
Jump to:
The Firsts (Sahaba Stories) | The Forerunners of Islam
Mistah ibn Uthatha (ra): Is Forgiving Family More Difficult? | The Firsts
A Companion who fought beside the Prophet ﷺ at Badr helped spread the worst slander in Islamic history. Mistah ibn Uthatha (ra), relative of Abu Bakr (ra) was flogged for his role in the slander of Aisha (ra), and the verse of the Qur’an that reversed Abu Bakr's vow to cut him off.
Dr. Omar Suleiman walks through who Mistah was, his lineage, his nickname, his standing as one of the first Muhajireen and a veteran of Uhud and Khaybar,and how Surah An-Nur 24:22 directly overturned Abu Bakr's private vow to stop supporting him.
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings.
00:00Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, dear brothers and sisters, welcome back to the first.
00:11Bismillah wa alhamdulillah, wa assalatu wa assalamu ala rasulillah, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi, wa man wala. So inshallah ta'ala, today we are going to continue with the companion that is actually
00:23most associated with the ifk because of the story of forgiveness that's associated with him. And that is of course the story of Abu Bakr radi allahu ta'ala anhu, forgiving him. And something that's also enshrined in the Qur'an.
00:36And so when it comes to Hassan and when it comes to Hamnah, may Allah be pleased with them both, their story ends with repentance and of course Allah azwajal giving the lessons to
00:46the community of how to deal with the slander of A'ishah radi allahu ta'ala anha and to take that as a lesson to the community going forward of how we deal with public scandal.
00:56to his story in particular radi allahu ta'ala anhu. So let's talk about him inshallah ta'ala. His name is Mistah ibn Uthathah. Sibt ibn al-Jawzi says that his name is Awf ibn Uthathah,
01:08ibn Abbad ibn al-Muttalib, ibn Abdi Manaf, and he says that his laqab, his nickname is Mistah.
01:23Usually when you have a nickname like that that doesn't have any explanation in terms of a virtue or something of that sort, usually it's referring to something physical. And so Mistah, as I was trying to dig into it, of course it comes from the same root of the word roof, right?
01:37It's flat, it's something that's broad, and so some linguists, they say that this is referring to potentially something on his face, like a facial feature that was flat, so perhaps a flat nose or a flat face, or it could be referring to a certain part of
01:48the face, or it could be referring to someone who has broad shoulders. Either one of those could fit him. So his name is either Awf, with his nickname being Mistah, or his name is actually Mistah,
02:00and his kunya is Abu Abbad radi allahu ta'ala anhu, and as Sibt ibn al-Jawzi says, وَهُوَ مِنَ الطَّبَقَةِ الْأُولَىٰ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ He is from the first degree of the muhajireen, he's from the first of the muhajireen.
02:14So he's one of the first of the first, subhanAllah, again, people that are associated with such trauma and such tragedy, but Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala honored them to be of the best
02:28of the best. So he is amongst those who became Muslim early on in Islam, شَهِدَ بَدْرًا وَأُحُدًا وَالْمَشَاهِدَ كُلَّهَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ
02:39صلى الله عليه وسلم He attended all of the battles of the Prophet ﷺ at the call of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ from Badr to Uhud and everything beyond.
02:48And so he is also Badri radi allahu ta'ala anhu. This is something I didn't mention with Hamnah radi allahu anha but obviously she's not in the battlefield.
03:02I mean her life is the equivalent of being someone who is Badri in regards to the sacrifices that were made and how that intersected with her own life. So in the case of Mistah radi allahu ta'ala anhu, he too is Badri just like the three
03:12companions in the story of Tabuk, just like Hassan, and in this case Mistah when it comes to this slander of our mother A'ishah radi allahu ta'ala anha.
03:24So he became Muslim early on. He attended Badr. He attended Uhud, to all of the calls of the Prophet ﷺ. وآخَ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ زَيْدِ بْنِ الْمُزَيِّنِ وَطَعَمَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ
03:36صلى الله عليه وسلم خَمْسِينَ وَسْقًا بِخَيْبَرٍ The Prophet ﷺ paired him off with Zayd ibn al-Muzayyin radi allahu ta'ala anhu when he came to al-Madinah as his Ansari brother and the Prophet ﷺ gave him 50 wasq in the
03:49battle of Khaybar. So the Prophet ﷺ gave him a significant portion after Khaybar. This is due to his virtue and also due to his poverty radi allahu ta'ala anhu
04:03وَهَاجَرَ مَعَ عُبَيْدَةَ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ radi allahu ta'ala anhu and his companion in the Hijrah was the very famous companion Ubaidah ibn al-Harith. May Allah be pleased with him.
04:18So what's his relationship to the family of A'ishah? This is actually very interesting because you can't really trace a motive here. You can find a motive with Hassan and Hassan radi allahu anhu was a poet so he commented on everything and that's why it's important for people that are eloquent and people that
04:32can comment on everything to not comment on everything. They have to exercise a greater level of restraint because it's so much easier for them to weigh in and so Hassan radi allahu anhu by virtue of his tongue being so frequent in speaking
04:44about public affairs he fell into a public scandal which is understandable. Hamnah radi allahu ta'ala anha as it relates to her protectiveness over her sister Zainab radi allahu anha it's understandable.
04:57The case of Mistah it's very interesting because there is no clear motive that is traced but he's actually a relative of A'ishah radi allahu ta'ala anha his mother was Bint Abi
05:08Ruhm ibn al-Muttalib ibn Abdi Manaf and that is the cousin of Abu Bakr radi allahu ta'ala anhu.
05:22So Ibn khalat Abi Bakr al-Siddiq radi allahu anhu so that makes him the second cousin of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq radi allahu ta'ala anhu as well as A'ishah radi allahu anha al-Siddiqah bint al-Siddiq. So his mother some of the writers say that she was Salma bint al-Sakhr or Rayta bint
05:36al-Sakhr. She was from the Mubay'at, those who took the pledge with the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and those that used to be close to the circle of the Prophet صلى الله عليه
05:47وسلم وَهِيَ الَّتِي كَانَتْ تَقُومُ بِأَمْرِ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا and she was the one that used to tend to the personal affairs of A'ishah radi allahu
06:00anha. What does that mean? She was the one, the mother of Mistah, who used to go out with A'ishah radi allahu anha when they would relieve themselves. So basically the public restroom area if you will, right, and of course they don't look like
06:13anything like they look like today at that time but she was the one that would go out with A'ishah radi allahu anha to relieve herself and she was the one that would take care of A'ishah radi allahu anha in some of those needs that only a woman could tend
06:28to. So Mistah is a relative of A'ishah. His mother is a caretaker of A'ishah. On top of that كَانَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يُنْفِقُ عَلَىٰ مِصْطَحٍ حَتَّىٰ
06:38تَكَلَّمَ فِي الْإِفْكِ that Abu Bakr radi allahu anhu was spending on Mistah until the time of the slander came. Now I'm going to pause here for a moment.
06:53There are some secondary sources that will say like oh you know perhaps the Munafiqun paid off Mistah. I see absolutely zero evidence of that. There's no evidence whatsoever. So if you hear a contemporary speaker or a writer they are basically accusing him of hypocrisy
07:07of nifaq. This doesn't seem to be the case at all. I could not find a single primary source that accuses Mistah radi allahu anhu of taking money to slander A'ishah to participate in this by the Munafiqun.
07:20What appears to be the case and Allah knows best is that perhaps Mistah fell into this because of his closeness to A'ishah radi allahu anha and obviously when a scandal spreads
07:29some of the first people to be asked are going to be people that are close but not too close. What do I mean by that? Like you know maybe I'm afraid to ask that person's brother because then it might get
07:43back to them or I'm afraid to ask that person's sister because then it might be you know relayed back to them. But what if I ask a cousin or someone that's close enough to know what's really going on there but not close enough to give up my identity.
07:55Perhaps Mistah was someone that they came to and his tongue slipped again. These three people are not from the Munafiqun. The Munafiqun their punishment is in the hereafter. These three people are from those who are actually noble people in Islam.
08:07Mistah radi allahu anhu already has all of his stripes with the Prophet ﷺ and all of his awards and his honors in the history of Islam.
08:18So what happened here? How did A'ishah radi allahu anha even find out about the slander? A'ishah radi allahu anha went out one day with Umm Mistah and as she tripped as
08:28they were going out to relieve themselves, Umm Mistah basically cursed Mistah. And A'ishah radi allahu anha as Umm Mistah curses her son.
08:41Look at the innocence and the purity of A'ishah radi allahu anha and her understanding of Islam. She says did you curse your son? Did you insult your son? She says أَتَسُبِّينَ رَجُلًا شَهِدَ بَدْرًا
08:54Are you going to curse a man who attended Badr? A man who was present on the day of Badr? Look at her innocence and look at her understanding. Look at her purity. Not are you going to curse a man who is your son or what did he have to do with this or
09:08fear Allah. Why would you bring someone's name into this? Right away A'ishah radi allahu anha is teaching us by extension like this is a man of Badr. Don't let your tongue say anything negative about a man of Badr.
09:20And the mother of Mistah at that point told A'ishah that Mistah was amongst those who spread the slander of A'ishah radi allahu anha and so the Prophet صلى الله عليه
09:32وسلم would bring forth Mistah and Mistah radi allahu anhu would be amongst those who would be flogged by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم for the slander of A'ishah radi
09:44allahu anha. There's something by the way I really want you to pay attention to up until this point which is the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is applying all of the Qur'an in
09:55every moment, right? So he's not letting his own personal love or affection perhaps for these people, you So he's not letting his own personal love or affection perhaps for these people, you
10:10know lead him to excuse them. Now Hamnah is very close to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. He cares about her and that's very obvious from how the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم showed her that compassion especially on the Day of Uhud and knows her circumstances.
10:24But that's not going to forbid the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم from carrying out the penalty that Allah عز و جل has commanded and in the case of Mistah who it's explicit that he would be flogged the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was not going
10:37to go further or less with Mistah رضي الله عنه because of his relationship to Abu Bakr or because you know out of the three perhaps Mistah is a poor man and there
10:49is not much consequence to carrying out the punishment on Mistah. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is not going to flog him harder or carry out a more excessive penalty against him. No, Hassan who defended the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, Hamnah who is the family
11:02of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and Mistah who is now a poor man who is not a relative of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم but a relative of Abu Bakr الصديق رضي الله عنه. May Allah عز و جل be pleased with the family as a whole, Ameen.
11:14He's going to be treated equally in this regard and he's also a Badri companion of course and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم knows his particular place in Islam. Abu Bakr رضي الله تعالى عنه says and I know that you've probably already heard
11:28this story but I want you to pay attention to how it relates to Mistah. Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه you know was obviously outraged and he said I'm never going to spend on him again. Can you imagine the man I was giving money to right out of charity my relative that I
11:42was giving money to slandered my daughter and hurt my daughter and hurt the person even more beloved to me than my daughter and myself Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم. That's all Abu Bakr said.
11:52He didn't shake him up and say give me everything that I've ever given to you or never talk to me again. He simply said that I'm not going to spend on him again. Now pay attention to the ayah as it relates to Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه
12:04and then as it relates to Mistah and also the proof of the Qur'an because if the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was speaking from himself with the Prophet صلى الله
12:12عليه وسلم ever in this moment if this was his word find the time or the reason to speak these words. Allah عز و جل says وَلَا يَأْتَلِي أُولُوا الْفَضْلِ مِنْكُمْ وَالسَّعَةِ أَن يُؤْتُوا أُولِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ
12:25فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ Do not let those of virtue and wealth among you, who's that referring to? Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه.
12:39Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه is a man of what? Faḍl and sa'ah, virtue and wealth. Do not let those of virtue and wealth, so Allah praised Abu Bakr رضي الله تعالى
12:51عنه in this regard, swear not to give to the relatives that fits Mistah, the poor that fits Mistah and the immigrants or those who migrated in the path of Allah, the muhajirin
13:03in the path of Allah that fits Mistah. So Allah عز و جل praises Abu Bakr as the giver and he also praises Mistah as the receiver here. So both of you are praiseworthy in your own right.
13:17And Allah سبحانه وتعالى says وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ So let them pardon and overlook.
13:27Don't you love that Allah سبحانه وتعالى would forgive you والله غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ And indeed Allah سبحانه وتعالى is all-forgiving, all-merciful. The fact that again, this is such a proof of Islam, a proof of prophethood.
13:41If the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was the one speaking like this is my wife that was hurt. This is my household that had to go through this misery because of this slander. Now is not the time to prioritize forgiveness and mercy and things of that sort and making
13:55sure he still gets his charity. But Allah سبحانه وتعالى sees everyone and sees everything. And Allah عز و جل does not force Abu Bakr الصديق رضي الله تعالى عنه to continue. No, you're hurt. It's understandable.
14:08But what would be better for you? Because Mistah is still at the end of the day a person who is a muhajir fi sabili-Allah and you are a person of virtue. Mistah is still a poor man who is a relative that is in need and you are still a person
14:22who Allah عز و جل has given means. That doesn't change because of this incident. And so if you are able to bring yourself not because of anyone but Allah سبحانه وتعالى, you want the forgiveness of Allah عز و جل, then do so.
14:37Abu Bakr رضي الله تعالى عنه said بَلَىٰ وَاللَّهِ إِنِّي لَأُحِبُّ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لِي. He said yes by Allah. Yes by Allah. I wish or I love that Allah عز و جل would forgive me.
14:50So Abu Bakr رضي الله تعالى عنه went back to giving Mistah رضي الله تعالى عنه his charity. Some of the narrations again secondary narrations but they mention even the very day that he was flogged Abu Bakr رضي الله تعالى عنه still gave him what he would give
15:03him on a regular basis رضي الله تعالى عنه و رضي الله عن Mistah. May Allah be pleased with them all and may Allah be pleased with our mother Aisha رضي الله عنها who narrates the story and who carried herself with such goodness.
15:17Mistah رضي الله تعالى عنه was reintegrated into the community. He was not shamed. He was not excommunicated. Everything went back to normal in terms of what was given to him and he lived through the era of Khulafa Ar-Rashideen.
15:31Some of the narrations mention him dying at the age of 56 in the year 34 after Hijrah. Some of them say that he witnessed Siffin with Ali رضي الله تعالى عنه and
15:41he died in the age or he died in the year 37 after Hijrah. But what we know of him رضي الله تعالى عنه is again a Badri companion that Allah سبحانه وتعالى mentioned muhajir fi sabili-Allah. Someone who migrated for Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
15:56Someone who fought for Allah عز و جل and someone who fell into a trap of the Shaitān but Allah عز و جل redeemed and Allah سبحانه وتعالى elevated Abu Bakr and Aisha. May Allah be pleased with them both. Another degree through this moment.
16:09May Allah سبحانه وتعالى be pleased with Hassan رضي الله عنه. May Allah be pleased with Hamnah رضي الله عنها. May Allah be pleased with Mistah رضي الله عنه. May Allah be pleased with of course Abu Bakr and Aisha رضي الله عنهما. May Allah send his peace and blessings on our beloved messenger صلى الله عليه
16:21وسلم اللهم آمين جزاكم الله خيرا والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته


































































































































































































