THE JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME WITH PROPHET MUHAMMAD THE PROPHET OF ALLAH 053 THE NECKLACE OF LADY AYESHA by Khadeijah A. Stephens Copyright © 1984-2012 by Allah.com Muhammad.com Mosque.com Khadeijah A. Stephens Bismillah Ir Rahman Ir Raheem The Necklace of Lady Ayesha The Loss of Lady Ayesha’s Necklace At sunset, a few days after the encounter of Mustalik, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) called for his men to halt to offer the evening prayer. Lady Ayesha's camel was made to kneel and as she dismounted the weakened clasp of the necklace her sister Asma had lent her came undone and the necklace fell off. She did not notice it was missing for sometime but when she did she became very sad. The sun had set and it was impossible to find it even though she tried very hard. It had been the Prophet's intention not to stay long at the halt as there was no water for miles around and there was very little water left in their water-skins, but knowing how upset Lady Ayesha was he gave the order that they would remain there that night. News of the loss of Lady Ayesha's necklace circulated amongst the Companions and on account of the lack of water there was much concern about their ability to offer the dawn prayer the following morning. They wondered if they would have to delay saying the prayer as it would be necessary for everyone to renew their ablution. Several of the Companions complained to Abu Bakr about his daughter and he went to her and spoke harshly to her on account of the predicament they now found themselves in. That night, Allah in His Mercy sent a new Revelation that spoke of an alternate way in which one might make ablution when water was unavailable: “If you are ill or on a journey, or if any of you come from the toilet or you have touched (had intercourse with) women, and you cannot find water, so touch pure dust and wipe your faces and your hands. Allah is the Pardoner, the Forgiver." Koran 4:43 The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) recited the new verse to his followers and demonstrated how to make the dry kind of ablution, tayamun, with pure, unpolluted dust and the Muslims rejoiced at not having to delay the Dawn prayer. It was daybreak, the prayer had been offered and there was still no sign of the necklace. It was time to move and as Lady Ayesha's camel got up, there, lying underneath it lay the necklace. After having heard this Revelation, Usayd went to Abu Bakr telling him that it was not the first time blessings had received on account of his family. The Race As they journeyed back to Medina the Muslims came across a valley in which it was decided to camp and the two tents of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) were erected some distance away from the others. Lady Ayesha, who was young and full of energy, invited the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) to race with her as he had done in Mecca before the migration, and so they raced with one another. This time the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) won the race whereupon he said, "This is for the other race, the one in which you were the winner." Later, Lady Ayesha explained that one day, when she was little, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) went to visit her father and saw she had something in her hand. He asked her to bring it to him, but in her playfulness she would not and had run away from him whereupon the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) pretended to run after her, but let her get away. The Last Stage of the Journey Medina was but a few stops away when the order to halt was given. Once more, during their rest period, the clasp of Lady Ayesha's necklace came undone and slipped from her without notice. The time had come to resume the march, but just before she mounted her howdah she felt the need to answer the call of nature and slipped away far from everyone's sight. When she returned, Lady Umm Salamah and herself seated themselves inside their individual howdahs and drew the curtains around them as they waited for them to be lifted up on to the back of their camels. To her great alarm, as Lady Ayesha was making herself comfortable she realized the necklace had slipped yet again and so she left her howdah to go and look for it. Everyone was busy with their own affairs and nobody noticed her leave the howdah. Whilst she searched for the necklace the howdahs were mounted onto the camels, and on account of her slender physique no one realized that she was not inside, and the order to march was given. Lady Ayesha found the necklace but when she returned everyone had left. She didn't know what to do for the best so she thought if she remained where her howdah had been, then, sooner or later, someone would be sure to notice she wasn't with them and realize that she had been left behind at the last halt, and as she waited she was overcome by tiredness and fell sound asleep. Safwan Muattal’s son Safwan, Muattal’s son was known for his uprightness and honesty, and had been designated to trail behind the army to be on the look out for any possible threat from the rear and to retrieve any item that may have either been left behind or dropped as the army marched on ahead. The hours passed by and as Safwan drew near to the last camp he noticed a figure asleep in the sand and decided to investigate. When he reached the spot he dismounted from his camel and went over to the sleeper. As soon as Safwan realized who the sleeping person was he exclaimed, "Indeed we are for Allah, and to Him we return. It is the wife of the Messenger of Allah, (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam)!" He had been able to recognize who the sleeping person was as he had seen her with the wives of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) before they were obliged to wear the veil. Until that moment Lady Ayesha had remained asleep, but upon hearing his voice she woke up. She was relieved to see him and Safwan offered her his camel and walked on foot as he led the camel on to the next halt. At the next halt, the howdahs had been lifted from the camels and set down upon the sand. When Lady Ayesha did not come out of her howdah it was presumed she must have fallen asleep, and no one thought anymore about it. It was almost time to resume the march, when to everyone's astonishment Safwan entered the camp leading Lady Ayesha riding on his camel. The Promoter of Lies Neither the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) nor the Companions thought anymore about the incident, they were glad she was safe and sound, but the tongues of the hypocrites promoted by Abdullah, Ubayy's son, son of Salul who were always searching for a way to harm the holy family, started to concoct slanderous lies about Lady Ayesha and Safwan. One might recall there had also been another occasion when a young and beautiful strong Muslim lady, who was among the first to embrace Islam, set out alone for Medina to rejoin her husband from whom she had been separated by the unbelievers. As she journeyed alone through the desert Othman saw her, so on account of his concern and care for the lady he escorted her to Medina. That lady was none other than Umm Salamah the lady who, in later years after the death of her husband, was to become the wife of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam). It neither occurred to the leader of the hypocrites Abdullah, Ubayy’s son and his companions, to rob Umm Salamah of her reputation because she was only an ordinary woman. However, when it came to Lady Ayesha being escorted by Safwan who was trusted like Othman and had been designated to trail behind the army to be on the look out for any possible danger or retrieve any item that may have been left behind or dropped, the hypocrites seized upon the opportunity to defame the Holy Family with their vicious lies. Lady Ayesha had greater Islamic knowledge than Lady Umm Salama especially in jurisprudence and of the Revelation. The Prophet, (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) married her when she was young and prepared and trusted her not only to transmit Islam but also to empower women with knowledge and morality that would also enable women to pass on traditions and judgments in times of hardship. Among the benefits of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) marrying her at a young age was that she, with the direct knowledge she received from the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) was capable of safe guarding the nation in times of hardship after his passing. Times of hardship such as those when the hypocrites killed Caliph Omar, Caliph Othman, Caliph Ali, Imam Husain and poisoned Imam Hasan. The hypocrites were also responsible for killing many of the foremost Companions and all except for one the male offspring of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), as well as many learned men, but they did not kill women, since such an action was unacceptable. Such was the extent of the atrocities that ibn Abbas closed the door of his house and locked himself away from society. Lady Ayesha lived for six decades after the passing of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, and would speak openly at all times as she continued to bridge the traditions of the message to the current needs of daily life. She never once feared the hypocrites. The onslaught of her character was reborn 900 years ago by the citizens of the Safawi Persian Empire who innovated the Shiite theology. That onslaught persists today because the narration of Lady Ayesha is proof of their flawed doctrine. Ghumari’s Hadith Data Warehouse shows that 14,000 repeated Prophetic sayings (hadith) were reported by Lady Ayesha and downstream recorded in 385 transmitting depositories. The Vicious Lie Soon after their return, Lady Ayesha was taken ill and during that time the slanderous lies that had been for the most part contrived and initiated by Abdullah, Ubayy’s son and other hypocrites started to circulate throughout the City. The majority of Muslims refused to accept or even listen to them, however, there were a few including Lady Ayesha's own cousin, Mistah, who believed and helped to spread the rumor. Despite the fact that everyone in Medina knew about the rumors, Lady Ayesha remained completely unaware, and when her illness worsened she asked the Prophet's permission to return to her mother so that she might look after her and the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) agreed. Twenty days after she had gone to stay with her mother, her illness abated. One evening, shortly thereafter, as she was walking with her paternal aunt, Mistah's mother, her aunt's foot became entangled in her gown and caused her to stumble, whereupon she surprised Lady Ayesha with her exclamation, "May Mistah stumble!" Lady Ayesha exclaimed, "Allah! That is not a good thing to say about a Muhajirin who fought at Badr!" Then it dawned upon her aunt that Lady Ayesha knew nothing of the rumors and asked, "Haven't you heard what is being said?" Lady Ayesha was puzzled and replied that she had no idea of that which she referred, whereupon her aunt broke the news of the vicious lies the hypocrites and her son were spreading about her. Lady Ayesha could not believe her ears and exclaimed, "Can this be so!" and with deep regret her aunt swore by Allah that it was. Lady Ayesha burst into tears and returned home sobbing so much that later on she said that she feared her liver would split. When she reached home she went straight to her mother saying, "May Allah forgive you, people talk, yet you did not tell me anything of it!" Her mother did her best to comfort her but it did nothing to alleviate the great sorrow and hurt she felt as she lay awake all night sobbing her young, innocent heart out. Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) knew Lady Ayesha to be innocent of the charges but had to wait for a Revelation to be sent down which would exonerate her before everyone. In the meantime he approached his wives and asked their opinion of her so as to confound the whisperings of satan. Without exception all praised Lady Ayesha saying that they only knew good things about her. The following morning when the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) was in the Mosque he climbed the pulpit, praised Allah then said, "O people, what do you say of men who seek to hurt me with regard to my family by spreading untruths about them? By Allah, I know nothing but good about my household, and nothing but good about the man they mention who has never entered a house of mine except that I was with him." As soon as the words had left the Prophet's mouth, Usayd jumped up and said, "O Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), if they are from the Aws, we will deal with them; but if they are from our Khazraj brothers then command us -- they should be killed!" Amongst the chief perpetrators other than Mistah, and Abdullah, Ubayy's son, were Hamnah, and Hasan, Thabit's son from the Khazraj. When Sa’ad, heard Usayd's words he exclaimed, "You will not kill them, nor can you. You would not have spoken like this if they had been your people! A heated argument broke out as Usayd said, "We will kill them, and you are a hypocrite to take their side! The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) intervened and quieted them down and they left the Mosque in peace. A well intentioned person thought Lady Ayesha would be comforted when she learned of the kind words her co-wives had said about her when the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) inquired about her. However, when she heard what had been asked it caused her greater distress as she began to wonder whether he had asked them because he distrusted her. Had she also been told about the events in the Mosque she would have realized otherwise but she remained unaware. Lady Ayesha wept continuously for two days and nights during which time one of the ladies from the Ansar came to visit her and she too sat and wept with her. A while later, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) came to visit her and sat down and said, "I bear witness that there is no god except Allah," then explained the situation to her saying compassionately, "O Ayesha, I have heard such and such a thing concerning you. Allah will surely declare the innocence of the innocent. Should it be that you have done something that is wrong, then repent to Allah, for Allah is the Receiver of repentance." When Lady Ayesha heard these words she stopped crying and asked her father to speak on her behalf, but he said, "I do not know how to reply." She asked her mother to do the same, but like her husband she did not know how to reply. Lady Ayesha, who was still extremely distressed, replied with the best reply against the slanderers and quoted the words Prophet Jacob had uttered when Joseph's brothers claimed a wolf had devoured him: " ... 'But come sweet patience! The help of Allah is always there to seek against that which (some of) you describe.’” Koran 12:18 then she went and laid down upon her couch, hoping all the while that Allah would clarify the matter. Such was her humility she did not expect or entertain the thought that she might be worthy of a Revelation being sent down to proclaim her innocence, but she hoped that the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) would see a vision which would exonerate her. Not long after Lady Ayesha had laid down Allah sent Gabriel with a Revelation of exoneration to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) whereupon he called to her with great happiness, "O Ayesha, praise Allah, for He has announced your innocence." "... those who came with slander were a number of you. Do not regard it evil for you, rather it is good for you. Every person of them shall have the sin that he has earned charged to him. As for he who took upon himself the greater part there is a mightier punishment." Koran 24:11 The Revelation spoke not only of Lady Ayesha's innocence but the punishment of those who slander innocent women. The verse Allah sent down regarding the punishment of slanderers reads: "Those who accuse chaste women and cannot produce four witnesses, you shall lash them with eighty lashes. And never accept their testimony, for they are evildoers, except those among them who afterwards repent and mend their ways. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." Koran 24:4-5 And so in compliance with the Word of Allah, those who admitted taking part in the slander were punished. As for Abdullah Ubayy’s son and the other hypocrites, they did not admit their part, so the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) left them alone committing their affair to Allah. Abu Bakr and his Nephew Mistah Prior to the slandering, it had been the custom of Abu Bakr to give his nephew, Mistah, who was poor, an allowance. Now that Mistah’s mischief had been revealed he swore by Allah never to give him anything again on account of the harm Mistah had caused. But, unknown to Abu Bakr at that time, Allah had sent down another verse that instructs: "Do not let those of you who possess bounty and plenty swear not to give kinsmen and the poor and those who emigrate in the Way of Allah. Let them pardon and forgive. Do you not yearn that Allah forgives you? And Allah is the Forgiver, the Most Merciful." Koran 24:22 When this verse was recited to Abu Bakr he exclaimed, "Indeed, I yearn that Allah forgives me," and went to Mistah to give him his allowance saying, "I swear that I will never again withhold it from him!" The Mustalik Spoils o f War Upon their return to Medina the spoils of war were distributed evenly amongst those who had taken part in the campaign. Among those taken captive was Juwairiyah, the daughter of Harith, chief of the Mustalik. Juwairiyah had been given to an Ansar who decided to ask a high ransom for her release on account of her father’s rank. Juwairiyah was troubled by the price so she went to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), who was staying in the room of Lady Ayesha that day, to request him to intervene on her behalf. Meanwhile, Juwairiyah's father learned of his daughter's position and set off with his sons for Medina with a fine herd of camels to ransom her. However, when he reached the valley of Atik his love of two extremely fine camels prompted him to keep them and not to offer them as part of the ransom, so he hid them with the intent of retrieval after having secured his daughter's release. When Harith reached Medina he went to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and offered the camels, but much to his astonishment and that of his sons, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) inquired, "Where are the other camels?" Then the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) proceeded to tell Harith the exact place where they were hidden in the valley of Atik. Harith and his sons were completely overcome, for no one except the three knew what they had done nor yet where they had hidden the camels. Harith and his sons exclaimed, "I bear witness that there is no god except Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah!" The two camels were fetched and given to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and Juwairiyah was returned to her father, and like her father, she too embraced Islam. The Prophet’s Marriage to Lady Juwairiyah Tribal ties had been strengthened enormously through the bonds of the Prophet's marriages and the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) proposed marriage to Juwairiyah. Juwairiyah accepted and in Shaban 6H they were married and a room was added to those of her co-wives. When the Ansar and Muhajirin learned the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) was going to take Lady Juwairiyah to be his wife they released all the unransomed captives, of whom there were approximately one hundred families, and Lady Ayesha was heard to say of Lady Juwairiyah, "I know of no woman, who was a greater blessing to her tribe than her." The Death of Abdullah Ubayd, Son of Jahsh A month or so before Ramadan, news reached Medina that Abdullah Ubayd son of Jahsh had died. Before Abdullah's conversion he had been a Christian but when he and his wife Umm Habibah, Abu Sufyan's daughter converted to Islam, they had been among those who migrated to Abyssinia to escape persecution. However, Umm Habibah's husband was never to see Mecca again and passed away in Abyssinia.. The Necklace of Lady Ayesha 053 Back Cover Subtitles The Loss of Lady Ayesha’s Necklace The Race The Last Stage of the Journey Safwan Muattal’s son The Promoter of Lies The Vicious Lie Abu Bakr and his Nephew Mistah The Mustalik Spoils o f War The Prophet’s Marriage to Lady Juwairiyah The Death of Abdullah Ubayd, Son of Jahsh