Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 292
MUHAMMAD : SEAL OF THE PROPHETS 292 me, and if, despite my innocence, I were to confess myself guilty, you might believe me. I find myself in the situation of Joseph’s father and say like him, ‘It behooves me to be steadfast. It is Allah alone Whose help can avail against that which you asse rt, and Him I shall beseech for help’ (12:19). ” Saying this I turned over in my bed in the full certainty that as I was guiltless, God would soon proclaim my innocence. What I had in mind was that God would assure the Holy Prophet of my innocence through s ome dream or vision. I had no notion that revelation might be vouchsafed to the Holy Prophet in my behalf. But only a few moments later, while the Holy Prophet was still in our house, I observed perspiration over his face, from which I understood that he w as receiving revelation. After a short while he smiled, and, turning to me, said, “Aisha, rejoice, for God has affirmed your innocence. ” My mother immediately urged me to thank the Holy Prophet, but my heart being caught in an upsurge of gratitude to God, I replied, “Why should I express my gratitude to him, I am deeply grateful to God Who has affirmed my innocence. ” The Holy Prophet had been vouchsafed the revelation, which is set out in the Holy Quran in verses 12 to 21 of Sura Noor. ‘When my innocence was established, my father, who used to support Mistah bin Athathah because of his poverty and his kinship, swore that as Mistah had been a party to the slander against me, he would not in future render him any help. But soon thereafter, the Holy Prophet received the revelation that Abu Bakr’s resolve was not pleasing to God, upon which he resumed his support of Mistah and determined never to stop it. ’ This scandal was a grave mischief which had been perpetrated