5. Would you like to meet him outside the institution? (cont.)

However, ask the slave girl, for she will speak the truth.” The Messenger of Allah then called Bareerah and asked, “O Bareerah! Did you notice anything suspicious about ‘A’ishah?” “Never! I swear by the one who sent you as a Prophet!” replied Bareerah, “By Allah, I do not know of her except good. I never noticed anything wrong with ‘A’ishah, except that she is a young girl. I would make the dough and ask her to look after it, but she would fall asleep instead and leave the dough to be eaten by domestic goats.” Make it easy to rectify a fault How could the slave girl ever be suspicious of ‘A’ishah, for she was a righteous young woman who was brought up by the most truthful person of the Ummah, namely Abu Bakr, and was married to the best of mankind? In fact, how could she ever be suspected of anything, whilst she was the most beloved of all to the Messenger of Allah? Surely, the Messenger of Allah  would not love except good. Hence, she was completely innocent, yet, Allah decided to test her in order to increase her reward and exalt her fame. Many days went by, as ‘A’ishah’s pain continued to increase, as she lay restless and bedridden due to her illness and did not look forward to eating or drinking. The Prophet  tried to solve the problem by addressing the people, but it nearly turned into a war. He tried to solve the issue at home by asking ‘Ali and Zayd, but did not find a solution.At this stage, he wanted to end it with ‘A’ishah. She said, “That day I cried unceasingly and could not sleep. I continued to cry for the next two days and could not sleep. My parents thought that my constant weeping would split my liver open.” The Prophet  then headed for Abu Bakr’s house. He sought his permission and visited ‘A’ishah whilst she was with her parents and a woman from the Ansaar. This was the first time the Prophet  was entering Abu Bakr’s house since the people began to spread the rumour. He had not seen ‘A’ishah for a month, for he had been waiting for a month and nothing was revealed concerning ‘A’ishah. The Prophet  entered upon ‘A’ishah to find her bedridden, Make it easy to rectify a fault as if she were a young bird with its feathers plucked out, due to her constant weeping and agony. She was crying, as was the woman next to her, not being able to control themselves, the Prophet  sat down, thanked and praised Allah, and said, “To proceed, O ‘A’ishah, such-and-such has reached me concerning you,” the Prophet  then mentioned the slander, and whatever had been said about her falling into a major error. He then wanted to explain to her that no matter what mistake a person falls into, it is not difficult to rectify it. He said to her, “If you are innocent, then Allah Almighty will declare your innocence. But if you have committed a sin, then ask Allah for forgiveness and repent to Him. For when a servant of Allah recognises his sins and repents, Allah accepts his repentance”. Hence, he presented an easy way out of the mistake, if it really occurred, without complicating it further or prolonging the issue. ‘A’ishah said, “When the Prophet  had finished his speech, my tears stopped and I waited for my parents to respond to the Messenger of Allah  on my behalf, but they did not respond. I said to my father, ‘Please respond to the Messenger of Allah about what he has said.’ He replied, ‘By Allah, I do not know what to say to the Messenger of Allah!’ I then said to my mother, ‘Please respond to the Messenger of Allah on my behalf!’ She said, ‘By Allah, I do not know what to say to the Messenger of Allah!’ Make it easy to rectify a fault By Allah! I do not know of a family who were as distressed as the family of Abu Bakr at that time. When I realised that they were both unable to say a word on my behalf, I began to weep more. I then said, ‘Never! By Allah, I would never repent to Allah for what you have mentioned! By Allah, I now know that you have heard the rumours, they have settled in your heart and you have believed them. If I were to say to you that I am innocent – and Allah Almighty and Majestic knows that I am innocent – you would never believe me! But if I were to confess to something – even though Allah knows that I am innocent – you would believe me! By Allah, I cannot find of you and myself an example except that of Yusuf’s father when he said, ‘Patience is more fitting for me, and Allah is my Aide over that which you claim!’” She said, “I then turned away and lay on my bed.