Sharḥ Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (3/13)

Sharḥ Riyāḍ al-ṢāliḥīnIbn al-'Uthaymin

the wife of His Messenger. Then the Exalted said: “Allah admonishes you not to return to the like of this ever again, if you are believers.” ⦗al-Nūr 24:17⦘—that is, never go back to anything of this sort if you truly believe. He then said: “Allah makes the verses clear to you, and Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.” ⦗al-Nūr 24:18⦘.

Praise be to Allah for His clarification. For this reason the scholars are unanimous that anyone who charges the Mother of the Believers ʿĀʾishah—may Allah be pleased with her—with what is mentioned in the incident of the slander is a disbeliever and an apostate, a disbeliever like one who prostrates to an idol. If he repents and brands himself a liar, his repentance is accepted; otherwise he is to be executed as a disbeliever, because he has denied the Quran. Indeed, the soundest view is that whoever levels such an accusation against any wife of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, is a disbeliever, for in so doing he demeans the Messenger himself. Whoever accuses any of the Prophet’s wives of that from which Allah declared ʿĀʾishah innocent becomes an apostate who must be summoned to repent; if he repents, so be it, but if he refuses he is put to death by the sword and his corpse is cast into a pit in the earth without washing, shrouding, or funeral prayer—for the matter is grave.

Then He, exalted, said: “Indeed, those who love that indecency should spread among the believers will have a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter. Allah knows and you do not know. And were it not for Allah’s bounty upon you and His mercy—and that Allah is Ever-Kind, Merciful…” ⦗al-Nūr 24:19–20⦘.

We have already noted that three eminent Companions became entangled in this affair: Hassān ibn Thābit—may Allah be pleased with him—Mistah ibn Uthāthah, a cousin of Abū Bakr, and Ḥamnah bint Jahsh, the sister of Zaynab bint Jahsh. Zaynab bint Jahsh was the Prophet’s wife and a co-wife of ʿĀʾishah, and Allah protected her, though her sister was implicated. When Allah revealed ʿĀʾishah’s vindication, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, ordered that the three be subjected to the prescribed penalty for false accusation; each of them was therefore flogged eighty lashes.

الله ﷺ، ثم قال تعالى: (يَعِظُكُمُ اللَّهُ أَنْ تَعُودُوا لِمِثْلِهِ أَبَداً إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ) [النور: ١٧] ، يعني لا تعودا لمثل هذا أبداً إن كنتم مؤمنين. ثم قال تعالى: (وَيُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الْآياتِ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ) [النور: ١٨] . والحمد لله على بيانه، ولهذا أجمع العلماء على أن من رمى أم المؤمنين عائشة ﵂ بما جاء في حديث الإفك؛ فإنه كافر مرتد، كافر كالذي يسجد للصنم، فإن تاب وأكذب نفسه؛ وإلا قتل كافراً؛ لأنه كذب القرآن مع أن الصحيح أن من رمى زوجه من زوجات الرسول ﷺ بمثل هذا فإنه كافر؛ لأنه منتقص لرسول الله ﷺ، كل من رمى زوجة من زوجات الرسول بما برّأ الله منه عائشة؛ فإنه يكون كافر مرتداً، يجب أن يستتاب، فإن تاب وإلا قتل بالسيف، وألقيت جيفته في حفرة من الأرض، بدون تغسيل، ولا تكفين، ولا صلاة؛ لأن الأمر خطير. ثم قال ﷿: (إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَنْ تَشِيعَ الْفَاحِشَةُ فِي الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتُمْ لا تَعْلَمُونَ وَلَوْلا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ رَؤُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ) [النور: ١٩، ٢٠] . وسبق أن أشرنا إلى أن ثلاثة من الصحابة الخُلّص تورطوا في هذه القضية، وهم: حسان بن ثابت ﵁، ومسطح بن أثاثة، وهو ابن خالة أبي بكر، وحمنة بنت جحش أخت زينب بنت جحش، وزينب بنت جحش زوج الرسول ﷺ وضرة عائشة، ومع ذلك حماها الله، لكن أختها تورطت، ولما أنزل الله براءتها؛ أمر النبي ﷺ أن يُحدّ الثلاثة حد القذف، فجلد كل واحد ثمانين جلدة.