"When the Prophet (ﷺ) got up at night to pray Tahajjud, he said: Allahumma, lakal-hamdu anta nurus-samawati wal-ardi wa man fihinna wa lakal-hamdu anta qayyamus-samawati wal ardi wa man fihinna wa lakal-hamdu, anta haqqun wa wa'duka haqqun wal jannatu haqqun wan-nuru haqqun wan-nabiyyuna haqqun wa Muhammadan haqqun, laka aslant wa 'alaika tawakkaltu wa bika amant. ( O Allah, to You be praise, You are the Light of the heavens and earth and whoever is in them. To You be praise, You are the Sustainer of the Heavens and the earth and whoever is in them. To You be praise, You are the Sovereign of the heavens and earth and whoever is in them. To You be praise; You are True, Your promise is true, Paradise is true, Hell is true, the Hour is true, the Prophets are true and Muhammad is true. To You have I submitted, in You I put my trust and in You I have believed.'" Then (one of the narrators) Qutaibah mentioned some words the meaning of which was: "Wa bika khasamtu wa ilaika hakamtu, ighfirli ma quadrate wa ma akhkhartu wa ma a'lantu antal-muqaddimu wa antal-mu'khkhir, la ilaha illa anta wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (And with Your help I argue forward. There is no God but You and there is no power and no strength except with Allah).'"
Sunan an-Nasa'i Book 20, Hadith 22
One day the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was sitting amongst us that he dozed off. He then raised his head smilingly. We said: What makes you smile. Messenger of Allah? He said: A Sura has just been revealed to me, and then recited: In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Verily We have given thee Kauthar (fount of abundance). Therefore turn to thy Lord for prayer and offer sacrifice, and surely thy enemy is cut off (from the good). Then he (the Holy Prophet) said: Do you know what Kauthar is? We said: Allah and His Messenger know best. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: It (Kauthar) is a canal which my Lord, the Exalted and Glorious has promised me, and there is an abundance of good in it. It is a cistern and my people would come to it on the Day of Resurrection, and tumblers there would be equal to the number of stars. A servant would be turned away from (among the people gathered there). Upon this I would say: My Lord, he is one of my people, and He (the Lord) would say: You do not know that he innovated new things (in Islam) after you. Ibn Hujr made this addition in the hadith:" He (the Holy Prophet) was sitting amongst us in the mosque, and He (Allah) said: (You don't know) what he innovated after you"
Sahih Muslim Book 4, Hadith 56
Some people used to kill, and they did a great deal of it, and they used to commit adultery and they did a great deal of it, and they committed violations. They came to the Prophet and said: "O Muhammad, what you say and call people to is good, if only you could tell us that there is any expiation for what we have done." Then Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, revealed: "And those who invoke not any other ilah (god) along with Allah up to for those, Allah will change their sins into good deeds," he said: "So Allah will change their Shirk into faith, and their adultery into chastity. And the Verse: "Say: O 'Ibadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)" was revealed.
Sunan an-Nasa'i Book 37, Hadith 38
(The wife of the Prophet) Whenever Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) intended to go on a journey, he used to draw lots
among his wives and would take with him the one on whom the lot had fallen. Once he drew lots
when he wanted to carry out a Ghazwa, and the lot came upon me. So I proceeded with Allah's
Apostle after Allah's order of veiling (the women) had been revealed and thus I was carried in my
howdah (on a camel) and dismounted while still in it. We carried on our journey, and when Allah's
Apostle had finished his Ghazwa and returned and we approached Medina, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ordered to
proceed at night. When the army was ordered to resume the homeward journey, I got up and walked
on till I left the army (camp) behind. When I had answered the call of nature, I went towards my
howdah, but behold ! A necklace of mine made of Jaz Azfar (a kind of black bead) was broken and I
looked for it and my search for it detained me.
The group of people who used to carry me, came and carried my howdah on to the back of my camel
on which I was riding, considering that I was therein. At that time women were light in weight and
were not fleshy for they used to eat little (food), so those people did not feel the lightness of the
howdah while raising it up, and I was still a young lady. They drove away the camel and proceeded.
Then I found my necklace after the army had gone. I came to their camp but found nobody therein so I
went to the place where I used to stay, thinking that they would miss me and come back in my search.
While I was sitting at my place, I felt sleepy and slept. Safwan bin Al-Mu'attil As-Sulami Adh-
Dhakw-ani was behind the army. He had started in the last part of the night and reached my stationing
place in the morning and saw the figure of a sleeping person. He came to me and recognized me on
seeing me for he used to see me before veiling. I got up because of his saying: "Inna Li l-lahi wa inna
ilaihi rajiun," which he uttered on recognizing me. I covered my face with my garment, and by Allah,
he did not say to me a single word except, "Inna Li l-lahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun," till he made his shecamel
kneel down whereupon he trod on its forelegs and I mounted it. Then Safwan set out, leading
the she-camel that was carrying me, till we met the army while they were resting during the hot
midday.
Then whoever was meant for destruction, fell in destruction, and the leader of the Ifk (forged
statement) was `Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul. After this we arrived at Medina and I became ill for one
month while the people were spreading the forged statements of the people of the Ifk, and I was not
aware of anything thereof. But what aroused my doubt while I was sick, was that I was no longer
receiving from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) the same kindness as I used to receive when I fell sick. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)
would enter upon me, say a greeting and add, "How is that (lady)?" and then depart.
That aroused my suspicion but I was not aware of the propagated evil till I recovered from my
ailment. I went out with Um Mistah to answer the call of nature towards Al-Manasi, the place where
we used to relieve ourselves, and used not to go out for this purpose except from night to night, and
that was before we had lavatories close to our houses. And this habit of ours was similar to the habit
of the old 'Arabs (in the deserts or in the tents) concerning the evacuation of the bowels, for we
considered it troublesome and harmful to take lavatories in the houses. So I went out with Um Mistah
who was the daughter of Abi Ruhm bin `Abd Manaf, and her mother was daughter of Sakhr bin Amir
who was the aunt of Abi Bakr As-Siddiq, and her son was Mistah bin Uthatha. When we had finished
our affair, Um Mistah and I came back towards my house. Um Mistah stumbled over her robe
whereupon she said, "Let Mistah be ruined ! " I said to her, "What a bad word you have said! Do you
abuse a man who has taken part in the Battle of Badr?' She said, "O you there! Didn't you hear what
he has said?" I said, "And what did he say?" She then told me the statement of the people of the Ifk
(forged statement) which added to my ailment. When I returned home, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came to me,
and after greeting, he said, "How is that (lady)?" I said, "Will you allow me to go to my parents?" At
that time I intended to be sure of the news through them. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) allowed me and I went to my
parents and asked my mother, "O my mother! What are the people talking about?" My mother said,
"O my daughter! Take it easy, for by Allah, there is no charming lady who is loved by her husband
who has other wives as well, but that those wives would find fault with her." I said, "Subhan Allah!
Did the people really talk about that?"
That night I kept on weeping the whole night till the morning. My tears never stopped, nor did I sleep,
and morning broke while I was still weeping, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) called `Ali bin Abi Talib and Usama bin
Zaid when the Divine Inspiration delayed, in order to consult them as to the idea of divorcing his wife.
Usama bin Zaid told Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) of what he knew about the innocence of his wife and of his
affection he kept for her. He said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! She is your wife, and we do not know anything
about her except good." But `Ali bin Abi Talib said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Allah does not impose
restrictions on you; and there are plenty of women other than her. If you however, ask (her) slave girl,
she will tell you the truth." `Aisha added: So Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) called for Barira and said, "O Barira! Did
you ever see anything which might have aroused your suspicion? (as regards Aisha). Barira said, "By
Allah Who has sent you with the truth, I have never seen anything regarding Aisha which I would
blame her for except that she is a girl of immature age who sometimes sleeps and leaves the dough of
her family unprotected so that the domestic goats come and eat it."
So Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) got up (and addressed) the people an asked for somebody who would take revenge
on `Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul then. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), while on the pulpit, said, "O Muslims! Who
will help me against a man who has hurt me by slandering my family? By Allah, I know nothing
except good about my family, and people have blamed a man of whom I know nothing except good,
and he never used to visit my family except with me," Sa`d bin Mu`adh Al-Ansari got up and said, "O
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! By Allah, I will relieve you from him. If he be from the tribe of (Bani) Al-Aus, then I
will chop his head off; and if he be from our brethren, the Khazraj, then you give us your order and we
will obey it."
On that, Sa`d bin 'Ubada got up, and he was the chief of the Khazraj, and before this incident he had
been a pious man but he was incited by his zeal for his tribe. He said to Sa`d (bin Mu`adh), "By Allah
the Eternal, you have told a lie! You shall not kill him and you will never be able to kill him!" On that,
Usaid bin Hudair, the cousin of Sa`d (bin Mu`adh) got up and said to Sa`d bin 'Ubada, "You are a liar!
By Allah the Eternal, we will surely kill him; and you are a hypocrite defending the hypocrites!" So
the two tribes of Al-Aus and Al-Khazraj got excited till they were on the point of fighting with each
other while Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was standing on the pulpit. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) continued quietening them till
they became silent whereupon he became silent too. On that day I kept on weeping so much that
neither did my tears stop, nor could I sleep. In the morning my parents were with me, and I had wept
for two nights and a day without sleeping and with incessant tears till they thought that my liver would
burst with weeping. While they were with me and I was weeping, an Ansari woman asked permission
to see me. I admitted her and she sat and started weeping with me. While I was in that state, Allah's
Apostle came to us, greeted, and sat down,. He had never sat with me since the day what was said,
was said. He had stayed a month without receiving any Divine Inspiration concerning my case.
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) recited the Tashahhud after he had sat down, and then said, "Thereafter, O `Aisha! I
have been informed such and-such a thing about you; and if you are innocent, Allah will reveal your
innocence, and if you have committed a sin, then ask for Allah's forgiveness and repent to Him, for
when a slave confesses his sin and then repents to Allah, Allah accepts his repentance." When Allah's
Apostle had finished his speech, my tears ceased completely so that I no longer felt even a drop
thereof. Then I said to my father, "Reply to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) on my behalf as to what he said." He said,
"By Allah, I do not know what to say to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)." Then I said to my mother, "Reply to Allah's
Apostle."
She said, "I do not know what to say to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)." Still a young girl as I was and though I had
little knowledge of Quran, I said, "By Allah, I know that you heard this story (of the Ifk) so much so
that it has been planted in your minds and you have believed it. So now, if I tell you that I am
innocent, and Allah knows that I am innocent, you will not believe me; and if I confess something,
and Allah knows that I am innocent of it, you will believe me. By Allah, I cannot find of you an
example except that of Joseph's father: "So (for me) patience is most fitting against that which you
assert and it is Allah (Alone) Whose help can be sought. Then I turned away and lay on my bed, and
at that time I knew that I was innocent and that Allah would reveal my innocence. But by Allah, I
never thought that Allah would sent down about my affair, Divine Inspiration that would be recited
(forever), as I considered myself too unworthy to be talked of by Allah with something that was to be
recited: but I hoped that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) might have a vision in which Allah would prove my
innocence. By Allah, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had not left his seat and nobody had left the house when the
Divine Inspiration came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) . So there overtook him the same hard condition which
used to overtake him (when he was Divinely Inspired) so that the drops of his sweat were running
down, like pearls, though it was a (cold) winter day, and that was because of the heaviness of the
Statement which was revealed to him. When that state of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was over, and he was
smiling when he was relieved, the first word he said was, "Aisha, Allah has declared your innocence."
My mother said to me, "Get up and go to him." I said, "By Allah, I will not go to him and I will not
thank anybody but Allah." So Allah revealed: "Verily! They who spread the Slander are a gang among
you. Think it not...." (24.11-20).
When Allah revealed this to confirm my innocence, Abu Bakr As-Siddiq who used to provide for
Mistah bin Uthatha because of the latter's kinship to him and his poverty, said, "By Allah, I will never
provide for Mistah anything after what he has said about Aisha". So Allah revealed:
(continued...)
(continuing... 1): -6.274:... ...
"Let not those among you who are good and are wealthy swear not to give (help) to their kinsmen,
those in need, and those who have left their homes for Allah's Cause. Let them Pardon and forgive
(i.e. do not punish them). Do you not love that should forgive you? Verily Allah is Oft-forgiving.
Most Merciful." (24.22)
Abu Bakr said, "Yes, by Allah, I wish that Allah should forgive me." So he resumed giving Mistah the
aid he used to give him before and said, "By Allah, I will never withold it from him at all." Aisha
further said: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) also asked Zainab bint Jahsh about my case. He said, "O Zainab! What
have you seen?" She replied, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! I protect my hearing and my sight (by refraining
from telling lies). I know nothing but good (about Aisha)." Of all the wives of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), it was
Zainab who aspired to receive from him the same favor as I used to receive, yet, Allah saved her
(from telling lies) because of her piety. But her sister, Hamna, kept on fighting on her behalf so she
was destroyed as were those who invented and spread the slander.
Sahih al-Bukhari Book 65, Hadith 272
that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to him: "Indeed, Allah ordered me to recite to you, so he recited in it: "Those who disbelieve from amongst the People of the Book were not going to...'" (And he) also recited in it, "Indeed, the religion with Allah is Al-Hanafiyyah, the Muslim, not Judaism, nor Christianity, whoever does good, it shall not be rejected from him." And he recited to him: "And if the son of Adam had a valley-full of wealth, he would seek a second, and if he had a second, he would seek a third, and nothing fills the belly of the son of Adam except for dirt. And Allah pardons those who repent."
Jami` at-Tirmidhi Book 49, Hadith 192