Upon that, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) entered, greeted, and then sat down. She said: 'He had not sat with me since I was told what I was told before this, and a month had passed where no revelation came to him regarding my affair.' She said: 'So the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) recited the testimony of faith (Tashahhud) when he sat, then said: "To proceed: O 'Aisha, it has reached me such and such about you. If you are innocent, Allah will declare your innocence, but if you have committed a sin, then seek Allah's forgiveness and repent to Him. For when a servant confesses his sin and then repents to Allah, Allah accepts his repentance."' She said: 'When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) finished his speech, my tears ceased until I did not feel a single drop of them. I said to my father: "Answer the Messenger of Allah for what he said." She said: He said: "By Allah, I do not know what to say." She said: I said to my mother: "Answer the Messenger of Allah for what he said." She said: "By Allah, I do not know what to say." She said: 'I was a young girl who did not recite much of the Qur'an. I said: "By Allah, I know that you have heard this talk until it has settled in your hearts and you have believed it. If I say I am innocent—and Allah knows that I am innocent—you will not believe me in that. And if I confess to you a matter—and Allah knows that I am innocent of it—you will believe me. By Allah, I find no example for me and for you except the father of Yusuf (Joseph), who said: "So patience is most fitting, and Allah is the One sought for help against what you describe." (Surah Yusuf: 18).' She said: 'Then I turned away and lay down on my bed.' She said: 'And I, by Allah, at that time knew that I was innocent and that Allah would clear me through my innocence. But, by Allah, I did not think that Allah would reveal a revelation about my affair that would be recited, for my matter in my own eyes was too insignificant for Allah to speak about in a matter that is recited. However, I hoped that Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, would show His Messenger a dream in his sleep through which Allah would clear me.' She said: 'The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had not left his seat, nor had anyone left the house, when the revelation descended upon him. He was overcome by the intensity that used to overtake him, until pearls of sweat like beads would trickle from him on a winter day due to the weight of what was being revealed to him.' She said: 'When the state passed from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), it passed while he was smiling, and the first word he spoke was: "O 'Aisha, as for you, Allah has declared your innocence."' She said: 'My mother said to me: "Stand up to him." I said: "No, by Allah, I will not stand up to him, and I will not praise anyone but Allah." And Allah the Almighty revealed: "Verily, those who brought forth the slander..." (to the end of the verses), up to: "...and let them pardon and overlook. Would you not like that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful" (Surah An-Nur: 11-22).' 'Aisha said: 'When Allah revealed this regarding my innocence, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, who used to provide for Mistah due to his poverty and his kinship to him, said: "By Allah, I will never spend on Mistah after what he said about 'Aisha."' 'Aisha said: 'Then Allah the Almighty and Majestic revealed: [Next text follows].'
(1). The severity.
عَلَى ذَلِكَ دَخَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَسَلَّمَ ثُمَّ جَلَسَ، قَالَتْ: وَلَمْ يَجْلِسْ عِنْدِي مُنْذُ قِيلَ لِي مَا قِيلَ قَبْلَهَا، وَلَقَدْ لَبِثَ شَهْرًا لَا يُوحَى إِلَيْهِ فِي شَأْنِي بِشَيْءٍ، قَالَتْ: فَتَشَهَّدَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حِينَ جَلَسَ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: أَمَّا بَعْدُ: يَا عَائِشَةُ فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ بَلَغَنِي عَنْكِ كَذَا وَكَذَا، فَإِنْ كُنْتِ بَرِيئَةً فَسَيُبَرِّئُكِ اللَّهُ، وَإِنْ كُنْتِ أَلْمَمْتِ بِذَنْبٍ فَاسْتَغْفِرِي اللَّهَ وَتُوبِي إِلَيْهِ، فَإِنَّ الْعَبْدَ إِذَا اعْتَرَفَ بِذَنَبِهِ ثُمَّ تَابَ إِلَى اللَّهِ، تَابَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ، قَالَتْ: فَلَمَّا قَضَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَقَالَتَهُ قَلَصَ دَمْعِي، حَتَّى مَا أُحِسُّ مِنْهُ قَطْرَةً، فَقُلْتُ لأَبِي: أَجِبْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فِيمَا قَالَ، قَالَتْ:
فَقَالَ: وَاللَّهِ مَا أَدْرِي مَا أَقُولُ، قَالَتْ: قُلْتُ لأُمِّي: أَجِيبِي رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فِيمَا قَالَ:
قَالَتْ: وَاللَّهِ مَا أَدْرِي مَا أَقُولُ، قَالَتْ: وَأَنَا حَدِيثَةُ السِّنِّ لَا أَقْرَأُ كَثِيرًا مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ، إِنِّي وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ عَلِمْتُ لَقَدْ سَمِعْتُمْ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ، حَتَّى اسْتَقَرَّ فِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ وَصَدَّقْتُمْ بِهِ، وَلَئِنْ قُلْتُ بَرِيئَةٌ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ أَنِّي بَرِيئَةٌ، لَا تُصَدِّقُونِي بِذَلِكَ، وَلَئِنِ اعْتَرَفْتُ لَكُمْ بِأَمْرٍ، وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ أَنِّي مِنْهُ بَرِيئَةٌ، لَتُصَدِّقُونِي، وَاللَّهِ لَا أَجِدُ لِي وَلَكُمْ مَثَلا إِلا أَبَا يُوسُفَ قَالَ:
فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ وَاللَّهُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَى مَا تَصِفُونَ قَالَتْ: ثُمَّ تَحَوَّلْتُ، فَاضْطَجَعْتُ عَلَى فِرَاشِي، قَالَتْ: وَأَنَا وَاللَّهِ حِينَئِذٍ أَعْلَمُ أَنِّي بَرِيئَةٌ، وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ سَيُبَرِّئُنِي بِبَرَاءَتِي، وَلَكِنْ وَاللَّهِ مَا كُنْتُ أَظُنُّ أَنَّ اللَّهَ سَيُنْزِلُ فِي شَأْنِي وَحْيًا يُتْلَى، وَلَشَأْنِي فِي نَفْسِي كَانَ أَحْقَرَ مِنْ أَنْ يَتَكَلَّمَ اللَّهُ فِي أَمْرٍ يُتْلَى، وَلَكِنْ كُنْتُ أَرْجُو أَنْ يُرِيَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى رَسُولَهُ فِي النَّوْمِ رُؤْيَا يُبَرِّئُنِي اللَّهُ بِهَا، قَالَتْ: مَا رَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَجْلِسَهُ وَلا خَرَجَ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ، حَتَّى أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ، فَأَخَذَهُ مَا كَانَ يَأْخُذُهُ مِنَ الْبُرَحَاءِ «١» ، حَتَّى إِنَّهُ لَيَتَحَدَّرُ مِنْهُ مِثْلُ الْجُمَانِ مِنَ الْعَرَقِ فِي الْيَوْمِ الشَّاتِي، مِنْ ثِقَلِ الَّذِي أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ، قَالَتْ: فَلَمَّا سُرِّيَ، عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، سُرِّيَ عَنْهُ وَهُوَ يَضْحَكُ، فَكَانَتْ أَوَّلَ كَلِمَةٍ تَكَلَّمَ بِهَا أَنْ قَالَ: يَا عَائِشَةُ: أَمَّا أَنْتِ فَقَدْ بَرَّأَكِ اللَّهُ، قَالَتْ: فَقَالَتْ لِي أُمِّي: قَوْمِي إِلَيْهِ، فَقُلْتُ: لَا وَاللَّهِ لَا أَقُومُ إِلَيْهِ، وَلا أَحْمَدُ إِلا اللَّهَ، وَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: إن الذين جاؤ بالإفك الآية حَتَّى بَلَغَ وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا أَلا تُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ: فَلَمَّا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ هَذَا فِي بَرَاءَتِي قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقُ وَكَانَ يُنْفِقُ عَلَى مِسْطَحٍ لِيُتْمِهِ وَقَرَابَتِهِ مِنْهُ: وَاللَّهِ لَا أُنْفِقُ عَلَى مِسْطَحٍ أَبَدًا بَعْدَ الَّذِي قَالَ لِعَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ: فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ:
(١) . الشدة.
