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→The Necklace Affair
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Muhammad apparently did not think of defeating the gossip by ignoring it and making a public show of loyalty and affection to Aisha. His coolness to her continued for the month of her illness.<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 495, 496; {{Bukhari|5|59|462}}.</ref> Nor did he call for a formal trial where the evidence could be publicly assessed. Instead, he consulted his son-in-law, Ali, and his adoptive grandson, Usama ibn Zayd, about whether he should divorce Aisha. Usama spoke highly of her: “She is your wife, and we do not know anything except good about her. This is a lie and a falsehood.” Ali advised: “Women are plentiful, and you can easily change one for another. Ask the servant, who will tell you the truth.”<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 496; {{Bukhari|5|59|462}};{{Muslim|37|6673}}.</ref> Muhammad called Barira, then sat without voicing a murmur of protest while Ali “gave her a violent beating” for information. But no matter how he beat her, the worst story that Barira could produce against her mistress was that Aisha had once fallen asleep when she was supposed to be watching the rising dough, and so the pet lamb had eaten it (doubtless a hungry memory).<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 496; {{Bukhari|3|48|829}}; {{Bukhari|3|48|805}}; {{Bukhari|5|59|462}}; {{Muslim|37|6673}}.</ref> Aisha never forgave Ali for this suggestion that her life, marriage and honour were less important than how foolish gossip might reflect on Muhammad. For the rest of her life, she avoided speaking Ali’s name and never had a good word for him.<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 679; {{Tabari|9|p. 170}}.</ref> | Muhammad apparently did not think of defeating the gossip by ignoring it and making a public show of loyalty and affection to Aisha. His coolness to her continued for the month of her illness.<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 495, 496; {{Bukhari|5|59|462}}.</ref> Nor did he call for a formal trial where the evidence could be publicly assessed. Instead, he consulted his son-in-law, Ali, and his adoptive grandson, Usama ibn Zayd, about whether he should divorce Aisha. Usama spoke highly of her: “She is your wife, and we do not know anything except good about her. This is a lie and a falsehood.” Ali advised: “Women are plentiful, and you can easily change one for another. Ask the servant, who will tell you the truth.”<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 496; {{Bukhari|5|59|462}};{{Muslim|37|6673}}.</ref> Muhammad called Barira, then sat without voicing a murmur of protest while Ali “gave her a violent beating” for information. But no matter how he beat her, the worst story that Barira could produce against her mistress was that Aisha had once fallen asleep when she was supposed to be watching the rising dough, and so the pet lamb had eaten it (doubtless a hungry memory).<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 496; {{Bukhari|3|48|829}}; {{Bukhari|3|48|805}}; {{Bukhari|5|59|462}}; {{Muslim|37|6673}}.</ref> Aisha never forgave Ali for this suggestion that her life, marriage and honour were less important than how foolish gossip might reflect on Muhammad. For the rest of her life, she avoided speaking Ali’s name and never had a good word for him.<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 679; {{Tabari|9|p. 170}}.</ref> | ||
Muhammad then addressed the whole community in the mosque: “Who will relieve me from that man who has hurt me with his evil statement about my family and saying false things about them?”<ref>{{Bukhari|5|59|462}}; {{Muslim|37|6673}}. This is the sequence of events in Muslim and Bukhari; but Ibn Ishaq says that Muhammad challenged the people in the mosque first and consulted with Ali and Usama second. Aisha only heard about the brawl in the mosque after the event and therefore might not have known exactly when it happened.</ref> As this was Muhammad’s usual formula when he was requesting an assassination,<ref>Cf Guillaume/Ishaq 367, 675, 676.</ref> an Aws chief immediately volunteered to behead the culprit. A Khazraj rival, in protesting the crime, only confirmed that the culprit was indeed a Khazraji (i.e., Abdullah ibn Ubayy). The two tribes “were flared up until they were about to fall upon one another”<ref>{{Muslim|37|6673}}</ref> while Muhammad was still standing in the pulpit, but he managed to calm them down.<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 495-496; {{Bukhari|5|59|462}}; {{Muslim|37|6673}}.</ref> It was clearly not practicable to kill a man as powerful as Abdullah. | Muhammad then addressed the whole community in the mosque: “Who will relieve me from that man who has hurt me with his evil statement about my family and saying false things about them?”<ref>{{Bukhari|5|59|462}}; {{Muslim|37|6673}}. This is the sequence of events in Muslim and Bukhari; but Ibn Ishaq says that Muhammad challenged the people in the mosque first and consulted with Ali and Usama second. Aisha only heard about the brawl in the mosque after the event and therefore might not have known exactly when it happened.</ref> As this was Muhammad’s usual formula when he was requesting an [[Assassination and Murder|assassination]],<ref>Cf Guillaume/Ishaq 367, 675, 676.</ref> an Aws chief immediately volunteered to behead the culprit. A Khazraj rival, in protesting the crime, only confirmed that the culprit was indeed a Khazraji (i.e., Abdullah ibn Ubayy). The two tribes “were flared up until they were about to fall upon one another”<ref>{{Muslim|37|6673}}</ref> while Muhammad was still standing in the pulpit, but he managed to calm them down.<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 495-496; {{Bukhari|5|59|462}}; {{Muslim|37|6673}}.</ref> It was clearly not practicable to kill a man as powerful as Abdullah. | ||
So Muhammad finally went to Aisha and asked her directly if she was guilty. She waited for her parents to protest her innocence, then asked why they did not speak in her defence. They replied that they did not know what to say.<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 496; {{Bukhari|5|59|462}};{{Muslim|37|6673}}.</ref> Aisha responded, “I think you believe the lies. I won’t repent! If I confessed to the crime, I would be lying, but if I denied it, you wouldn’t believe me. I will be patient and ask for Allah’s help.”<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 496; {{Bukhari|5|59|462}};{{Muslim|37|6673}}.</ref> Muhammad immediately went into the trance of revelation, sweat dropping off his brow. Then he announced: “Good news, Aisha! Allah has declared your innocence.”<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 497.</ref> Umm Ruman told Aisha to thank her husband, suggesting that she knew Allah’s real identity; but Aisha (possibly annoyed that Muhammad had taken a month to make up his mind) replied, “No, I will praise none but Allah.”<ref>{{Bukhari|3|48|829}}; {{Bukhari|5|59|462}}; {{Muslim|37|6673}}.</ref> | So Muhammad finally went to Aisha and asked her directly if she was guilty. She waited for her parents to protest her innocence, then asked why they did not speak in her defence. They replied that they did not know what to say.<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 496; {{Bukhari|5|59|462}};{{Muslim|37|6673}}.</ref> Aisha responded, “I think you believe the lies. I won’t repent! If I confessed to the crime, I would be lying, but if I denied it, you wouldn’t believe me. I will be patient and ask for Allah’s help.”<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 496; {{Bukhari|5|59|462}};{{Muslim|37|6673}}.</ref> Muhammad immediately went into the trance of revelation, sweat dropping off his brow. Then he announced: “Good news, Aisha! Allah has declared your innocence.”<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 497.</ref> Umm Ruman told Aisha to thank her husband, suggesting that she knew Allah’s real identity; but Aisha (possibly annoyed that Muhammad had taken a month to make up his mind) replied, “No, I will praise none but Allah.”<ref>{{Bukhari|3|48|829}}; {{Bukhari|5|59|462}}; {{Muslim|37|6673}}.</ref> | ||