يَعِظُكُمُ ٱللَّهُ أَن تَعُودُوا۟ لِمِثْلِهِۦٓ أَبَدًا إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ 17
Translations
Allāh warns you against returning to the likes of this [conduct], ever, if you should be believers.
Transliteration
Ya'izukumu-Allah an ta'ūdū limithlihi abadā in kuntum mu'minīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah admonishes the believers to never return to such false accusations and slander as mentioned in the context of Aisha's incident (the Ifk), emphasizing that this prohibition is conditional upon true faith. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir interpret this as a strong divine warning against spreading lies and accusations, particularly those targeting honor and chastity, with the understanding that a true believer would heed this prohibition as an essential aspect of their faith.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the passage addressing the Incident of Ifk (the slander against Aisha, the Prophet's wife), which occurred during the 5th year of Hijrah. The surah was revealed to establish guidelines for dealing with accusations of immorality and to protect the honor and dignity of believers, particularly women, by prohibiting the spread of unverified claims.
Related Hadiths
1) Sahih Bukhari (2657): The Prophet ﷺ said, 'Whoever accuses a chaste woman of immorality will have the testimony rejected on the Day of Judgment unless they repent.' 2) Sunan An-Nasa'i: The Prophet ﷺ emphasized that spreading false accusations about people's honor is among the gravest of sins.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that genuine faith requires us to guard our tongues from spreading unverified accusations and to protect others' dignity and honor; a practical lesson that demands we verify information before sharing it and refrain from participating in character assassination in our modern age of rapid information spread.
Related Ayahs
وَيُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ
And Allāh makes clear to you the verses [i.e., His rulings], and Allāh is Knowing and Wise.
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ أَعْمَـٰلُهُمْ كَسَرَابٍۭ بِقِيعَةٍ يَحْسَبُهُ ٱلظَّمْـَٔانُ مَآءً حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَهُۥ لَمْ يَجِدْهُ شَيْـًٔا وَوَجَدَ ٱللَّهَ عِندَهُۥ فَوَفَّىٰهُ حِسَابَهُۥ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ
But those who disbelieved - their deeds are like a mirage in a lowland which a thirsty one thinks is water until, when he comes to it, he finds it is nothing but finds Allāh before him, and He will pay him in full his due; and Allāh is swift in account.
سُورَةٌ أَنزَلْنَـٰهَا وَفَرَضْنَـٰهَا وَأَنزَلْنَا فِيهَآ ءَايَـٰتٍۭ بَيِّنَـٰتٍ لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ
[This is] a sūrah which We have sent down and made [that within it] obligatory and revealed therein verses of clear evidence that you might remember.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ ٱلْمُحْصَنَـٰتِ ٱلْغَـٰفِلَـٰتِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ لُعِنُوا۟ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
Indeed, those who [falsely] accuse chaste, unaware and believing women are cursed in this world and the Hereafter; and they will have a great punishment