121have come down to us through her, and she also repeatedly corrected the
accountS given by other Companio ns.
The love th e Prophet and Aishah showed each other was powe rful and
intCflse. Aishah has not hesitated to tell of hi s tender and loving attitude
in their daily life and of his warmth and attentiveness, even during the
[Honth of Ramadan. She has also told o f her guestio o s to the Prophet
about the depth of his love, of her jealousy of th e deceased Khadijah,
and of the Prophet's way o f always finding the means to reassure her.
Aishah's loving, attentive, and intelligent presence is largely what has
made it poss ible to draw a subtle, in-depth portrait of the Messenger.
Later, in the fifth or sixth year of hijrah, she was to experience th e most
difficult trial in her life. On the way back from an expedition [Q the Banu
al-Mustaliq, noticing that she had lost her necklace, she went to look fo r
it. In th e meantime, the convoy moved o n without noticing the absence
of Aishah, who normally rode in a howdah, hidden fr o m sight. She was
evemuall}' take n home by a man, Safwan ibn al-Muattal, who was travel-
ing behind the army. Rumors began to spread about her relations with
Safwan, and she was eventually accused of having betrayed and deceived
the Prophet. l"vluhammad was greatly affected, all the more so as some
Co mpanio ns were waging a campaig n against his wife, spreading calumny
(jfk) about her. He kept away from her fo r more man a month., but Aishah
stood firm and repeatedly protested ht:r innocence. Verses were eventual-
ly revealed no t only establishing her innocence but also condemning sl an-
der and slanderers and setting very strict conditio ns as to the evidence
that must be brought in order to judge th e behavio r o f a woman o r a man
in an ambiguous or doubtful si tuatio n.^33
This trial at first upset both Aishah and the Prophet, but it eventually
reinforced their love and trUSt. On a broader level, the Muslim communi-
ty realized that misfortune could strike the best among them, and Reve-
lation most firmly condemned calumny, slander, and libel, reminding the
:Muslims to " hold thei r tongues," as th e Prophet was later to put it.^34
Aishah rt:covered hcr positio n and became a reference as far as I sl amic
knowledge and science are co ncerncd. The Prophet ad viscd his Compan~
ions: "Seek science fro m this red-colo red yo ung wo man.,,35 Beyond
doubts and suspicion, bt:yond calumny, Aishah remained sincere in her
faith and in her love fo r th e Prophet, and she became a modd, as muc h
in her piety and devotion as in her intdlectual and social commitment. She