about the Slander, and the Slander is the lie fabricated by those who detest the Prophet—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, his family, and his Companions—those who wish to defile his very bed and to reproach him through his household: the hypocrites and their ilk.

The story of the Slander is well known. Whenever the Prophet ﷺ intended to travel, he would cast lots among his wives—an expression of his fairness, peace be upon him—and whichever wife’s lot was drawn would accompany him. On one particular journey he drew lots, and the lot fell to ʿĀʾishah, so he set out with her.

During the return leg they halted in an open area and slept toward the end of the night. While the camp slept, ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) stepped away to relieve herself. In that same last portion of the night the Prophet ﷺ ordered the departure. The people came, hoisted her litter (hudaj), and never realized that she was not inside it, because she was still slight and had not yet filled out. The Prophet ﷺ had married her when she was six, consummated the marriage when she was nine, and passed away when she was eighteen. So they carried the litter, thinking she was in it, and set off.

When she returned, she found the place deserted. Showing presence of mind, she did not wander right or left searching for them; instead she remained where she was and said, “They will notice my absence and come back for me.”

After sunrise, a man named Ṣafwān ibn al-Muʿaṭṭal appeared. He belonged to a group who, once asleep, would not wake up—just like some people who, when they fall asleep, do not