Lessons from
Chapter 24, Al-Nur
In 6 AH, the Prophet set out on a journey with his Companions. His wife, Aisha al-Siddiqah, accompanied him, riding on a separate camel.
On the return journey, the caravan stopped at one place. Before it resumed its journey, Aisha went some distance from the camp at night to relieve herself. On her way back, she discovered that her necklace was missing, so she returned to look for it. The search delayed her.
Meanwhile, the caravan prepared to leave. Those responsible for lifting her howdah (a covered camel-borne carriage) assumed that she was inside and placed it on the camel. The caravan then departed, unaware that she had been left behind.
When Aisha returned, she found the campsite deserted. She decided to remain there, thinking that once the caravan discovered her absence, someone would return to look for her. After some time, she fell asleep.
Safwan ibn al-Muattal usually travelled behind the caravan to see whether anything had been left behind. When he reached the campsite the following morning, he saw someone sleeping there. As he drew nearer, he recognized Aisha and exclaimed:
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji‘un. That is, we belong to God, and to Him we shall return.
Hearing his voice, Aisha awoke and covered her face with her shawl. Without speaking, Safwan brought his camel close to her and made it kneel. Aisha mounted the camel, and Safwan took hold of its reins and led it forward. They caught up with the caravan around midday.
When news of the incident spread in Madinah, some malicious people seized the opportunity to make a false accusation against the Prophet’s wife and thereby discredit his religious mission. Even some sincere but unsuspecting Muslims became involved in repeating the allegation. Among them were Hassan ibn Thabit, Mistah ibn Uthathah and Hamnah bint Jahsh.
The rumour continued to circulate for more than a month. Finally, verses of the Quran were revealed rejecting the accusation and providing clear guidance concerning the matter. A translation of some of these verses is given below:
Those who defame chaste women, but cannot produce four witnesses, shall be given eighty lashes. Do not accept their testimony ever after, for they are transgressors, save those who afterwards repent and make amends, for truly God is forgiving and merciful. (24:4-5)
Those who brought up that slander were a band from among you. Do not regard it as a misfortune, for it is good for you. Every one of them shall be held to account for the sin he has committed; and he who took the greater part in it shall have a terrible punishment. When you heard of it, why did not the believing men and believing women think well of their own people, and say, ‘This is a manifest slander?’ Why did they not produce four witnesses? If they could not produce any witnesses, they were indeed liars in the sight of God! Had it not been for the grace of God and His mercy on you in this world and the Hereafter, a terrible punishment would have afflicted you for your plunging headlong into slander. When you were spreading it with your tongues and saying with your mouths things of which you had no knowledge, you considered it to be a trivial matter, but, in God’s sight, it was very serious. When you heard it, why did you not say, ‘It is not right for us to speak of this. God forbid! This is a monstrous slander.’ God warns you never to repeat the like of it again, if you are true believers. God explains the commandments to you. God is all knowing and wise. Those who desire that indecencies should spread among the believers, will have a painful chastisement in this world and the Hereafter. God knows, and you do not know. (24:11-19)
It is forbidden for one Muslim to attack the honour of another. When the person concerned is a Muslim woman, the offence becomes even more serious. A report recorded by al-Tabarani states:
“To falsely accuse a chaste Muslim woman destroys the good deeds of a hundred years.” (Al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir by al-Tabarani, Hadith No. 3023)
According to a report recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet said, “Avoid the seven destructive sins.” The people asked, “O Messenger of God, what are they?” He replied: “Associating partners with God, practising magic, taking a life that God has made sacred except by right, consuming interest, misappropriating the property of an orphan, fleeing from the battlefield, and falsely accusing innocent, chaste believing women.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 2766; Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 89)
This incident contains several important lessons. Some of them are given below:
1. Those who used a simple incident to launch a campaign of slander were not merely trying to discredit the Prophet or his wife. Their larger aim was to discredit the message of Islam. By casting doubt on the Prophet’s moral character, they hoped to cast doubt on his mission as well.
This has been the method of evil forces in every age. Yet such attempts can never succeed, however widespread they may become. Whenever the call of truth arises, it does so with God’s support. To discredit it is, in effect, to oppose God’s plan, and no one can succeed by opposing His plan. The call of truth is destined to endure until the distinction between truth and falsehood has become fully clear.
2. In this world of trial, even an innocent person may sometimes become involved in a situation that can be misunderstood. Those who have no fear of God may then use it as an opportunity to damage that person’s reputation.
At such times, God-fearing people must think well of others. They should not accept an accusation merely because they have heard it, nor should they repeat it without first examining the facts.
3. For an accusation of this kind to be accepted, it must be supported by the testimony of four reliable witnesses. If the accuser fails to produce four witnesses, the accusation will be treated as false, and the accuser will be punished with eighty lashes.
If the person later admits the wrongdoing and reforms, there is hope that God will forgive them. Even then, according to this ruling, the person will no longer be regarded as a reliable witness, and their testimony will not be accepted in the future.
4. Falsely accusing a chaste woman is an extremely serious offence. It brings severe punishment not only in the Hereafter but also in this world. To attack another person’s honour is an act of moral degradation. When such baseness becomes part of an offence, it takes a person far from God’s mercy.
Hell then comes so close to such a person that they begin to experience its consequences even in this world. The truth is that an attack on another person is, first and foremost, an attack on oneself.
5. A truly Islamic society is one in which God remains at the centre of people’s lives. In such a society, every person speaks with the awareness that they will one day answer to God for every word they have uttered. A believer must therefore be extremely careful in what they say.
Those who spread rumours damage the God-conscious character of Muslim society. They poison its collective life and, in the sight of God, commit a serious wrong. They may be able to offer persuasive explanations in this world, but they should not assume that the same excuses will protect them before God.
The Hereafter is the place where every reality will be laid bare. Only those who lived by the truth will be found free of blame. Those who turned away from it will discover that there is nowhere to hide.
6. An incident may appear entirely harmful and yet contain an unseen good. Events of this kind reveal people as they really are. They show who is responsible and who is careless, who wishes others well and who is driven by jealousy and resentment, who speaks with a sense of accountability before God and who speaks without any such restraint.
In this way, such incidents expose those who harbour ill will. At the same time, they give those who stand by the truth an opportunity to remain patient with God’s help and thereby become worthy of His further blessings.
7. This incident also shows how bitter the opposition to truth can become when the message is presented in a pure and uncompromising form, especially when people feel that their own position is under threat.
Some opponents are simply worldly-minded. They may resist a mission of truth, but their hostility usually remains within certain limits. They may try to defeat its advocate, but they do not necessarily seek to disgrace him.
An incident from the time of the Battle of Uhud illustrates this. As the Makkan army marched towards Madinah, it passed through Abwa, where Aminah bint Wahb, the Prophet’s mother, was buried. Some hot-headed members of the Quraysh suggested digging up her grave and dishonouring her remains. Others among the Quraysh strongly rejected the proposal and prevented it from being carried out. (Akhbar Makkah by al-Azraqi, Vol. 2, p. 272)
They were on their way to fight the Prophet, yet they were unwilling to stoop to such a degrading form of insult. Certain Jewish opponents, however, who regarded themselves as the sole guardians of truth, took a different course. They seized upon various incidents as pretexts for attacking the Prophet and tried to damage his moral reputation. According to this account, they were chiefly responsible for the campaign of slander mentioned above.
When people who see themselves as the exclusive representatives of truth feel that their position is threatened, their response can become extreme. They do not merely try to weaken the opposing mission; they may also seek to disgrace its advocate. In order to preserve their religious authority, they begin to regard every method as justified, however degrading or morally objectionable it may be. (Al-Risala, May 1980)
