Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 290
MUHAMMAD : SEAL OF THE PROPHETS 290 son, Mistah, was also one of those who slandered me. I was much distressed, and, in the stress of my grief, I forgot my illness. When the Holy Prophet came as usual and inquired, “How are you feeling now?” I sought his permission to retire for some days to my parents’ house. He gave me permission, and I went home to them. My purpose in going home was to find out what was being said about me. I spoke to my mother and she sought to comfort me, saying, “Daughter, assuage thy grief, it often happens that when a man is married to more women than one, and he is fonder of one of them than of the others, scandal is multiplied about her. ” I then understood that scandal was being spread about me and I began to weep and spent the whole night in that condition. ‘About that time, the Holy Prophet sought counsel with Ali bin Abi Talib and Usama bin Zaid. Usama said that he had never known anything but good about me. All was more cautious and said that the Holy Prophet might inquire from my maid, whereupon he sent f or my maid Barairah and inquired from her whether she had noticed anything suspicious about me. She affirmed that she had never seen anything about me, which might be open to objection, except that on account of my young age, I was sometimes careless about my domestic chores. The Holy Prophet had also inquired about me from his wife, Zainab bint Jahsh, who too affirmed that she esteemed me a good and pious woman. ‘One day the Holy Prophet addressed the Muslims in the Mosque and, stating that some of them had disquieted him greatly about the members of his family, inquired whether there was anyone among them who could put an end to this scandal -