This story is one of the rare instances where being pushed to the limit and expressing anger was justified by Allah SWT, even when the recipient of that anger was His beloved messenger Muhammad SAW.
There are a few instances, such as with the companions of the prophet during the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah and the woman referred to, in the opening verses of Suratul Mujadila, but this third one is probably the most extreme case in the prophet’s history.
This occurred when his own wife, Nana Aisha, was accused of adultery, and the entire city was talking about the scandal.
She was sick at that time, noticing the Prophet’s changed behavior towards her, and then discovering the horrendous scandal being propagated made her cry so much that her parents feared her liver would tear open from shedding too much tears.
She sought permission from the Prophet to have some “alone time” and went to her parents’ home to continue grieving, hoping it would help.
Shortly after, the Prophet visited her and, upon entering the room, sat beside her in the presence of her parents.
He said, “You know, if you’ve made any mistake, even a little one, just repent to Allah, HE is all forgiving. And If you’re innocent, indeed Allah will prove your innocence.”
So the prophet basically said two things to his wife: if you did it, repent; if you didn’t, Allah will prove your innocence.
But the fact that it was her beloved husband saying such thing made everything more excruciating.
If anybody else had said it, it would be understandable, but her own husband?
Her beloved Nabi?
What does he mean by “if”?
Is he doubting me?
Her tears dried up. She wasn’t crying anymore. Her sadness turned into anger. She turned to her parents to see if they would come to her defense but nothing happened. They literally couldn’t do anything! It was the PROPHET MUHAMMAD!
Picture this: there were three people in front of Nana Aisha; the prophet of Allah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, her mother and her father.
And by the way, if you study the Quran carefully, you learn that the three most important people in your life, those deserving the uttermost respect are: the messenger of Allah, your mother and your father.
Based on Quranic and Hadith teachings, you’re not permitted to say even an “uff” to them. You can’t be angry in front of your parents or let them see the bulges on your forehead.
That’s how seriously you’re supposed to take respect for your parents and the prophet.
And all three of them are in front of Nana Aisha.
And what does she say?
“I can’t, I don’t even know how to describe you people.”
She started yelling at all three of them.
Then she quoted the Quran, comparing them to the brothers of Yusuf.
She said,
“The only thing I can say is what Yaqub said to the brothers of Yusuf” — (reference Surah Yusuf, verse 83).
“I’m left with nothing but beautiful patience because Allah is the only one who can help”.
What she was referring to is the incident that happened when Yusuf’s brothers claimed he was eaten by a wolf, and we knew from the Quran that they were lying, weren’t they?
Now she’s putting the three most important people in front of her in the same category by quoting that Ayah.
That was pretty serious.
Really serious.
When she was done talking, she turned her back on them and lay down on her bed.
Imagine turning your back on the messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wasallam and your parents.
It’s truly remarkable what happened!
Now we await Allah’s response to the situation.
Soon, 10 powerful ayat came down, and NOT a single one of them criticized our mother, Nana Aisha, for her actions against the Prophet and her parents.
All ten Ayats were revealed to defend her innocence and restore her tarnished reputation. Not one corrected her for expressing her anger towards the three most important people in her life.
Why?
Because sometimes, an outburst is fully justified. A rightful, UNCONTROLLABLE release of emotions that has been contained repeatedly is perfectly normal!
But don’t let this give you an open license to lash out at others unnecessarily!
Thank you for reading! 🤎
