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→The Necklace Affair
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On hearing of the accusations, Aisha became sick again.<ref>{{Muslim|37|6673}}.</ref> “I kept on weeping that night till dawn. I could neither stop weeping nor sleep … I wept for two nights and a day with my tears never ceasing and I could never sleep till I thought that my liver would burst from weeping.”<ref>{{Bukhari|5|59|462}}.</ref> Her mother told her not to take it so seriously because people always gossiped about a beautiful woman whose husband loved her.<ref>{{Bukhari|5|59|462}}; {{Muslim|37|6673}}; Guillaume/Ishaq 495.</ref> Umm Ruman’s downplaying of the gossip might have been sensible in pagan Mecca; but in Muslim Medina, it was an evasion of the reality. Adultery was a capital offence; Aisha had no witnesses; the culture had no clear understanding of the “innocent until proved guilty” principle; and if Aisha were put to death, or even divorced quietly, her whole family would be disgraced alongside her. | On hearing of the accusations, Aisha became sick again.<ref>{{Muslim|37|6673}}.</ref> “I kept on weeping that night till dawn. I could neither stop weeping nor sleep … I wept for two nights and a day with my tears never ceasing and I could never sleep till I thought that my liver would burst from weeping.”<ref>{{Bukhari|5|59|462}}.</ref> Her mother told her not to take it so seriously because people always gossiped about a beautiful woman whose husband loved her.<ref>{{Bukhari|5|59|462}}; {{Muslim|37|6673}}; Guillaume/Ishaq 495.</ref> Umm Ruman’s downplaying of the gossip might have been sensible in pagan Mecca; but in Muslim Medina, it was an evasion of the reality. Adultery was a capital offence; Aisha had no witnesses; the culture had no clear understanding of the “innocent until proved guilty” principle; and if Aisha were put to death, or even divorced quietly, her whole family would be disgraced alongside her. | ||
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 Aisha: “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 abused 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> | 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 Aisha: “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 abused 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,<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. | ||