During the campaign against Banū al-Muṣṭaliq, Juwayriyyah bint al-Ḥārith fell by lot to Thābit ibn Qays ibn Shammās—or to a kinsman of his. She arranged a manumission contract for herself with him. Juwayriyyah was a woman of striking beauty and charm; no one who saw her failed to be captivated. She therefore came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to seek his help in paying off her contract.
ʿĀʾishah—may Allah be pleased with her—said, “By Allah, the moment I saw her standing at the door of my chamber I took a dislike to her (1), for I knew that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would see in her what I had seen.”
Juwayriyyah entered and said, “O Messenger of Allah, I am Juwayriyyah bint al-Ḥārith ibn Abī Ḍirār, the chieftain of his people. A hardship has befallen me that is not hidden from you. The lot assigned me to Thābit ibn Qays ibn Shammās—or to a cousin of his—and I have made a contract for my freedom. I have come to ask your assistance with its payment.”
He replied, “Shall I not offer you something better than that?”
She asked, “And what is that, O Messenger of Allah?”
He said, “I will pay your contract on your behalf and marry you.”
She answered, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.”
He said, “I have done so.”
ʿĀʾishah continues, “News spread among the people that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had married Juwayriyyah bint al-Ḥārith. The people said, ‘They are now the in-laws of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ,’ and they released the captives they were holding.
“By his marrying her, one hundred households from Banū al-Muṣṭaliq were set free. I know of no woman who brought greater blessing to her people than she did.”
Ibn Isḥāq (2) then relates the entire incident of the false accusation (Ifk) in connection with this expedition, as do al-Bukhārī (3) and many other scholars. I have traced all of its chains of transmission in my commentary on Sūrat al-Nūr (4); whoever wishes may consult the complete discussion there. Allah alone is the One whose help is sought.
Al-Wāqidī (5) reports, through Ḥarām from Hishām ibn ʿUrwah from his father, that Juwayriyyah bint al-Ḥārith said: “Three nights before the Prophet ﷺ arrived, I dreamed that the moon was travelling from Yathrib until it settled in my lap. I disliked telling anyone about it. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ arrived and we were taken captive, I hoped that the dream would come true.
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ emancipated me and married me. By Allah, I did not speak to him about my people; rather, it was the Muslims themselves who set them free. I only learned of it when a cousin of mine informed me, and I praised Allah Most High.”
Al-Wāqidī (6) also says that it is reported the Messenger of Allah ﷺ made her dowry the emancipation of forty captives from Banū al-Muṣṭaliq.
Mūsā ibn ʿUqbah (7) relates, on the authority of Banū al-Muṣṭaliq, that her father came to ransom her, after which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ proposed to her and married her.