His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "Indeed, those who came with the slander are a group among you. Do not think it is bad for you; rather, it is good for you. For every person among them is what he has earned of sin, and the one who took upon himself the greater share of it will have a great punishment." This verse and what follows it up to sixteen verses were revealed concerning Aisha, the Mother of the Believers, may Allah be pleased with her, and what is related to the matter of slander. In Al-Bukhari, in the expedition of Banu Al-Mustaliq, Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: "And Allah, exalted and majestic is He, revealed the ten verses, then Allah revealed this regarding my innocence." Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "It is as if she counted what is specific to her." "Slander" is falsehood and lies. The slanderer is the liar. "Slander" is the distortion of the truth from its state by words and diverting it from the direction of correctness, and with that, it resembles lying. The summary of the story of "slander" is that the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, went out with Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, with him in the expedition of Banu Al-Mustaliq, which is the expedition of Al-Muraysi'. Ibn Ishaq said: It was in the year six, and Musa ibn Aqabah said: It was in the year four. A necklace was lost there, and when she returned to her place, she felt the loss of it and went back to look for it. The people had departed at that time, and she found it and returned but did not find anyone. She was a young woman with little flesh, and the men lifted her howdah without realizing its removal. When she did not find anyone, she lay down in her place hoping to be missed and returned to her. She slept in that spot, and nothing awakened her except the words of Safwan ibn Al-Mu'attal: "Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed, to Him we will return." This was because he had lagged behind the army to guard the rear guard. It is said that it was by coincidence. When he passed by her darkness, he approached her and recognized her, so he said: "The wife of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, has been left here?" He dismounted from his camel and moved away from her until Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, mounted. He took hold of her until he brought her to the army at the time of midday. Then the people of slander began their statements. The one who gathered around him in it and incited it was Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, the hypocrite. Among those who participated in it were Hassan ibn Thabit, Mistah ibn Uthathah, and Hamnah bint Jahsh. This is a summary of the story, and it is complete and precise in Al-Bukhari and Muslim. It is more complete in Muslim. Safwan was the keeper of the rear guard of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, in his expeditions due to his bravery, and he was among the best of the companions. When he heard what the people said about him, he said: "Glorified is Allah! By Allah, I have never uncovered the veil of any woman at all," meaning: with sin. This is indicated by his narration with his wife, and the Prophet's saying, blessings and peace be upon him, regarding his sons: "They resemble him more than a raven resembles a raven." It is said that he was a chaste man who did not approach women. Ibn Ishaq mentioned this through Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her. He was killed as a martyr, may Allah be pleased with him, in the expedition of Arminiya in the year nineteen during the time of Umar, may Allah be pleased with him. It is said that it was in the lands of the Romans in the year fifty-eight during the time of Muawiya.

And His saying, exalted is He: "A group" is raised as a substitute for the pronoun in "they came," and the news of "Indeed" in His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "Do not think of it," and the estimation is: if the action of those, and this is more coherent in meaning and more beneficial than to have "a group" as news. And "the group": is the assembly from ten to forty, as said by Ya'qub and others. It is not said "a group" for less than ten. And among the people of slander, only Hassan, Mistah, Hamnah, and Abdullah are named, and the others are unknown. This was said by 'Urwah ibn al-Zubair, and he was asked about that by Abdul Malik ibn Marwan, who said: except that they were a group as Allah, exalted is He, said.

And His saying, exalted is He: "Do not think of it" is an address to everyone among the believers who was troubled by it. And His saying: "Rather, it is better for you" means that it is a vindication in this world, and an elevation from Allah, blessed and exalted is He, in that His revelation descended with the vindication from that, and a great reward in the Hereafter, and an admonition for the believers in the past, and a punishment for the slanderers in this world and the Hereafter. So in that is a cure and goodness, and these are five aspects. And His saying: "from them" refers back to the mentioned group, and "he earned" is used in sins and the like because it indicates intention and purpose, so it is more eloquent in arrangement. And "he earned" is used in good, and that is because its attainment is sufficient without indicating intention in it. And "he earned" can be used in both ways, and like it:

..................... So I carried the burden and you bore it.

And the reference in His saying: "And the one who took upon himself the greater part" is to Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, and the promised punishment is the punishment of the Hereafter. This is the saying of the majority, and it is evident from the hadith. It was narrated from Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, that Hassan ibn Thabit entered upon her one day and he had become blind, and he recited to her his praise of her:

A chaste horsewoman, who does not weigh with suspicion, and becomes starved from the flesh of the heedless.

So Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said to him: But you are not like that, meaning that he fell into the heedless, and he recited:

So if what has been said about me is true, then my fingers did not raise my whip to me.

So when he left, Masruq said to her: Does this one enter upon you while he has said what he said and Allah has threatened him with punishment for taking upon himself the greater part of the slander? Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: What punishment is more severe than blindness and the cutting of the hand? And in another narration: and a strike with the sword?

Abu Muhammad al-Qadi, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

As for his saying about the punishment, indeed Hassan, Mistah, and Hamnah were punished. Ibn Ishaq mentioned this, and it was mentioned by al-Tirmidhi. And in the interpretation of Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them, that Ibn Ubayy was punished, and this, in my view, is not authentic from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, because it was not preserved from Abdullah the stoning. 'Urwah said in al-Bukhari: "I was informed that it was circulated and talked about in his presence, and he would acknowledge it and listen to it and ask about it."

As for his striking with the sword, when Safwan ibn al-Mu'attal heard Hassan's words about the slander, he came and struck him with the sword a blow to his head, and said:

Receive the sting of the sword from me, for I am a youth. When I am challenged, I am not a poet.

So a group took Safwan and brought him to the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him. The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, declared the injury of Hassan void and requested it from him. This implies that Hassan is among those who committed the great sin.

Some have said: The reference with "the one who" is to the initiator of this falsehood and the one who fabricated it. For each of them is what they have earned, and for the initiator who fabricated there is a great punishment. And he - on this - is not specified. This is the saying of Al-Dhahhak and Al-Husn. Abu Zayd and others said: It is Abdullah ibn Ubayy.

The majority of the people read: "Kibruhu" with a kasra on the kaf. Hamid Al-A'raj, Ya'qub Al-Zuhri, Abu Raja, Al-Amash, and Ibn Abi Abla read: "Kubruhu" with a damma on the kaf. And they are two sources, from the greatness of the thing and its magnitude. However, the Arabs used to employ the damma on the kaf in age, saying: This is the kubr of the people, meaning their elder in age and status. And from it is the saying of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, in the story of Huwaysa and Muhaysa: "The kubr." And from its usage in the second meaning is the saying of Ibn Al-Hatim:

She sleeps from the greatness of her affair, but when she rises slowly, she nearly overflows.