Mistah ibn Uthathah

ProfileMistah ibn Uthathah

Mistah (may Allah be pleased with him) was the son of Uthathah, of the Banu al-Muttalib. According to the early biographies, his name was Awf and Mistah was his nickname. Sahih al-Bukhari says that his mother was the daughter of Abu Ruhm ibn Abd Manaf, and that her mother, a daughter of Sakhr ibn Amir, was an aunt of Abu Bakr, so that he was related to Abu Bakr through her. According to the early biographies, he was one of the early Muhajirun, and fought at Badr, Uhud and the campaigns after them. According to the early biographies, the Prophet ﷺ gave him a share at Khaybar, because of his need.

Aisha told of the night she was left behind, and the slander that followed. She went out with Umm Mistah, who was the daughter of Abu Ruhm, one night to relieve themselves, and when she stumbled on her robe, Umm Mistah said, "May Mistah be ruined." Aisha said that this was a bad thing to say, since he had been at Badr. Umm Mistah said, "Have you not heard what he said?" and then told her what the people of the slander were saying, which made Aisha's illness worse (Sahih al-Bukhari). Her first words in his defence, before she knew what he had said, were that he had been at Badr.

Aisha told that when Allah revealed her innocence, Abu Bakr, who used to provide for Mistah because he was his relative and was poor, said that, by Allah, he would never give Mistah anything again after what he had said about Aisha. Then Allah revealed a verse telling those of virtue and means among them not to swear that they would not give to their relatives, the poor, and those who had left their homes for Allah's sake, and telling them to pardon and overlook, and asking whether they did not love that Allah should forgive them. Abu Bakr said that, by Allah, he wished that Allah would forgive him, and gave Mistah what he used to give him, and said that he would never withhold it from him (Sahih al-Bukhari). A report in Sunan Abi Dawud says that the Prophet ﷺ ordered the prescribed punishment for two men and a woman after the verses came down (graded hasan); according to the early biographies, these were Mistah, Hassan ibn Thabit and Hamnah bint Jahsh.

According to the early biographies, he is not accused of hypocrisy or of being paid by the hypocrites, and he lived on as a Companion through the time of the first caliphs. According to the early biographies, he died about 34 AH, at the age of fifty-six, and some say that he saw Siffin and died in 37 AH.

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