Documents of the Right Word

women to cover themselves. A tent was made for me and I rode
my camel in this tent. On our way back from the Holy War we
made a halt at a place close to Medîna. At dawn the noises we
heard meant that we were to move again. I left the encampment
for a short while to relieve nature. When I was back I found out
that I had lost my bracelet. I went back, looked for it, and found
it. When I was back at the encampment I could not find the army.
They were gone. They must have put my tent on the camel,
thinking that I was in the tent. At that time I used to eat very little.
I was weak. I was fourteen years old. I was confused. Then, saying
to myself that they would soon notice my absence and come back
to look for me, I began to sit and wait, falling asleep after a short
while. Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam’ ordered Safwân
bin Mu’attil Sulemî to go back and look for me. When this person
found me sleeping he shouted. His shouting woke me. When I saw
him I covered my face. He made his camel kneel down, walked
away, and said, “Mount the camel!” I did. Safwân held the halter.
It had already become hot when we caught up with the troops.
The first people we met were a group of munâfiqs. They had some
unpleasant conversation among themselves. They were provoked
by Ibni Ebî Selûl. Of the Muslims, Hassân bin Thâbit and Mistah
joined them, too. When we were back, I became ill. The rumour
spread everywhere. Yet I did not know about it. Only, Rasûlullah
would not visit me as frequently as he had done before, nor at
least would he come to see how I was. And I did not know why.
One night I went out to the toilet, accompanied by Mistah’s
mother. Her skirts entangled her feet and she fell down. She
cursed her son [Mistah]. When I asked why she was swearing, she
would not say why. I asked the same question several times. She
said, ‘O Âisha! Haven’t you heard the rumours he is spreading?’
When I asked her what they were, she told me all about the
calumniation, whereupon my illness was aggravated at once. My
fever was augmented, so that I felt as if my head were emitting
fire. I became unconscious and fell down. When I recovered I
went back home. I asked for Rasûlullah’s permission to go to my
father’s home, which he accepted. My purpose was to find out
what was going on. I asked my mother. She said, ‘My dear! Don’t
worry! Things are easy for you. Every woman who is pretty and
who is loved by her husband may undergo such calumniations.’ I
was astonished. I wondered if these rumours had reached
Rasûlullah’s blessed ears, and what was going to happen if my
father had heard about them? These thoughts made me so sad
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