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Ayat
Terjemahan Per Kata
وَلَا
dan jangan
يَأۡتَلِ
bersumpah
أُوْلُواْ
orang-orang
ٱلۡفَضۡلِ
yang mempunyai kelebihan
مِنكُمۡ
diantara kami
وَٱلسَّعَةِ
dan keluasan/kelapangan
أَن
bahwa
يُؤۡتُوٓاْ
mereka memberi
أُوْلِي
kaum
ٱلۡقُرۡبَىٰ
kerabat
وَٱلۡمَسَٰكِينَ
dan orang-orang miskin
وَٱلۡمُهَٰجِرِينَ
dan orang-orang yang berhijrah
فِي
pada
سَبِيلِ
jalan
ٱللَّهِۖ
Allah
وَلۡيَعۡفُواْ
dan hendaklah mereka memaafkan
وَلۡيَصۡفَحُوٓاْۗ
dan hendaklah mereka berlapang dada
أَلَا
apakah tidak
تُحِبُّونَ
kamu menyukai
أَن
bahwa
يَغۡفِرَ
mengampuni
ٱللَّهُ
Allah
لَكُمۡۚ
bagi kalian
وَٱللَّهُ
dan Allah
غَفُورٞ
Maha Pengampun
رَّحِيمٌ
Maha Penyayang
وَلَا
dan jangan
يَأۡتَلِ
bersumpah
أُوْلُواْ
orang-orang
ٱلۡفَضۡلِ
yang mempunyai kelebihan
مِنكُمۡ
diantara kami
وَٱلسَّعَةِ
dan keluasan/kelapangan
أَن
bahwa
يُؤۡتُوٓاْ
mereka memberi
أُوْلِي
kaum
ٱلۡقُرۡبَىٰ
kerabat
وَٱلۡمَسَٰكِينَ
dan orang-orang miskin
وَٱلۡمُهَٰجِرِينَ
dan orang-orang yang berhijrah
فِي
pada
سَبِيلِ
jalan
ٱللَّهِۖ
Allah
وَلۡيَعۡفُواْ
dan hendaklah mereka memaafkan
وَلۡيَصۡفَحُوٓاْۗ
dan hendaklah mereka berlapang dada
أَلَا
apakah tidak
تُحِبُّونَ
kamu menyukai
أَن
bahwa
يَغۡفِرَ
mengampuni
ٱللَّهُ
Allah
لَكُمۡۚ
bagi kalian
وَٱللَّهُ
dan Allah
غَفُورٞ
Maha Pengampun
رَّحِيمٌ
Maha Penyayang
Terjemahan
Dan janganlah orang-orang yang mempunyai kelebihan dan kelapangan di antara kamu bersumpah bahwa mereka (tidak) akan memberi (bantuan) kepada kerabat(nya), orang-orang miskin dan orang-orang yang berhijrah di jalan Allah, dan hendaklah mereka memaafkan dan berlapang dada. Apakah kamu tidak suka kalau Allah mengampunimu? Dan Allah Maha Pengampun, Maha Penyayang.
Tafsir
(Dan janganlah bersumpah orang-orang yang mempunyai kelebihan) yaitu orang-orang kaya (dan kelapangan di antara kalian, bahwa mereka) tidak (akan memberi bantuan kepada kaum kerabatnya, orang-orang yang miskin dan orang-orang yang berhijrah pada jalan Allah) ayat ini diturunkan berkenaan dengan sahabat Abu Bakar r. a, ia bersumpah tidak akan memberikan nafkah lagi kepada Misthah saudara sepupunya yang miskin lagi seorang Muhajir, padahal Misthah adalah sahabat yang ikut dalam perang Badar. Misthah terlibat dalam peristiwa berita bohong ini; maka sahabat Abu Bakar menghentikan nafkah yang biasa ia berikan kepadanya. Para sahabat lainnya telah bersumpah pula, bahwa mereka juga tidak akan memberikan nafkah lagi kepada seorang yang terlibat membicarakan masalah berita bohong tersebut (dan hendaklah mereka memaafkan dan berlapang dada) terhadap mereka yang terlibat, dengan mengembalikan keadaan seperti semula. (Apakah kalian tidak ingin bahwa Allah mengampuni kalian? Dan Allah adalah Maha Pengampun lagi Maha Penyayang) terhadap orang-orang yang beriman. Sahabat Abu Bakar r.a. berkata sesudah turunnya ayat ini, "Tentu saja, aku menginginkan supaya Allah mengampuni aku", lalu ia memberikan lagi bantuannya kepada Misthah sebagaimana biasanya.
Tafsir Surat An-Nur: 22
Dan janganlah orang-orang yang mempunyai kelebihan dan kelapangan di antara kalian bersumpah bahwa mereka tidak akan memberi (bantuan) kepada kaum kerabat(nya), orang-orang miskin dan orang-orang yang berhijrah pada jalan Allah, dan hendaklah mereka memaafkan dan berlapang dada. Apakah kalian tidak ingin bahwa Allah mengampuni kalian? Dan Allah adalah Maha Pengampun lagi Maha Penyayang.
Firman Allah ﷻ: “Dan janganlah bersumpah.” (An-Nur: 22).
Berasal dari kata ilyah yang artinya sama dengan al-hilf maksudnya 'janganlah bersumpah'.
“Orang-orang yang mempunyai kelebihan di antara kalian.” (An-Nur: 22).
Yang dimaksud dengan kelebihan ialah kelebihan harta, rajin bersedekah, dan berbuat kebajikan.
“Dan kelapangan.” (An-Nur: 22). Yaitu kesejahteraan.
‘Untuk tidak akan memberikan bantuan kepada kaum kerabat(nya), orang-orang miskin, dan orang-orang yang berhijrah pada jalan Allah.” (An-Nur: 22).
Yakni janganlah kalian bersumpah bahwa kalian tidak akan bersilaturahmi lagi dengan kaum kerabat kalian, orang-orang miskin, dan kaum Muhajirin. Yaitu tidak akan lagi memberikan bantuan kepada mereka.
Ayat ini mengandung anjuran yang sangat untuk berbelas kasihan dan lemah lembut terhadap kaum kerabat dalam rangka bersilaturahmi kepada mereka.
Firman Allah ﷻ: “Dan hendaklah mereka memaafkan dan berlapang dada.” (An-Nur: 22) terhadap keburukan dan sikap menyakitkan mereka di masa lalu. Hal ini termasuk sifat Penyantun Allah ﷻ, Kemuliaan, dan Kelembutan-Nya kepada makhluk-Nya, padahal mereka berbuat zalim terhadap dirinya sendiri. Ayat ini diturunkan berkenaan dengan sahabat Abu Bakar As-Siddiq r.a. ketika ia bersumpah bahwa dia tidak akan memberikan bantuannya lagi kepada Mistah ibnu Asasah untuk selamanya. Hal ini terjadi setelah Mistah mengatakan hal-hal yang buruk terhadap putrinya (yaitu Siti Aisyah r.a.) seperti yang telah disebutkan di atas.
Setelah Allah menurunkan wahyu yang membersihkan diri Siti Aisyah Ummul Mukminin sehingga hati Siti Aisyah senang dan tenteram, dan Allah menerima tobat orang-orang yang membicarakan berita bohong itu dari kalangan kaum mukmin, lalu ditegakkan hukum had kepada sebagian dari mereka yang berhak menerimanya. Maka khitab Allah beralih kepada sahabat Abu Bakar As-Siddiq yang memerintahkan kepadanya agar berbelas kasih kepada kerabatnya, yaitu Mistah ibnu Asasah.
Mistah ibnu Asasah adalah anak bibi sahabat Abu Bakar, yang berarti sepupu dia. Mistah adalah orang yang miskin, tidak berharta kecuali apa yang ia terima dari uluran bantuan sahabat Abu Bakar r.a. Mistah termasuk salah seorang dari kaum Muhajirin yang berjihad di jalan Allah. Tetapi ia terpeleset dan melakukan suatu kesalahan, kemudian Allah menerima tobatnya, dan telah menjalani hukuman had yang harus diterimanya akibat kesalahannya itu. Sahabat Abu Bakar adalah seorang yang bijak lagi dermawan.
Ia suka berderma dan memberikan bantuannya, baik kepada kerabatnya sendiri maupun orang lain. Ketika ayat ini diturunkan hingga firman-Nya: “Apakah kalian tidak ingin bahwa Allah mengampuni kalian?” (An-Nur: 22), hingga akhir ayat. Karena sesungguhnya setiap amal perbuatan itu mendapat balasan sesuai dengan jenis amal perbuatannya, sebagaimana engkau mengampuni dosa orang yang berdosa kepadamu, maka Allah mengampuni pula dosa-dosamu. Dan sebagaimana kamu memaafkan, maka Allah pun memaafkan kamu pula.
Maka pada saat itu juga Abu Bakar berkata, "Benar, demi Allah, sesungguhnya kami suka bila Engkau memberikan ampunan kepada kami, wahai Tuhan kami." Kemudian Abu Bakar kembali memberikan nafkah bantuannya kepada Mistah seperti biasanya. Untuk itu Abu Bakar berkata, "Demi Allah, aku tidak akan mencabutnya selama-lamanya." Perkataannya kali ini untuk mengimbangi apa yang telah dikatakannya sebelum itu, yakni ucapannya," Demi Allah, aku tidak akan memberinya bantuan lagi barang sedikit pun, selamanya." Karena itulah maka sahabat Abu Bakar sesuai dengan nama julukannya, yaitu As-Siddiq (Benar); semoga Allah melimpahkan rida kepadanya, juga kepada putrinya.
Salah satu bentuk godaan setan adalah mencarikan dalih agar seseorang enggan membantu orang lain. Dan janganlah orang-orang yang mempunyai kelebihan dalam kesalehan beragama serta keutamaan akhlak yang luhur dan kelapangan rezeki di antara kamu, wahai orang-orang yang beriman, bersumpah bahwa mereka tidak akan memberi bantuan kepada kerabat-nya, orang-orang miskin, dan orang-orang yang berhijrah di jalan Allah hanya karena orang-orang itu pernah berbuat kesalahan kepadanya atau membuat pribadinya tersinggung. Sebaiknya mereka berbesar hati dengan tetap mengulurkan bantuan, dan hendaklah mereka memaafkan orang yang pernah melukai hatinya, dan berlapang dada sehingga dapat membuka lembaran baru dalam hubungan mereka. Apakah kamu tidak suka bahwa Allah mengampuni kesalahan dan kekurangan kamu' Tentu kamu suka. Karena itu, maafkanlah mereka agar Allah memaafkan dan mengampuni kamu. Dan Allah Maha Pengampun sehingga akan menghapus dosa kamu, Maha Penyayang dengan mencurahkan nikmat lebih banyak lagi kepada kamu. 23-25. Sungguh, orang-orang yang menuduh berzina kepada perempuan-perempuan yang baik, menjaga kehormatannya, dan menjauhi perbuatan maksiat; yang lengah, yaitu tidak pernah berpikir untuk berbuat keji; dan wanita yang beriman kepada Allah dan Rasul-Nya, mereka, yakni para penuduh itu, dilaknat di dunia dan di akhirat, dan mereka akan mendapat azab yang besar pada hari Kiamat ketika Allah menjadikan lidah, tangan, dan kaki mereka menjadi saksi atas mereka terhadap apa yang dahulu mereka kerjakan, termasuk tuduhan bohong mereka. Pada hari itu Allah menyempurnakan balasan yang sebenarnya bagi mereka secara setimpal, dan ketika itu mereka tahu dan sadar bahwa Allah Mahabenar atas segala firman-Nya, Maha Menjelaskan segala sesuatu.
Pada ayat ini Allah menerangkan bahwa orang-orang yang percaya kepada Allah, janganlah mereka itu bersumpah untuk tidak mau memberikan bantuan kepada karib kerabatnya yang memerlukan bantuan karena berbuat salah, seperti Mistah anak dari saudara perempuan Ibunya Abu Bakar ra. ia seorang fakir miskin, berhijrah dari Mekah ke Medinah yang turut bersama Rasulullah ﷺ, memperkuat pasukan kaum Muslimin di Perang Badar.
Oleh karena itu, sesudah turun wahyu yang menunjukkan atas kebersihan Aisyah dari hal yang dituduhkan kepadanya, dan setelah Allah mengampuni orang-orang yang semestinya diampuni, serta diberi hukuman kepada orang-orang yang semestinya menerima yang demikian itu, maka Abu Bakar ra, kembali ramah dan berbuat baik serta memberi bantuan kepada kerabatnya Mistah. Mistah adalah sepupunya, anak dari saudara perempuan ibunya. Orang-orang mukmin hendaklah memaafkan dan berlapang dada kepada segenap oknum yang terlibat atau dilibatkan di dalam peristiwa hadisul ifki. Pemaafan dan kembali membantu mereka itu merupakan sarana untuk memperoleh ampunan dari Allah. Adakah manusia yang tidak ingin bahwa dosa-dosanya diampuni Allah? Siapakah yang tidak berdosa dalam hidupnya? Bila mereka melakukannya, yaitu memaafkan dan membantu mereka yang kekurangan, maka Allah akan mengampuni dosa mereka dan menyayangi mereka. Mereka akan masuk surga.
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Pada ayat 21 dijelaskan lagi perjuangan hidup-di dunia ini. Bahwasanya Tuhan ingin agar kita manusia menempuh jalan yang baik dan lurus.
Jalan lurus menuju keridhaan Tuhan itu senantiasa terganggu. Sebab syaitan pun mempunyai jalan sendiri dan merayu insan supaya menuruti jalan itu. Supaya martabat insan jatuh ke bawah. Apabila martabatnya telah jatuh, kekejian dan kemungkaranlah yang menjadi kesukaannya. Bertambah lurus jalan yang ditempuh, bertambah besar godaan syaitan agar manusia me-' ninggalkan jalan yang lurus itu, lalu menuruti ajakannya. Maka terjadilah peperangan yang hebat dalam hati sanubari manusia, antara kehendak baik dan nafsu jahat. Siapa yang diharapkan memberikan perlindungan? Tidak ada yang lain, melainkan Tuhan Allah sendiri. Lantaran itu tetapkanlah tujuan hidup, dirikanlah Allah dalam hati, sebab hanya Allah saja yang sanggup membersihkan peribadi kita daripada kekotorannya. Tuhan mengatakan bahwa Dia akan memberikan kebersihan kepada barangsiapa yang dikehendakiNya. Per-kuatlah budi dan perindahlah ibadat dan hubungan dengan Tuhan, supaya kita termasuk dalam daftar orang yang dikehendaki Tuhan akan dibersihkanNya itu. Kehidupan di dunia bukanlah semata-mata menunggu ketentuan Tuhan, melainkan sebaliknya. Tuhan pun akan menilik usaha kita sendiri buat mem-perbaiki diri. Segala seruan kita dirienganya, segala perbuatan kita diketahui-Nya.
Ayat 22 memberi ingat kepada orang-orang yang beriman supaya jangan meninggalkan sikap yang adil karena kemurkaan kepada seseorang. Niscaya sebagai manusia; tersinggunglah sangat hati Abu Bakar setelah diketahuinya bahwa di antara orang-orang yang turut terlibat di dalam memfitnah puterinya v ialah orang yang selama ini diharitunya hidupnya karena miakinnya, dan dari kalangan keluarganya sendiri. Hiba hati beliau melihat perbuatan yang tiada patut itu. Belanja hidup mereka sejak pindah ke Madinah beliau yang menanggung, datang dari kantong beliau sendiri. Karena perasaan yang tersinggung itu beliau bersumpah tidak lagi akan memberi belanja mereka, perbantuan yang diberikan selama ini hendak dihentikannya buat selamanya. Maka datanglah ayat ini memberi teguran kepada Abu Bakar.
“Janganlah orang yang mampu dan berkecukupan bersumpah tidak akan membantu kerabatnya, atau orang-orang yang miakin yang selama ini ditanggungnya, atau orang Muhajirin, berpindah ke Madinah karena turut menjunjung tinggi perjuangan menegakkan agama Allah."
Memang mereka telah bersalah turut menyebarkan khalar berita bohong. Tetapi sebagai orang yang beriman yang luas dada, hendaklah dikenangkan kembali siapa yang menyebabkan mereka bersalah.
Bukankah mereka hanya terbawa-bawa oleh gelombang orang banyak? Pada saat-saat yang pertimbangan akal sendiri terhenti karena ombak gelombang khabar beracun? Satu kesalahan, tidaklah boleh dihukum dengan dua hukuman. Dan suatu hukuman janganlah bermaksud membinasakan, melainkan bermaksud mendiriik. Beberapa orang di antara mereka telah menerima hukumannya, dipukul dengan 80 kali cemeti.
Hukuman'itu telah berkesan banyak sekali dalam jiwa mereka. Berbuat jahat bukanlah garis yang asal dalam jiwa mereka. Buktinya ialah bahwa mereka telah turut berjuang, turut meninggalkan kampung halaman Makkah, dan berpindah ke Madinah dan telah turut dalam segala perjuangan menegakkan agama Allah dan turut menderita. Banyak orang yang terlanjur berbuat salah, tetapi kemudian mereka menyesal dan taubat. Mereka dapat lagi berbuat baik sehingga kesalahan yang terlanjur itu dapat ditimbuni oleh kebaikan yang -dibina di belakang. SIsa umur dapat dipergunakan buat memperbaiki diri. Agama Islam memberi kesempatan kepada sekalian insan tidak mengajarkan
rasa dendam kepada orang yang pernah bersalah.
Setiap orang harus berusaha memperbaiki jalan hidupnya. Kalau rasa dendam telah dipergunakan kepada orang yang bersalah, seakan-akan mereka tidak diberi kesempatan lagi akan berbuat baik, maka pendendam itu tidak dengan dIsadari adalah kesalahan yang lebih besar lagi. Orang berbuat kesalahan satu kali lalu taubat, tetapi orang yang mendendam senantiasa berdosa selama dia masih berdendam.
Apakah yang lebih baik bagi seorang yang beriman? Yang lebih baik ialah memberi maaf. Mengulurkan tangan kepada yang bersalah dan menghabiskan yang lama dari ingatan. Dan sikap yang seperti ini sangatlah besar kesannya bagi jiwa sendiri. Sebab itu Tuhan bersabda di ujung ayat 22 itu:
“Tidakkah engkau suka jika Tuhan memberi ampun kepada kamu? Bukankah Tuhan itu Maha Pengampun dan Maha Penyayang?"
Perhatikanlah ayat ini baik-baik. Terdapatlah di dalamnya ilmu pendiriikan yang amat mendalam, baik untuk orang yang memimpin kaumnya dalam ukuran kecil atau ukuran besar. Apabila seorang pemimpin lekas merasa tersinggung karena kehormatan dirinya diganggu dan tidak pandai menahan hati niscaya pimpinan akan lepas dari tangannya. Rasa cintanya akan bertukar dengan rasa" berici, jiwanya tidak naik melainkan menurun. Pandangan hidupnya yang tadiriya berpangkal tolak dari iman, dengan tidak dIsadarinya bertukar menjadi titik tolak dari kesyaitanan. Pemimpin adalah “pamong" menanai mendukung. Membawa naik bukan menganjurkan turun.
Mendengar ayat yang amat mendalam ini, tersebut dalam riwayat bahwa Saiyidiria Abu Bakar sadar akan kesalahan dan keterburu-nafsunya hendak menghentikan perbantuan yang biasa diberikannya kepada orang-orang yang ditolongnya itu. Sumpahnya dicabut kembali dengan membayar kaffarah, dan bantuan-bantuan yang diberikannya diteruskannya, sehingga kaum kerabatnya yang ditolongnya itu terpelihara kembali jiwanya. Hukuman yang demikianlah yang menambah keinsafan mereka dan memperdalam rasa kesadaran. Dan
pintu buat beramal yang shalih masih terbuka bagi mereka. Dan bagi Abu Bakar sendiri, penderitaan batin karena anaknya tertuduh itu, yang telah di-
salah satu pembina dari peribadi besar Saiyidiria Abu Bakar as-Shiddiq. Khatifah pertama dari Rasulullah s.a.w. Ujian-ujian perasaan yang berat apabila dapat diatasi akan menjadi jaminan atas kenaikan mutu peribadi.
Kemudian itu di ayat 23 dijelaskan Tuhan lagi bahwasanya orang-orang yang tuduh-menuduh perempuan-perempuan yang terberiteng jiwanya oleh budiriya, jujur dan memandang dunia dengan kejujuran pula, dipatrikan oleh iman yang tulus kepada Allah. Orang-orang yang menuduh wanita demikian, akan mendapat kutuk dari Allah di dunia dan di akhirat, ditambah pula dengan siksa. Ayat ini adalah penjelasan berulang-ulang atas beratnya hukuman menuduh-nuduh itu.
Di ayat 24 dijelaskan lagi bahwasanya lidah yang menyebarkan fitnah, tangan yang menjembatani mencari khabar buruk, kaki yang melangkah menyebar berita bohong, semuanya akan menjadi saksi atas perbuatan yang buruk itu di hadapan Allah. Dan di hari akhirat itu kelak demikian kata ayat yang ke25. Tuhan akan membayar kontan segala perbuatan yang dilakukan itu, akan mendapat balasan yang benar. Pada waktu itulah kelak mereka akan mengetahui Allah sebagai Kebenaran dan Allah sebagai Kenyataan.
lah dari orang-orang yang kotor, dan orang-orang yang kotor adalah untuk perkara-perkara yang kotor. Sedang perkara yang baik adalah dari orang baik-baik, dan orang baik-baik menimbulkan perkara yang baik pula. Adapun
Al-Ifk (the Slander)
The next ten Ayat were all revealed concerning A'ishah, the mother of the believers, may Allah be pleased with her, when the people of slander and falsehood among the hypocrites made their accusations against her and spread lies about her. Allah became jealous on her behalf and on behalf of His Prophet, and revealed her innocence to protect the honor of the Messenger of Allah .
He said:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ جَاوُوا بِالاِْفْكِ عُصْبَةٌ مِّنكُمْ
Verily, those who brought forth the slander are a group among you.
meaning they were not one or two, but a group.
Foremost among this group was Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul, the leader of the hypocrites, who fabricated the lie and whispered it to others, until some of the Muslims started to believe it, and others thought it might be possible and began to talk about it. This is how matters remained for almost a month, until Qur'an was revealed.
This is reported in Sahih Hadiths.
Imam Ahmad recorded that Az-Zuhri said:
Sa`id bin Al-Musayyib, Urwah bin Az-Zubayr, Alqamah bin Waqqas and Ubaydullah bin Abdullah bin Utbah bin Mas`ud told me about the story of A'ishah, the wife of the Prophet, when the people of the slander said what they said about her, and Allah declared her innocence.
Each of them told something about the story, and some of them knew more details than others or had memorized more than others.
I learned the story from each of them, who had heard it from A'ishah herself, and what one told me confirmed what the others said.
They mentioned that A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, the wife of the Prophet, said:
When the Messenger of Allah wanted to go on a journey, he would cast lots among his wives, and the one whose lot was drawn would go with him.
A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said,
So he drew lots among us with regard to a campaign he was going out on, and mine was drawn, so I went out with the Messenger of Allah. This was after the commandment of Hijab had been revealed, so I traveled in my howdah and stayed in it when we camped. We traveled until the Messenger of Allah completed his campaign, then we returned.
As we were approaching Al-Madinah, we paused for a while, then they announced that the journey was to be resumed.
When I heard this, I walked quickly away from the army to answer the call of nature, then I came back to my howdah. Then I put my hand to my chest and noticed that a necklace of mine that was made of onyx and cornelian had broken, so I went back and looked for it, and was delayed because of that. In the meantime, the people who used to lift my howdah onto my camel came along and put it on the camel, thinking that I was inside.
In those times women were more slender and not so heavy, they only ate mouthfuls of food. So the people did not think anything of the howdah being so light when they lifted it up, as I was a young woman.
They set off, and I found my necklace after the army had moved on. Then I came back to the place where we had stopped, and I ﷺ no one to call or answer. So I went to the place where I had been, thinking that the people would miss me and come back for me.
While I was sitting there, I fell asleep. Safwan bin Al-Mu`attal As-Sulami Adh-Dhakwani had rested during the night behind the army. Then he set out just before daybreak and reached the place where I was in the morning, where he ﷺ the outline of a person sleeping. He came to me and recognized me when he ﷺ me, as he had seen me before Hijab was made obligatory for me.
When he ﷺ me and said `Truly, to Allah we belong, and truly, to Him we shall return,'
I woke up, and covered my face with my Jilbab (outer garment).
By Allah, he did not speak a word to me and I did not hear him say anything except `Truly, to Allah we belong, and truly, to Him we shall return,' until he brought his camel and made it kneel so that I could ride upon it, then he set out leading the camel until we caught up with the army at Zuhr time.
There are people who are doomed because of what happened to me, and the one who had the greater share therein was Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul.
When we came back to Al-Madinah, I was ill for a month, and the people were talking about what the people of the slander were saying, and I knew nothing about it. What upset me when I was ill was that I did not see the kindness I used to see on the part of the Messenger of Allah. When I was ill; he would just come in and say,
كَيْفَ تِيكُمْ
How is that (lady)?
That is what upset me. I did not feel that there was anything wrong until I went out after I felt better, and Umm Mistah went out with me, walking towards Al-Manasi`, which is where we used to go to relieve ourselves, and we would not go out for that purpose except at night.
This was before we had lavatories close to our houses; our habit was similar to that of the early Arabs in that we went out into the deserts to relieve ourselves, because we considered it troublesome and harmful to have lavatories in our houses. So I went out with Umm Mistah, who was the daughter of Abu Ruhm bin Al-Muttalib bin Abd Manaf, and her mother was the daughter of Sakhr bin `Amir, the paternal aunt of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq. Her son was Mistah bin Uthathah bin Abbad bin Al-Muttalib.
When we finished what we had to do, the daughter of Abu Ruhm Umm Mistah and I came back towards my house. Umm Mistah stumbled over her apron and said, `May Mistah be ruined!'
I said to her, `What a bad thing you have said! Are you abusing a man who was present at Badr!'
She said, `Good grief, have you not heard what he said!'
I said, `What did he say?'
So she told me what the people of the slander were saying, which made me even more ill.
When I returned home, the Messenger of Allah came in to me and greeted me, then he said,
كَيْفَ تِيكُمْ
How is that (lady)?
I said to him, `Will you give me permission to go to my parents?' At that time I wanted to confirm the news by hearing it from them.
The Messenger of Allah gave me permission, so I went to my parents and asked my mother, `O my mother, what are the people talking about?'
My mother said, `Calm down, for by Allah, there is no beautiful woman who is loved by her husband and has co-wives but those co-wives would find fault with her.'
I said, `Subhan Allah! Are the people really talking about that?' I wept throughout the whole night until morning. My tears never ceased and I did not sleep at all, and morning came while I was still weeping.
Because the revelation had ceased, the Messenger of Allah called Ali bin Abi Talib and Usamah bin Zayd, and consulted with them about divorcing his wife.
As for Usamah bin Zayd, he told the Messenger of Allah about what he knew of his wife's innocence and his fondness for her. He said,
`O Messenger of Allah, she is your wife, and we do not know anything about her but good.'
But Ali bin Abi Talib said,
`O Messenger of Allah, Allah has not imposed restrictions on you, and there are plenty of other women besides her. If you ask her servant girl, she will tell you the truth.'
So the Messenger of Allah called Barirah and said,
أَيْ بَرِيرَةُ هَلْ رَأَيْتِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ يَرِيبُكِ مِنْ عَايِشَةَ
O Barirah, have you ever seen anything that might make you suspicious about A'ishah?
Barirah said to him,
`By the One Who sent you with the truth, I have never seen anything for which I could blame her, apart from the fact that she is a young girl who sometimes falls asleep and leaves her family's dough unprotected so that the domestic goats come and eat it.'
So then the Messenger of Allah got up and (addressed the people) and asked who could sort out Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul for him. While he was standing on the Minbar, the Messenger of Allah said,
يَامَعْشَرَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مَنْ يَعْذِرُنِي مِنْ رَجُلٍ قَدْ بَلَغَنِي أَذَاهُ فِي أَهْلِ بَيْتِي فَوَاللهِ مَا عَلِمْتُ عَلَى أَهْلِي إِلاَّ خَيْرًا وَلَقَدْ ذَكَرُوا رَجُلًا مَا عَلِمْتُ عَلَيْهِ إِلاَّ خَيْرًا وَمَا كَانَ يَدْخُلُ عَلَى أَهْلِي إِلاَّ مَعِي
O Muslims, who will help me against a man who has hurt me by slandering my family? By Allah, I know nothing about my family but good, and the people are blaming a man of whom I know nothing except good, and he has never entered upon my family except with me.
Sa`d bin Mu`adh Al-Ansari stood up and said,
`O Messenger of Allah, by Allah I will deal with him for you. If he is from (the tribe of) Al-Aws, then I will cut off his head, and if he is from our brothers of (the tribe of) Al-Khazraj, tell us what to do and we will do it.'
Then Sa`d bin Ubadah stood up. He was the leader of Al-Khazraj, and he was a righteous man, but he was overwhelmed with tribal chauvinism. He said to Sa`d bin Mu`adh,
`By Allah, you will not kill him and you will never be able to kill him.'
Then Usayd bin Hudayr, who was the cousin of Sa`d bin Mu`adh, stood up and said to Sa`d bin Ubadah,
`You are lying! By Allah, we will kill him, and you are a hypocrite arguing on behalf of the hypocrites!'
Then the two groups, Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj, started to get angry and were about to come to blows, with the Messenger of Allah standing there on the Minbar, trying to calm them down until they became quiet, then the Messenger of Allah also fell silent.
On that day I kept on weeping so much, my tears never ceased and I did not sleep at all. My parents thought that my liver would burst from all that weeping.
While they were sitting with me and I was weeping, a woman of the Ansar asked for permission to see me. I let her in, and she sat and wept with me. While we were in that state, the Messenger of Allah came in, greeted us and sat down.
He had never sat with me since the rumors began, and a month had passed by without any revelation coming to him concerning my case.
The Messenger of Allah recited the Tashahhud when he sat down, then he said,
أَمَّا بَعْدُ يَا عَايِشَةُ فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ بَلَغَنِي عَنْكِ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَإِنْ كُنْتِ بَرِييَةً فَسَيُبَرِّيُكِ اللهُ وَإِنْ كُنْتِ أَلْمَمْتِ بِذَنْبٍ فَاسْتَغْفِرِي اللهَ ثُمَّ تُوبِي إِلَيْهِ فَإِنَّ الْعَبْدَ إِذَا اعْتَرَفَ بِذَنْبِهِ ثُمَّ تَابَ تَابَ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ
Thereafter, O `A'ishah, I have been told such and such a thing about you, and if you are innocent, then Allah will reveal your innocence, but if you have committed a sin, then seek Allah's forgiveness and turn in repentance to Him, for when a servant confesses his sin and repents to Allah, He accepts his repentance.
When the Messenger of Allah finished what he had to say, my tears stopped completely and I not longer felt even one drop.
Then I said to my father, `Answer the Messenger of Allah on my behalf.'
He said, `I do not know what I should say to the Messenger of Allah.'
So I said to my mother, `Answer the Messenger of Allah on my behalf.'
She said, `I do not know what I should say to the Messenger of Allah.'
So even though I was just a young girl who had not memorized much of the Qur'an, I said:
`By Allah, I know that you have heard so much of this story that it has become planted in your minds and you believe it. So now if I tell you that I am innocent -- and Allah knows that I am innocent -- you will not believe me; but if I admit something to you -- and Allah knows that I am innocent -- you will believe me. By Allah, I cannot find any example to give you except for that which the Prophet Yusuf's father said,
فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ وَاللّهُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَى مَا تَصِفُونَ
(So (for me) patience is most fitting. And it is Allah Whose help can be sought against that (lie) which you describe). (12:18)
Then I turned my face away and lay down on my bed.
By Allah, at that point I knew I was innocent and that Allah would prove my innocence because I was innocent, but by Allah, I did not think that Allah would reveal Qur'an that would be forever recited concerning my situation, because I thought of myself as too insignificant for Allah to reveal anything concerning me. But I hoped that the Messenger of Allah would see a dream in which Allah would prove my innocence.
By Allah, the Messenger of Allah did not move from where he was sitting and no one left the house before Allah sent down revelation to His Prophet, and he was overtaken by the state that always overtook him when the revelation came upon him, until drops of sweat like pearls would run down him, even on a winter's day; this was because of the heaviness of the words which were being revealed to him.
When that state passed -- and the Messenger of Allah was smiling -- the first thing he said was,
أَبْشِرِي يَا عَايِشَةُ أَمَّا اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَقَدْ بَرَّأَكِ
Be glad O A'ishah, Allah has declared your innocence.
My mother said to me, `Get up and go to him.'
I said, `By Allah, I will not go to him and I will not give praise to anyone except Allah, may He be glorified, for He is the One Who has proven my innocence.'
So Allah revealed:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ جَاوُوا بِالاِْفْكِ عُصْبَةٌ مِّنكُمْ
Verily, those who brought forth the slander are a group among you, until the ten Ayat.
Allah revealed these Ayat concerning my innocence.
Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, who used to spend on Mistah bin Uthathah because he was a close relative and because he was poor, said, `By Allah, I will never spend anything on him again after what he has said about A'ishah.'
Then Allah revealed,
وَلَا يَأْتَلِ أُوْلُوا الْفَضْلِ مِنكُمْ وَالسَّعَةِ أَن يُوْتُوا أُوْلِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
And let not those among you who are blessed with graces and wealth swear not to give to their kinsmen, the poor, and those who left their homes for Allah's cause. Let them pardon and forgive. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (24:22)
So Abu Bakr said, `By Allah, certainly I love that Allah should forgive me.'
So he resumed spending on Mistah as he had spent on him before, and he said, `By Allah, I shall never stop spending on him.'
The Messenger of Allah asked Zaynab bint Jahsh about my situation, and said,
يَا زَيْنَبُ مَاذَا عَلِمْتِ أَوْ رَأَيْتِ
O Zaynab, what do you know and what have you seen?
She said, `O Messenger of Allah, may Allah protect my hearing and my sight. By Allah, I know nothing but good.'
She is the one who used to compete with me among the wives of the Prophet, but Allah protected her (from telling lies) because of her piety. But her sister Hamnah bint Jahsh kept on fighting on her behalf, so she was doomed along with those who were doomed.
Ibn Shihab said,
This is as much as we know about this group of people.
It was also recorded by Al-Bukhari and Muslim in their Sahihs from the Hadith of Az-Zuhri, and by Ibn Ishaq also from Az-Zuhri.
He also said:
Yahya bin Abbad bin Abdullah bin Az-Zubayr told me from his father, from A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, and Abdullah bin Abi Bakr bin Muhammad bin `Amr bin Hazm Al-Ansari told me from Amrah, from A'ishah, (a report) similar to that quoted above.
And Allah knows best.
Allah's saying:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ جَاوُوا بِالاِْفْكِ
Verily, those who brought forth the slander,
means, the lies, falsehood and fabrications.
عُصْبَةٌ
are a group,
means, a gang among you.
لَاا تَحْسَبُوهُ شَرًّا لَّكُم
Consider it not a bad thing for you.
O family of Abu Bakr,
بَلْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ
Nay, it is good for you.
means, in this world and the Hereafter, honorable mention in this world and raised status in the Hereafter.
Allah demonstrated the esteem with which He regarded the family of Abu Bakr when He defended A'ishah the Mother of the believers, may Allah be pleased with her, by revealing her innocence in the Qur'an,
لااَّ يَأْتِيهِ الْبَـطِلُ مِن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَلَا مِنْ خَلْفِهِ
Falsehood cannot come to it from before it or behind it. .. (41:42)
Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, entered upon her when she was dying, he said to her,
Rejoice, for you are the wife of the Messenger of Allah and he used to love you; he did not marry any virgin other than you, and your innocence was revealed from heaven.
لِكُلِّ امْرِيٍ مِّنْهُم مَّا اكْتَسَبَ مِنَ الاِْثْمِ
Unto every man among them will be paid that which he had earned of the sin,
means, each of those who spoke about this matter and accused the Mother of the believers A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, of any immoral action, will have a great share of punishment.
وَالَّذِي تَوَلَّى كِبْرَهُ مِنْهُمْ
and as for him among them who had the greater share therein,
It was said that this referred to the one who initiated the rumors, or that it was the one who collected rumors and spread them among the people.
لَهُ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
his will be a great torment.
means, for that.
He was Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul, may Allah disfigure him and curse him
Disciplining the Believers for spreading the Slander
Here Allah disciplines the believers with regard to the matter of A'ishah, because some of them spread this evil talk and the slander that had been mentioned.
So Allah says:
لَوْلَا إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ
Why then, when you heard it,
meaning, the talk which accused the Mother of the believers, may Allah be pleased with her,
ظَنَّ الْمُوْمِنُونَ وَالْمُوْمِنَاتُ بِأَنفُسِهِمْ خَيْرًا
the believers, men and women, think good of their own people,
means, why did they not compare what was said to themselves -- if it was not befitting for them then it was even less appropriate for the Mother of the believers, and she was more likely to be innocent.
Or it was said that this was revealed about Abu Ayub Khalid bin Zayd Al-Ansari and his wife, may Allah be pleased with them.
Imam Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Yasar narrated,
The wife of Abu Ayub Khalid bin Zayd Al-Ansari, Umm Ayub, said to him, `O Abu Ayub, have you heard what the people are saying about A'ishah!'
He said, `Yes, and it is all lies. Would you do that, O Umm Ayub!'
She said, `No, by Allah, I would not do that.'
He said, `And by Allah, A'ishah is better than you.'
When the Qur'an was revealed, Allah mentioned those who spoke about the evil deed among the people of the slander,
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ جَاوُوا بِالاِْفْكِ عُصْبَةٌ مِّنكُمْ
(Verily, those who brought forth the slander are a group among you). (24:11)
This refers to Hassan and his companions who said what they said.
Then Allah said,
لَوْلَا إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ ظَنَّ الْمُوْمِنُونَ
Why then, did not the believers, men, when you heard it, think...
means, as Abu Ayub and his wife did.
Allah's saying:
ظَنَّ الْمُوْمِنُونَ
the believers, men think...
meaning, `why did they not think good, because the Mother of the believers is his wife and is closer to him.'
This is concerned with innermost feelings;
وَقَالُوا
and say:
means, with their tongues, verbally,
هَذَا إِفْكٌ مُّبِينٌ
This (charge) is an obvious lie.
means, a clear untruth told about the Mother of the believers, may Allah be pleased with her.
What happened should not have been the cause of suspicion. The fact that the Mother of the believers came openly, riding on the camel of Safwan bin Al-Mu`attal at midday, with the entire army watching and the Messenger of Allah among them, should have made it clear that there was no cause for suspicion. If there had been anything suspicious about the matter, they would not have come openly in this manner in front of so many witnesses; they would have come secretly. On this basis, what the people of the slander said accusing the Mother of the believers was an utter lie, false speech and evil foolish talk, by which people who indulged in it lost out.
Allah said
لَوْلَا جَاوُوا عَلَيْهِ بِأَرْبَعَةِ شُهَدَاء
Why did they not produce four witnesses against him!
meaning, to prove that what they were saying was true.
فَإِذْ لَمْ يَأْتُوا بِالشُّهَدَاء فَأُوْلَيِكَ عِندَ اللَّهِ هُمُ الْكَاذِبُونَ
Since they have not produced witnesses! Then with Allah they are the liars.
Allah has ruled that they are indeed wicked liars
The Grace of Allah towards the People of the Slander by giving Them the Opportunity to repent
Allah says,
وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالاْخِرَةِ
Had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy unto you in this world and in the Hereafter,
This is addressed to those who were indulging in discussing the matter of A'ishah, informing them that Allah has accepted their repentance in this world, and forgiven them because of their faith in the Hereafter.
لَمَسَّكُمْ فِي مَا أَفَضْتُمْ فِيهِ
would have touched you for that whereof you had spoken,
with regard to the slander.
عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
a great torment.
This refers to those who had faith in Allah because of their repentance, such as Mistah, Hassan and Hamnah bint Jahsh the sister of Zaynab bint Jahsh.
As for the hypocrites who indulged in the slander, such as Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul and his like, they are not the ones who are referred to in this Ayah, because they did not have sufficient faith and righteous deeds to balance or cancel out what they had done.
By the same token, the threats that were narrated for a specific deed are bound to be carried out, if there is no repentance or sufficient righteous deeds to balance or outweigh it.
Then Allah says
إِذْ تَلَقَّوْنَهُ بِأَلْسِنَتِكُمْ
When you were propagating it with your tongues,
Mujahid and Sa`id bin Jubayr said,
Some of you were relating it to others, where one says, `I heard this from so-and-so, and so-and-so said such and such, and some of them mentioned such and such.'
Others recited the Ayah:
إِذْ تَلِقَّوْنَهُ بِأَلْسِنَتِكُمْ
When you were inventing a lie with your tongues...
In Sahih Al-Bukhari, it is recorded that A'ishah recited it like that.
According to her, the meaning refers to lies which a person persists in telling.
The first recitation is preferred and more popular, and the majority recites it that way, but the second is reported from A'ishah, the Mother of the believers.
وَتَقُولُونَ بِأَفْوَاهِكُم مَّا لَيْسَ لَكُم بِهِ عِلْمٌ
and uttering with your mouths that whereof you had no knowledge,
means, you were speaking about something which you knew nothing about.
Then Allah says:
وَتَحْسَبُونَهُ هَيِّنًا وَهُوَ عِندَ اللَّهِ عَظِيمٌ
you counted it a little thing, while with Allah it was very great.
means, `you said what you said about the Mother of the believers and you thought that it was a trifling and insignificant matter, but even if she was not the wife of the Prophet, it still would not be an insignificant matter -- so how about when she is the wife of the Unlettered Prophet, the Seal of the Prophets and Leader of the Messengers!'
It is a very serious matter with Allah that such a thing should be said about the wife of His Messenger! For Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, feels great fury and anger over such matters, and He would never decree such a thing for the wife of any of His Prophets. If that is the case, then how about the best of the wives of any Prophet, the wife of the best of the sons of Adam in this world and the next Allah says:
وَتَحْسَبُونَهُ هَيِّنًا وَهُوَ عِندَ اللَّهِ عَظِيمٌ
you counted it a little thing, while with Allah it was very great.
In the Two Sahihs it is reported that:
إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَتَكَلَّمُ بِالْكَلِمَةِ مِنْ سَخَطِ اللهِ لَا يَدْرِي مَا تَبْلُغُ يَهْوِي بِهَا فِي النَّارِ أَبْعَدَ مَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالاَْرْضِ
A man may say a word that angers Allah without realizing how far it will go, and because of that he will be thrown into Hell a distance greater than that between heaven and earth.
According to another report:
لَاا يُلْقِي لَهَا بَالاًا
And he may not pay any attention to it.
Further Discipline
This is further discipline, in addition to the command to think well of people, i.e., if something unbefitting is mentioned about good people, then one should think well of them, and not feel towards them anything but good. Then if a person has any unsuitable thoughts about them, insinuated into his mind and imagination by Shaytan, he should not speak about that, for the Prophet said:
إِنَّ اللهَ تَعَالَى تَجَاوَزَ لاُِمَّتِي عَمَّا حَدَّثَتْ بِهِ أَنْفُسُهَا مَا لَمْ تَقُلْ أَوْ تَعْمَلْ
Allah will excuse my Ummah for anything that occurs to their minds, so long as they do not speak about it or act upon it.
This was reported in the Two Sahihs.
Allah's saying:
وَلَوْلَا إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ قُلْتُم مَّا يَكُونُ لَنَا أَن نَّتَكَلَّمَ بِهَذَا
And why did you not, when you heard it, say:It is not right for us to speak of this.
meaning, we should not talk about it or mention it to anyone.
سُبْحَانَكَ هَذَا بُهْتَانٌ عَظِيمٌ
Glory be to You (O Allah)! This is a great lie.
means, glory be to Allah that such a thing should be said about the wife of His Prophet and close Friend.
Then Allah says
يَعِظُكُمُ اللَّهُ أَن تَعُودُوا لِمِثْلِهِ أَبَدًا
Allah forbids you from it and warns you not to repeat the like of it forever,
meaning, Allah is forbidding you and warning you from doing anything like this again in the future.
Allah says,
إِن كُنتُم مُّوْمِنِينَ
if you are believers.
meaning, if you believe in Allah and His Laws, and you respect His Messenger.
As for those who are described as disbelievers, a different ruling applies in their case.
Then Allah says
وَيُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الاْيَاتِ
And Allah makes the Ayat plain to you,
meaning, He makes clear to you the rulings of Shariah and His divine decrees.
وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ
and Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.
means, He knows what is right for His servants and He is Wise in His Laws and decrees
Disciplining Those Who like that Illegal Sexual Intercourse should be circulated among the Believers
This is a third instance of discipline directed at those who hear evil talk, believe it to some extent, and start to spread it; they should not spread such talk or pass it on to others.
Allah says:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَن تَشِيعَ الْفَاحِشَةُ فِي الَّذِينَ امَنُوا لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
Verily, those who like that Fahshah should be circulated among those who believe, they will have a painful torment,
meaning, those who like to see evil talk about them (the believers) appear,
لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا
they will have a painful torment in this world,
means, because of the prescribed punishment,
وَالاْاخِرَةِ
and in the Hereafter,
because of the torment in Hell.
وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَاا تَعْلَمُونَ
And Allah knows and you know not.
means, return the matter to Him and you will be guided.
Imam Ahmad recorded from Thawban that the Prophet said:
لَاا تُوْذُوا عِبَادَ اللهِ وَلَاا تُعَيِّرُوهُمْ وَلَاا تَطْلُبُوا عَوْرَاتِهِمْ
فَإِنَّهُ مَنْ طَلَبَ عَوْرَةَ أَخِيهِ الْمُسْلِمِ طَلَبَ اللهُ عَوْرَتَهُ حَتَّى يَفْضَحَهُ فِي بَيْتِهِ
Do not annoy the servants of Allah, nor abuse them, nor seek their hidden shortcomings.
Whoever seeks out the faults of his Muslim brother, Allah will expose his faults and degrade him, even if he is hiding in his house
A Reminder of the Grace of Allah and a Warning against following the Footsteps of Shaytan
Allah says:
وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ وَأَنَّ اللَّه رَوُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ
And had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy on you, and that Allah is full of kindness, Most Merciful.
meaning, if it were not for this, it would have been another matter altogether, but He, may He be exalted, is full of kindness towards His servants and Merciful towards them. He accepts the repentance of those who repent to Him from this sin, and purifies those among them who are purified by the prescribed punishment carried out on them.
Then Allah says
يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُوا لَاا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ
O you who believe! Follow not the Khutuwat of Shaytan.
meaning, his ways and paths and what he commands,
وَمَن يَتَّبِعْ خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْمُرُ بِالْفَحْشَاء وَالْمُنكَرِ
And whosoever follows the footsteps of Shaytan, then, verily, he commands immorality and the evil deeds.
This is a warning given in the most concise and eloquent manner.
Ali bin Abi Talhah recorded from Ibn Abbas that
خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ
(the Khutuwat of Shaytan),
means his deeds.
Ikrimah said that:
it means his evil whispers.
Qatadah said:
Every sin is one of the footsteps of Shaytan.
Abu Mijlaz said:
Vowing to commit sin is one of the footsteps of Shaytan.
Then Allah says:
وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ مَا زَكَا مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَدًا
And had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy on you, not one of you would ever have been pure from sins.
meaning, if He did not help whomever He wills to repent and come back to Him and be purified from Shirk, evil and sin, and whatever bad characteristics each person has according to his nature, no one would ever attain purity and goodness.
وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يُزَكِّي مَن يَشَاء
But Allah purifies whom He wills,
means, among His creation, and He sends astray whomever He wills, leaving him to be doomed in his misguidance and sin.
وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ
and Allah is All-Hearer,
means, He hears what His servants say,
عَلِيمٌ
All-Knower.
of who deserves to be guided and who deserves to be misguided
Urging Those Who have been blessed with Wealth to give and to be tolerant
Allah says,
وَلَا يَأْتَلِ
And let not swear,
meaning, make an oath,
أُوْلُوا الْفَضْلِ مِنكُمْ
those among you who are blessed with graces,
means, those who have the means to give charity and do good,
وَالسَّعَةِ
and wealth,
means, good fortune,
أَن يُوْتُوا أُوْلِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ
to give to their kinsmen, the poor, and those who left their homes for Allah's cause.
means, do not swear that you will not uphold the ties of kinship with your relatives who are needy or who migrated for the sake of Allah, which is the ultimate act of kindness in the area of upholding kinship ties.
Allah says,
وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا
Let them pardon and forgive.
past insults and bad treatment.
This is part of the patience, generosity and kindness of Allah towards His creation, despite the fact that they wrong themselves.
This Ayah was revealed concerning As-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, when he swore that he would not help Mistah bin Uthathah after he said what he said about A'ishah, as we have already seen in the Hadith.
When Allah revealed the innocence of the Mother of the believers, A'ishah, and the believers were happy and content with the outcome of this incident, and those believers who had talked about the matter repented, and the prescribed punishment had been carried out upon those on whom it was carried out, then Allah started to soften the heart of As-Siddiq towards his relative Mistah bin Uthathah.
Mistah was the cousin of As-Siddiq, the son of his maternal aunt, and he was a poor man with no wealth except whatever Abu Bakr spent on him. He was one of those who had migrated for the sake of Allah. He had invented the lies and the slander, but then Allah accepted his repentance from that and the prescribed punishment was carried out on him.
As-Siddiq was known for his generosity and he did favors to his relatives and strangers alike. When this Ayah was revealed:
أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ
Do you not love that Allah should forgive you,
which shows that the reward fits the action, and that `if you forgive others, you will be forgiven,' then As-Siddiq said,
Of course, by Allah, we love -- O our Lord -- that You should forgive us.
Then he resumed his spending on Mistah and said, By Allah I will never stop spending on him.
This was to counteract what he had said previously, By Allah I will never spend on him.
This proves that he deserved to be called As-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him and his daughter.
وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
And do not let those of you who possess bounty, the wealthy, and the affluent swear not to give to the near of kin and the poor and those who emigrate in the way of God - this was revealed regarding Aboo Bakr who swore to provide no more for Mistah, his maternal cousin, a destitute Emigrant who had fought at [the battle of] Badr, because of his involvement in the calumny, when thitherto he had provided for him. And [it was revealed also regarding] certain Companions who swore not to give voluntary alms to those who had participated in [spreading] the calumny in any way. Let them forgive and excuse, them in this matter. Do you not love that God should forgive you? And God is Forgiving, Merciful, to believers. Aboo Bakr said: 'Indeed. I would love that God forgive me', and he restored [thereafter] to Mistah what he used to expend on him.
وَلَا يَأْتَلِ أُولُو الْفَضْلِ مِنكُمْ وَالسَّعَةِ أَن يُؤْتُوا أُولِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ ۖ وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا ۗ أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّـهُ لَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿22﴾
And the men of grace and wealth among you should not swear against giving (their charitable gifts) to the kinsmen and the poor and to those who have migrated in the way of Allah. And they should forgive and forego. Do you not like that Allah forgives you? And Allah is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful - 24:22.
Teachings of high morals for the exalted companions
The word أِٰیٔتلا means to swear. Sayyidna Mistah and Hassan ؓ got involved in the incident of slandering Sayyidnh ` A'ishah ؓ from amongst the Muslims. They were awarded punishment for false accusation by the Holy Prophet ﷺ after the revelation of exoneration verses. Both Sayyidna Mistah and Hassan ؓ were illustrious companions and had taken part in the battle of Badr, but they slipped on this occasion and received Divine help for the sincere repentance. Then the way exoneration was revealed by Allah Ta’ ala for Sayyidnh ` A'ishah ؓ ، in the same manner it was also declared that the repentance of these believers was accepted and they were pardoned.
Sayyidna Mistah ؓ was a relative of Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ ، and was a poor person. Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ used to help him materially. When the involvement of Mistah ؓ in the spread of the incident of Ifk was established, then Sayyidna Aba Bakr's paternal love for the daughter surged up, and he was annoyed with Sayyidna Mistah ؓ as a natural corollary, because her feelings were deeply injured by him. He then swore an oath that he would never help Sayyidna Mistah ؓ materially. It is obvious that to help any specific poor person is not obligatory for a Muslim, and if someone stops the material help he used to give to a poor person, it is not a sin .But Allah Ta’ ala wanted to make the illustrious group of companions as a model for the society. So, whereas on the one hand those who had slipped were granted Divine help to repent sincerely and reform themselves, on the other hand those who had sworn not to help any more the poor people, because of the natural grief and displeasure, were imparted wisdom of supreme ethics in this verse, that they should break their oath and expiate for it. It is below their dignity to stop the material help. They should also forgive and overlook, the way Allah has forgiven them.
Since it was not a religious obligation on Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ to help Sayyidna Mistah ؓ ، therefore the Qur'an has adopted the line to say that those whom Allah Ta’ ala has bestowed the knowledge and excellence, and who are granted the means to spend in the way of Allah, they should be careful not to undertake such an oath. The words أُولُو الْفَضْلِ مِنكُمْ وَالسَّعَةِ (the men of grace and wealth) are used to put across this meaning.
The last sentence of this verse is أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّـهُ لَكُمْ , (24:22) which says Do you not like that Allah forgives you?
On this Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ said immediately واللہ اَنّی احبّ ان یغفر اللہ لِی that is ` By God, I definitely want that Allah forgives me'. Immediately after that he restored the material help of Sayyidna Mistah ؓ ، and said ` This help will never stop now'. (Bukhari and Muslim)
These are the graces of ethics which were imparted to train the illustrious companions. Sahih of Bukhari has quoted on the authority of Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Umar ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ once said:
لیس الواصل بالمکافی ولٰکنّ الواصل الّذی اذا قطعت رحمہ وصلھا
` He is not the kind hearted towards relatives who only returns their favours, but the real kind hearted towards relatives is the one who maintains his relationship with them, despite they have severed the relations' (Mazhari).
