, 00:05:12.240 --> 00:05:17.439 for the enemies of Islam are keen to spread lies about the callers to Islam 00:05:17.439 --> 00:05:22.339 and about the scholars to tarnish their image and turn people away from them, 00:05:22.339 --> 00:05:26.160 and to pressure them to stop speaking the truth. 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:30.660 The danger of these rumors to individual Muslims lies 00:05:30.660 --> 00:05:35.060 in their believing them due to hearing them frequently without denial, 00:05:35.060 --> 00:05:37.660 until they settle in their hearts, 00:05:37.660 --> 00:05:41.959 causing them to think ill of the scholars of the Ummah and its callers, 00:05:41.959 --> 00:05:47.120 and they contribute to attacking their honor without realizing it. 00:05:47.120 --> 00:05:49.350 The second benefit: 00:05:49.350 --> 00:05:52.449 The saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him: 00:05:52.449 --> 00:05:54.550 “Rejoice, O ‘A’ishah! 00:05:54.550 --> 00:05:57.550 For Allah has revealed your innocence.” 00:05:57.550 --> 00:06:00.449 In another narration by al-Bukhari: 00:06:00.449 --> 00:06:01.949 “O ‘A’ishah, 00:06:01.949 --> 00:06:04.750 as for Allah, He has declared your innocence.” 00:06:04.750 --> 00:06:08.949 Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, declared her innocent of what people were saying. 00:06:08.949 --> 00:06:12.050 “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) 00:06:12.050 --> 00:06:15.350 “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) 00:06:15.350 --> 00:06:18.250 So, whoever attacks her honor after that 00:06:18.250 --> 00:06:22.110 is only calling Allah a liar regarding what He declared her innocent of. 00:06:22.110 --> 00:06:26.810 Therefore, scholars have ruled that whoever attacks the honor of ‘A’ishah 00:06:26.810 --> 00:06:28.910 after Allah has declared her innocent 00:06:28.910 --> 00:06:33.910 is a disbeliever, because he is denying the word of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, in the Noble Qur’an, 00:06:33.910 --> 00:06:38.209 which He revealed to His Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:06:38.209 --> 00:06:41.620 through Jibril the Trustworthy. 00:06:41.620 --> 00:06:43.860 The third benefit: 00:06:43.860 --> 00:06:46.759 The saying of ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her: 00:06:46.759 --> 00:06:49.459 “No, by Allah, I will not go to him, 00:06:49.459 --> 00:06:52.560 nor will I praise him, nor will I praise you both. 00:06:52.560 --> 00:06:56.259 Rather, I praise Allah, who has revealed my innocence.” 00:06:56.259 --> 00:07:01.060 “You heard it, yet you neither denied it nor changed it.” 00:07:01.060 --> 00:07:03.660 ‘A’ishah was in a state of extreme anger 00:07:03.660 --> 00:07:07.560 because of this heinous accusation made against her, 00:07:07.560 --> 00:07:11.959 and the silence of her parents regarding her innocence and their failure to defend her. 00:07:11.959 --> 00:07:15.759 So when Allah declared her innocent from above seven heavens, 00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:20.759 and her mother asked her to thank the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:07:20.860 --> 00:07:22.660 for her innocence, 00:07:22.660 --> 00:07:25.560 ‘A’ishah said these words. 00:07:25.560 --> 00:07:28.959 The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, did not get angry with her 00:07:28.959 --> 00:07:31.060 for this statement of hers; 00:07:31.060 --> 00:07:33.459 rather, he excused her for what she said, 00:07:33.459 --> 00:07:35.860 for she had recognized the truth for its rightful owner, 00:07:35.860 --> 00:07:40.660 and directed her praise to Allah, who had revealed her innocence. 00:07:40.660 --> 00:07:43.259 Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 00:07:43.259 --> 00:07:45.759 “Her excuse for saying that 00:07:45.759 --> 00:07:49.160 was what she mentioned regarding the anger that had overcome her 00:07:49.160 --> 00:07:53.660 because they did not hasten to deny the one who said about her what he said, 00:07:53.660 --> 00:07:57.060 despite their certainty of her good character.” 00:07:57.060 --> 00:07:58.860 Ibn al-Jawzi said: 00:07:58.860 --> 00:08:00.759 “She only said that 00:08:00.759 --> 00:08:04.560 out of coquetry, just as a beloved acts toward her lover.” 00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:05.860 It was also said: 00:08:05.860 --> 00:08:09.660 “She pointed to the oneness of Allah, the Exalted, by her saying, 00:08:09.660 --> 00:08:12.360 ‘He is the one who revealed my innocence,’ 00:08:12.360 --> 00:08:15.560 so it was appropriate to single Him out with praise at that moment, 00:08:15.560 --> 00:08:18.959 and it does not necessitate abandoning praise thereafter.” 00:08:18.959 --> 00:08:25.560 It is also possible that she adhered to the literal meaning of his saying, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to her: 00:08:25.560 --> 00:08:27.259 “Praise Allah.” 00:08:27.259 --> 00:08:31.259 She understood from it a command to single out Allah, the Exalted, with praise, 00:08:31.259 --> 00:08:32.960 so she said that. 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:36.460 As for the other words she added, 00:08:36.460 --> 00:08:39.279 they were prompted by anger. 00:08:39.279 --> 00:08:44.779 This stance of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in excusing her for what she said 00:08:44.779 --> 00:08:48.379 is part of his beautiful character, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:08:48.379 --> 00:08:50.980 and his kind treatment of his family. 00:08:50.980 --> 00:08:53.179 He sought an excuse for her, 00:08:53.179 --> 00:08:55.379 for she was the one whose honor was attacked, 00:08:55.379 --> 00:08:57.879 people spoke against her, 00:08:57.879 --> 00:09:00.980 and even those closest to her did not defend her, 00:09:00.980 --> 00:09:06.000 despite their knowledge of her good conduct and the purity of her heart. 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:08.100 The fourth benefit: 00:09:08.100 --> 00:09:12.600 It is a great honor for ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, 00:09:12.600 --> 00:09:17.500 that Allah revealed verses about her to be recited until the Day of Resurrection, 00:09:17.500 --> 00:09:21.129 declaring her innocence of what was attributed to her. 00:09:21.129 --> 00:09:26.029 Muslims continue to recite these verses in their prayers, 00:09:26.029 --> 00:09:29.830 so the innocence of ‘A’ishah echoes in their ears, 00:09:29.830 --> 00:09:31.830 softening their hearts, 00:09:31.830 --> 00:09:35.629 and raising the status of ‘A’ishah in their souls. 00:09:35.629 --> 00:09:39.330 Whoever does not benefit from what Allah revealed in the Qur’an 00:09:39.330 --> 00:09:42.029 and persists in attacking her honor, 00:09:42.029 --> 00:09:47.159 then Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, will take vengeance upon him in this world and the Hereafter. 00:09:47.159 --> 00:09:51.360 The continuation of attacks on the honor of ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:53.360 is a continuation of her reward, 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:56.159 so that it does not cease with her death. 00:09:56.159 --> 00:10:01.220 This is a great virtue not granted to everyone. 00:10:01.220 --> 00:10:06.120 So praise be to Allah who revealed the innocence of ‘A’ishah in His Book, 00:10:06.120 --> 00:10:09.620 and praise be to Allah who declared her innocent Himself, 00:10:09.620 --> 00:10:13.419 and praise be to Allah who made her the wife of our Prophet, 00:10:13.419 --> 00:10:17.740 and praise be to Allah who guided us to love her, 00:10:17.740 --> 00:10:24.139 and praise be to Allah who facilitated the writing of this series about her in this blessed month, 00:10:24.139 --> 00:10:30.539 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, 00:10:30.539 --> 00:10:32.539 and defend them. 00:10:32.539 --> 00:10:34.539 I ask Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, 00:10:34.539 --> 00:10:39.440 to gather us with our Prophet and his family in the highest Paradise, 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:44.240 and to accept from us our love for the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:10:44.240 --> 00:10:48.039 and his family, from his wives and his descendants, 00:10:48.039 --> 00:10:52.240 and to place that in the scale of our good deeds. 00:10:52.240 --> 00:11:00.279 And our final prayer is that all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. 00:11:00.279 --> 00:11:04.279 Our Mother ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her.