Further evidence that accusing them of unchastity harms the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is the report recorded in the two Sahīh collections in the account of the slander. ‘Ā’ishah said:

“Allah’s Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stood up and asked to be excused for taking action against ‘Abd Allāh ibn Ubayy ibn Salūl. Standing on the pulpit, Allah’s Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘O Muslims! Who will excuse me for taking action against a man whose abuse of my household has reached me? By Allah, I know nothing but good of my wife. They have also mentioned a man of whom I know nothing but good, and he never entered my home except in my company.’

“Sa‘d ibn Mu‘ādh al-Ansārī stood up and said, ‘I will excuse you, O Messenger of Allah. If he belongs to al-Aws, we will strike off his head. If he belongs to our brothers of al-Khazraj, give us your command, and we will carry it out.’

“Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubādah then stood up. He was the chief of al-Khazraj and a righteous man, but tribal zeal carried him away. He said to Sa‘d ibn Mu‘ādh, ‘By Allah’s life, you shall not kill him, nor will you be able to kill him!’

“Usayd ibn Hudayr, the cousin of Sa‘d ibn Mu‘ādh, then stood up and said to Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubādah, ‘You are wrong! By Allah’s life, we shall certainly kill him! You are a hypocrite, arguing on behalf of the hypocrites.’

“The two tribes, al-Aws and al-Khazraj, became so agitated that they were on the verge of fighting one another, while Allah’s Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was standing on the pulpit. Allah’s Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, continued calming them until they fell silent, and he too fell silent.”

Another authentic narration states that this verse concerns the wives of Allah’s Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, specifically. Others say that it refers to the wives of the believers generally. Abū Salamah said:

“Accusing