Mu'jam Kabir Tabarani 19457 — I said to Sayyidah Aishah: O Mother

Al-Aswad bin Yazid (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I said to Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her): "O Mother of the Believers" (or "O my mother"), "will you not tell me how the incident of the slander came about?" She said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) married me while I was playing in the rainwater in Makkah, and I had nothing that men desire, and I was six years old. When I came to know that he (peace and blessings be upon him) had married me, Allah placed modesty in me. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) emigrated and I was with him (peace and blessings be upon him); I was brought to him (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) came to me for the consummation when I was nine years old. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) set out on a journey and took me with him, and I was light, in my curtained howdah. When they departed, I would sit in it and they would lift it with me inside, and they would fasten it onto the camel's back. They halted at a stopping place, and I went out for my need. Then I came back, and they were already hurrying to depart, so I sat in the howdah, and when I moved the curtains they had seen me and knew I was there. When I sat in it, I touched my chest with my hand and found that I had left behind a necklace that I had with me, so I hurried out to look for it. Then I came back, and the people had already left, and from afar I could see only the dust. Because of my lightness they had placed the howdah on the camel's back, thinking that I was in it. Then a man appeared, holding the halter of his camel. I asked: "Who are you?" He said: "Safwan bin al-Mu'attal al-Sulami. Are you the Mother of the Believers?" I said: "Yes." He said: "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un (We belong to Allah and to Him we return)." I said: "Turn your face away from me and put your foot on your camel's foreleg." He said: "Very well, with pleasure and honour." She said: I reached the people when they had halted, and he went and set me down by the howdah. The people saw me, and I was not even aware of it. She said: I felt a lessening in the gentleness of my parents, and also from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and I did not know what had been said, until my servant girl, or the girl I was raising, came in and told me such and such. She said: And a man of the Muhajirun said to me: "How unaware you are!" A shivering fever came over me, and my mother brought every garment in the house and threw it over me. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) consulted some of his Companions and asked: "What is your view?" One of them said: "How many women there are, and you are able to take another." Another said: "You are the Messenger of Allah; revelation comes down upon you, and our affair follows yours." Another said: "By Allah, Allah will surely make this matter clear, so do not hasten." (The narrator said:) My father's face became as if arsenic (a poisonous powder) had been sprinkled on it. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to me, saw my state and said: "What is the matter with her?" My mother said: "She is grieving over what you people have said and what has been said." He (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke not a word and said nothing. This increased my distress further. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) came to me and said: "Aishah, fear Allah, and if anything of this has occurred from you, then repent to Allah, for Allah accepts the repentance of His servants and pardons evil deeds." I tried to recall the name of Ya'qub but could not, so I said: "I can only say what the father of Yusuf said: 'So beautiful patience is best, and it is Allah whose help is sought against what you describe' [Surah Yusuf: 18]; 'I only complain of my anguish and my grief to Allah' [Surah Yusuf: 86]; and I know from Allah what you do not know." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was with his Companions, and his (peace and blessings be upon him) face had become as if arsenic had been rubbed on it, until revelation came down upon him (peace and blessings be upon him). Whenever revelation came down upon him (peace and blessings be upon him), he (peace and blessings be upon him) would not blink, and from this the Companions would understand that revelation was coming down upon him (peace and blessings be upon him), and they would begin looking at his (peace and blessings be upon him) face as it brightened and shone. When the revelation was complete, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Abu Bakr, rejoice! Allah has sent down the vindication and innocence of your daughter." He went to her and gave her this good news. (The narrator said:) And he (peace and blessings be upon him) recited what had been sent down about me. (The narrator said:) Abu Bakr hurried forward as if about to fall. I said: "With the praise of Allah, not with praise of your companion from whom you have come." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came, sat by my head and took hold of my hand, and I pulled my hand away. Abu Bakr struck me and said: "Are you pulling your hand away from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? Is this how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is treated?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) laughed. (The narrator said:) This was my affair.