24. Surah An-Noor

Commentary The fourth injunction is of Li'an (لِعَان : curse) among the adjuncts of fornication The meaning of لِعَان and is to curse and praying for Allah's wrath on each other. Certain specific types of oaths between husband and wife with special connotation are called Li` an (لِعَان) in Islamic law. When a husband accuses his wife of adultery or refuses to own his child as being legitimate, and his wife refutes his allegation to be false, and claims for the punishment of false accusation (قَذَف) of eighty stripes to be awarded to him, then the husband will be asked to produce four witnesses. If the husband produces four witnesses, then the wife will be awarded the punishment of adultery, and if he could not produce four witnesses, then they will be subjected to li'an (لِعَان), that is first the husband will be asked to testify four times with the wordings given in the Qur'an to the effect that he is honest, and the fifth time will say that if he was lying, then Allah's curse be on him. If the husband hesitates from saying these words, then he should be arrested, and asked either to swear by saying these words five times or accept himself to be a liar. Until he accedes to one of the two alternatives, he should not be released. If he accepts himself to be a liar, then he should be awarded the punishment of false allegation of adultery (حد القذف), but, in case he swears by repeating the required words five times, then the wife be asked to swear five times by uttering the words given in the Qur'an for this purpose. If she refuses to swear, then she should be put under arrest until such time that either she swears five times or accepts her guilt of adultery, in which case she will be awarded the punishment for adultery. In case she agrees to swear and utters the required words five times, then the process of li` an (لِعَان) has been completed. This way they both have escaped the punishment in this world, but in the Hereafter, the one who has lied will suffer the punishment, as Allah knows best who is the liar. However, in this world also, after the process of li'an (لِعَان) this couple will be forbidden to each other for ever-The husband should free the woman by divorcing her. If the husband does not divorce her, then the judge or the ruler can have them separated by his decree, which will have the same force as divorce. Moreover, they also cannot get married again for ever. Details of the process of li'an (لِعَان) are given in the books of fiqh, where they can be seen. The law of li'an (لِعَان) has been placed in the Islamic jurisprudence to take care of the psychology and emotions of the husband, because in the preceding verses it has been ruled that for putting the blame of adultery on anyone it is essential to produce four eyewitnesses, and if one fails to do so, then he himself will be liable to punishment of false allegation of adultery. For a common man it is possible to keep quiet and not to accuse someone of adultery if he cannot produce four eye-witnesses, in order to save himself from the punishment of false accusation of adultery, but for the husband it is different and a very grave matter, when he has seen the adultery of his wife with his own eyes. For if he accuses his wife without the support of four eye-witnesses he will be liable to punishment of eighty stripes, and if he keeps quiet, it will be a lifelong agony for him to live with the knowledge that his wife has been unfaithful to him. Therefore, the husband's case has been separated from the general law and a separate provision has been prescribed, which is exclusive to the case between husband and wife. For others the directive is the same a: enjoined in the preceding verses. The books of Hadith have narrated two incidents under this subject. The commentators have different views as to which of the two incidents was the cause of revelation of these verses. Qurtubi has taken both the incidents as the cause of revelation of verses so as the revelation was repeated twice. Hafiz Ibn Hajr, the annotator of Bukhari, and Nawawi, the annotator of Muslim, have treated both incidents as the cause of revelation of the verses. Their reasoning is more appealing, which will soon appear. One incident is that of Hilal bin Umayyah and his wife, which is narrated in Bukhari on the authority of Ibn ` Abbas ؓ . The initial part of this incident, also on the authority of Ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، has appeared in the Musnad of Alimad like this: Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ has said that when the verses of Qur'an on punishment of false accusation of adultery were revealed namely, وَالَّذِينَ يَرْ‌مُونَ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَأْتُوا بِأَرْ‌بَعَةِ شُهَدَاءَ فَاجْلِدُوهُمْ ثَمَانِينَ جَلْدَةً And those who accuse the chaste women (of fornication), but they do not produce four witnesses, flog them with eighty stripes - 24:4. in which it is made obligatory on the person accusing a woman of adultery to produce four eyewitnesses, one of them he being himself, and if he fails to do so, then he should be charged with the false accusation and awarded eighty stripes instead, and should also be debarred for life from giving any evidence. After hearing these verses a leader of Madinah, Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn ` Ubadah ؓ enquired from the Holy Prophet ﷺ whether these verses were revealed like that only. The Holy Prophet ﷺ (was very surprised to hear this from Sa'd Ibn Ubadah), asked the Ansar whether they were listening to what their leader had said. The group of Ansar pleaded to the Holy Prophet ﷺ not to reproach him, as he had made this enquiry only because of extreme sense of honour. Then Sa'd Ibn ` Ubadah ؓ spoke himself and said "My parents be sacrificed on your honour! I know fully well that these verses are nothing but truth, and have been revealed from Allah Ta’ ala; but what I am surprised of is that if I see a shameless wife in a situation that a strange man is lying over her, then would it not be right for me to scold him and remove him from there. Instead, will it be incumbent on me to get four men and show them this situation to make them eye-witnesses, and by the time I could find four men, he runs away after performing his work?" (Sayyidna Sa` d's wordings are recorded with slight differences by various narrators, but the gist of all is the same. - Qurtubi) Only a short time had lapsed after revelation of the verses of punishment against false accusation of adultery and the remarks made by Sa'd Ibn ` Ubadah, that the incident of Hilal Ibn Umayyah ؓ took place. It so happened that Sayyidna Hilal ؓ returned from his lands late in the night, when he saw a man with his wife with his own eyes, and listened to their conversation. But he did not do anything and waited until the dawn, when he went to the Holy Prophet ﷺ and narrated the story, the Holy Prophet ﷺ was very unhappy to hear about this incident and felt very bad. In the meantime the people of Ansar were gathered and started discussing among themselves that the same thing had happened as was hinted by their chief, and that Hilal Ibn Umayyah ؓ would be punished with eighty stripes in accordance with the Islamic law, and be debarred for life for giving any evidence. Nevertheless, Hilal Ibn Umayyah ؓ said 'By Allah I am very hopeful that Allah Ta’ ala will take me out of this predicament'. Sahih of Bukhari has also quoted that in fact the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، after hearing the incident of Sayyidna Hilal ؓ had asked him, according to Islamic law, to produce four eye-witnesses or be prepared for the punishment of eighty stripes on the back. Sayyidna Hilal Ibn Umayyah ؓ swore an oath by God before the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، and pleaded that he was honest, and that Allah will surely send down a command which will save his back from flogging. While this conversation was still on, Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) descended with the verses containing the law of Wan, that is: وَالَّذِينَ يَرْ‌مُونَ أَزْوَاجَهُمْ And those who accuse their wives (of adultery). - 24:6. Abu Ya` la has quoted the same version on the authority of Sayyidna Anas رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہ ، which also says that when the verses of li` an were revealed, the Holy Prophet ﷺ gave the good tiding to Hilal Ibn Umayyah ؓ that Allah Ta’ ala has sent down the solution to his predicament. Hilal replied that he was hoping the same from Allah Ta’ ala. Then the Holy Prophet ﷺ called Sayyidna Hilal Ibn Umayyah's wife also, and when they were both together, he inquired from the wife about the incident. She said that her husband was making a false accusation against her. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said that Allah knows one of you is a liar, so would you not dread (Allah's torment) and come out with the truth and repent. Then Sayyidna Hilal Ibn Umayyah ؓ said 'My parents be sacrificed on you! I have said nothing but truth and whatever I have said is true'. After that the Holy Prophet ﷺ directed that the process of li'an be conducted on both husband and wife according to the revealed verses of the Qur'an. First Sayyidna Hilal ؓ was asked to testify four times with the wordings of Qur'an, which are, 'Believing Allah to be present everywhere and seeing everything, I testify that I am honest in my allegation', Sayyidna Hilal testified four times with the Qur'anic wordings. When it came to testify the fifth time, of which the Qur'anic wordings are, 'Allah's curse be on me, if I were lying'. At that time the Holy Prophet ﷺ said to Sayyidna Hilal Ibn Umayyah ؓ ، as a warning, that he must be careful and fear Allah, as worldly punishment is lighter than the torment of the Hereafter. The torment of Allah is much more severe than the punishment of people, and that the fifth testimony is the final one, on which the ruling would depend. But Hilal Ibn Umayyah insisted that he could say under oath that Allah Ta’ ala would not punish him for his testimony in the Hereafter (as he was sure that this was a true testimony). Then he uttered the wordings of the fifth testimony. After that the Holy Prophet ﷺ obtained four oaths, in the similar manner, from his wife. She too swore with Qur'anic wordings that her husband was lying. When it came to testify the fifth time, the Holy Prophet ﷺ asked her to wait, and warned her that it was the fifth and final testimony, and as such she should be fearful of Allah, as His torment is much more severe than the punishment by the people, that is the Islamic punishment of adultery. On hearing this, she hesitated to swear and waited in that condition for a while. Then said ultimately 'By Allah I will not disgrace my people', and testified the fifth time, saying that if her husband was true then Allah's wrath be on her. This way when the process of li'an was completed, the Holy Prophet ﷺ separated the husband and wife, that is broke down their marriage, and ruled that the child to be born of this conception will take the mother's name and will not be attributed to the father, but the child should not be disparaged. (Tafsir Mazhari quoted from Musnad Ahmad, authority Ibn ` Abbas). The second incident The second incident is also quoted in the Sahih of Bukhari and Muslim, and the details of the incident are narrated by Baghawi on the authority of Ibn ` Abbas ؓ . He has said that the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، while standing on minbar, related the verses' in which it is enjoined to punish the man making false accusation of adultery (حَدِّ القذف ), that is وَالَّذِينَ يَرْ‌مُونَ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ (24:4). At that time Sayyidna ` Asim Ibn ` Adiyy al-Ansa ؓ was also present in the crowd. He got up and pleaded ` O Messenger of Allah, my life be sacrificed on your honour! If any one of us discovers his wife lying in bed with another man and narrates this situation, then he will be punished with eighty stripes, and would be debarred from giving evidence for life. Moreover, the Muslims would call him liar. In such a situation how can we get the eyewitnesses immediately? And if we do, and go in search of eyewitnesses, he would run away after doing his work, by the time we could bring the witnesses. It was the same inquiry made by 'Asim Ibn ` Adiyy ؓ ، which was made by Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn 'Ubadah in the first incident. This inquiry was made on a Friday. After that it so happened that ` Asim Ibn Adiyy's cousin, Uwaimir, who had married Khaula ؓ another cousin of Adiyy's, saw his wife involved with yet another cousin, Sharik Ibn Sahma'. Uwaimir ؓ related this incident to his cousin ` Asim Ibn ` Adiyy ؓ ، who recited إِنَّا لِلَّـهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَ‌اجِعُونَ and went to see the Holy Prophet ﷺ the next day - again a Friday. ` Adiyy said to the Holy Prophet ﷺ that he had made an inquiry on the previous Friday in which he himself has got involved unfortunately, as the same incident has taken place in his family. Baghawl has narrated the incident in great detail as to how were the husband and wife were called and went through the process of lean (Mazhari) This incident is narrated in the Sahihs on the authority of Sayyidna Sahal Ibn Sa'd Sa'idi ؓ that ` Uwaimir al-` Ajlani ؓ inquired from the Holy Prophet ﷺ that if someone finds his wife in bed with another man then should he kill that man, as a result of which he will be killed by people or what else should he do? The Holy Prophet ﷺ replied that Allah Ta’ ala has revealed an injunction for the case of your wife and yourself. Go and get your wife. Sayyidna Sahal Ibn Sa'd ؓ ، the narrator of the Hadith, narrates that the Holy Prophet ﷺ subjected them to the process of lian in the mosque (This process has been explained above). When the process of li` an was completed after both husband and wife had sworn five times, ` Uwaimir said ` If I still keep her as my wife this will mean as if I had made a false accusation against her. Therefore, I am announcing three divorces to her'. (Mazhari on authority of Sahihs) In both these incidents it is reported that the verses of lian were revealed for that particular incident. Hafiz Ibn Hajar and Shaikh ul Islam Nawawi (رح) have noted the alikeness in the two by explaining that it looks the first incident was that of Hilal Ibn Umayyah ؓ ، and the verses of li'an were revealed in that connection, and immediately after that Uwaimir ؓ was also confronted with a similar incident, which he presented before the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، perhaps not knowing Hilal Ibn Umayyah's incident, which had occurred earlier. Then the Holy Prophet ﷺ told him the judgment in his case. This appears plausible because, in the case of Hilal Ibn Umayyah ؓ the wordings are فنزل جبریٔل (Then Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) descended with these verses) , while in the case of ` Uwaimir ؓ the wordings are قد انزل اللہ فیک (Allah has revealed about you), the meaning of which could be that Allah Ta’ ala has enjoined His command in a case similar to yours. وَاللہُ سبحانَہُ و تعالیٰ اَعلَ (Mazhari) Ruling When li'an has taken place between husband and wife before the judge then that woman becomes forbidden for good for that man, just like foster relatives are forbidden for marriage among themselves forever. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has said in a Hadith المتلاعنان لا یجتمعان ابداً (The spouses who have gone through li` an can never join each other). Unlawfulness establishes immediately after the li` an. As for the woman's second marriage with another man, she is allowed after the expiry of her ` iddah period of three months, when she is divorced by her first husband or if he had just said that he had left her. This is the ruling given by Imam Abu Hanifah (رح) But if the husband does not carry out any of the two alternatives, then the ruler or the judge would order the separation, which would have the same effect as the divorce, and after that she would complete three periods of menses, and then she would be free to marry another man. (Mazhari etc.) Ruling When the li'an is completed, after that the child that would born from that conception would not have the name of her husband, but would be called after the name of the mother. The Holy Prophet ﷺ gave this ruling in both the cases of Hilal Ibn Umayyah and ` Uwaimir ` Aljani ؓ اجمعین . Ruling Although the torment of Hereafter would increase on the one who is liar, after the li'an, but the punishment of the world be annulled. Similarly, it is not permissible to call the woman an adulterer nor is it permissible to call her child illegitimate. This was also ruled by the Holy Prophet ﷺ in the case of Hilal Ibn Umayyah ؓ . وقضٰی بان لا تُرمٰی ولا ولدھا .

Interconnection of verses As has been mentioned earlier, the major part of Surah An-Nur is in connection with those injunctions which are related with protection and security of chastity and continence. Diametrically to that, any attempt to debase the chastity and honour would be in violation of the injunction, for which the punishment in the world and the torment in the Hereafter are enjoined. In this connection, first the maximum punishment of adultery (حد زنا), then the punishment for false accusation (حد قذف) and after that the process of li'an have already been described. False accusation of adultery against a chaste woman, without the support of four eyewitnesses, is held to be a great sin, and for such a person the punishment of eighty stripes is prescribed. This injunction is in regard to common chaste Muslim women. But the case of Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ was quite different and grave, when the hypocrites fabricated a false slander against her in 6th Hijra, and some Muslims also indulged in mentioning it. Indeed it was a much serious and grave situation than for an ordinary chaste Muslim woman, hence Allah Ta’ ala revealed ten verses at that point exonerating her from the accusation and to project her purity and chastity. These verses announce the exoneration of Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ on one hand and a warning of severe punishment to all those who were involved in the slander in any way. This incident of imputation is called the episode of ifk (false imputation) in the Qur'an and Hadith. The word Ifk means worst type of lie, imputation or slander. In order to understand the explanation of these verses it is necessary to know the background of the incident of Ifk. Therefore, it will be in order to give a brief account of this episode to begin with. The incident of Ifk and the slander This incident has been narrated with extra ordinary details in the Sahihs and other books of Hadith. However its brief version is as follows: When the Holy Prophet ﷺ went for the battle (بنی المصطلق ) of Bani Mustaliq, also known as battle (مُریسیع) of Muraisi', in the 6th Hijra, Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ ، amongst the mothers of believers, was also accompanying him. The common practice was that first she would sit in her litter and then it was placed on the back of the camel. It was because by that time the injunction in regard to hijab had been revealed. After the battle was over and the caravan was returning to Madinah it stopped for camping to spend the night. Towards the end of the night an announcement was made to the effect that the caravan would soon be departing, so that people should get ready after completing the necessities. Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ felt the call of nature and went out to ease herself. There the string of her necklace was broken and it fell down. It took her some time to locate it, so she got a little late. By the time she returned to the camp, the caravan had departed. As for her camel, her litter was mounted on its back without realizing that she was not sitting in it. This happened because she was so young and frail at that time that her absence from the litter was not noticed; and also because the litter was covered. On her return to the camp when she did not find the caravan there, she did not panic nor ran helter-skelter to locate it. Instead, she acted very prudently and sat down at the camping place after wrapping herself. She did this knowing the Holy Prophet ﷺ very well that when he will not find her in her litter (ھودج) he will send out men to locate her at the camping place, and if she were gone some other place to locate them, it will only complicate things for the searching party. So, it was best to wait for them there, at the camp. Since it was still dark and she was tired, she fell asleep. On the other hand, it so happened that Sayyidna Safwan Ibn Mu` attal ؓ ، whom the Holy Prophet ﷺ had assigned the duty to stay behind the caravan and pick up things if forgotten by anyone in a hurry, reached the camp at dawn. He saw someone sleeping. So he went there and recognized Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ whom he had seen before the injunction of hijab was revealed. Seeing her there like that, he was extremely dismayed and uttered إِنَّا لِلَّـهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَ‌اجِعُونَ. On hearing his voice she was awakened, and covered her face. Then Sayyidna Safwan ؓ brought his camel near her and made it sit down. Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ sat on the camel's back and rode on, while he was holding the string of the camel and walking in front. ` Abdullah Ibn Ubbayy was a very wicked hypocrite and enemy of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . He got hold of this news and the wretched man fabricated shameless imputation against her. Unfortunately, some naive Muslims also narrated the gossip on hearsay; for instance Sayyidna Hassan and Mistah ؓ among the males and Sayyidah Hamnah ؓ from the females. (Tafsir Ad-Durr-al-Manthur has reported this version with reference to Ibn Marduwaih on the authority of Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ -۔ اعانہ ای عبداللہ ابن اُبّی حسان و مسطح و حمنہ) When this slander of the hypocrite was publicized, the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself was also very hurt. As for Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ ، it was but obvious to get hurt extremely. Even ordinary Muslims were also extremely pained on the spread of this totally false and fabricated slander. This went on for about a month, but at last Allah Ta’ ala revealed these verses to exonerate her and condemn those who were involved in its fabrication or spread, in any way. The commentary on these verses will follow soon. In accordance with the Qur'anic injunction, which has been detailed above under the heading of punishment for false accusation (حدّ القذف) those who were involved in the spread of false slander were asked to produce the evidence in support of their accusation. Since that was a totally unfounded accusation, they could not produce any evidence whatsoever. As a consequence, the Holy Prophet ﷺ awarded the punishment of false accusation (حدّ القذف) to them, and each one of them was flogged with eighty stripes. Bazzar and Ibn Marduwaih have reported on the authority of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ awarded the punishment to three Muslims, namely, Mistah, Hamnah and Hassan ؓ ، while Tabarani has reported on the authority of Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ had awarded double the punishment of false accusation to ` Abdullah Ibn Ubayy, the hypocrite, who had fabricated this slander. After that the Muslims repented, but the hypocrites remained as they were. (Bayan ul Qur’ an) Commentary Unique proficiency of Sayyidah ` A'ishah's ؓ ، and the remaining part of the incident of Ifk The enemies of the Holy Prophet ﷺ did their best to harm him, and did everything they could possibly think to afflict him. Amongst all the afflictions which were perpetrated by the infidels, perhaps the most severe and emotionally torturous was to pass slander on the most exalted, proficient, learned, and respected mother of the believers amongst all his pure wives. With the contemptible false slander the respected name of Sayyidna Safwan Ibn Mu'attal ؓ was also maligned by the hypocrite ` Abdulalh Ibn Ubayy. The hypocrites gave the slander different colours and then spread it. The most distressful thing in this episode was that some simple Muslims were carried away by the unfortunate slander and started narrating it as well. The unfounded slander would have been exposed by the truth in a few days time, but for compensating the emotional torture inflicted on Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ and on the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself by it and for exonerating her, Allah Ta’ ala did not rest just at hinting at the episode in a revelation, but revealed almost two ruku's for her exoneration. Not only that, but all those who had fabricated this slander, and those who had participated in narrating it, were warned to face the torment in this world and in the Hereafter. Perhaps never such warnings were revealed on any occasion. In fact this incident of Ifk has brought into the open and highlighted the excellence of Sayyidah ` A'ishah's ؓ superior wisdom and intelligence along with her chastity and sanctity. That is why in the very first of the above quoted verses Allah Ta’ ala has asked not to consider this incident as bad for her, rather it was a blessing. What could be a greater blessing than this, that Allah Ta’ ala has confirmed her purity in no less than ten verses, which will be recited until the Dooms Day. Sayyidah 'A'ishah ؓ had herself said that she was quite confident that Allah Ta’ ala would exonerate her and clarify her position through a Wahy (message to the Holy Prophet ﷺ ), but did not consider herself to be so fortunate that Qura'nic verses would be revealed referring to her person, which will be recited forever. At this point it will help the readers to know some details about the incident for understanding the verses. So, they are briefly narrated here: On return from that journey Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ got involved in her household affairs, and was not the least aware of the rumor that was circulated by the hypocrites about her. Sahih of Bukhari has narrated on the authority of Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ herself that after the return from the journey she fell slightly sick, the main cause of which was that she did not notice the favour and grace from the Holy Prophet ﷺ towards her, which was his norm. Instead, she noticed during that period that when he would come home, he would only inquire about her health after the salutation and go back. Since she did not know at all anything about the rumor that was being circulated about her, hence she could not understand the cause of his attitude towards her, but took the grief to heart, which started telling on her health. One day she went out in the open to ease herself, as there used to be no latrines in the houses in those days. Because she was not keeping well she took along Mistah's mother with her. When they were returning home after she had eased herself, the foot of Mistah's mother got entangled in her sheet and she fell down. As she fell down she uttered the phrase تَعِسَ مِسطَح . This phrase is normally used by Arabs while cursing someone. Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ was taken aback on hearing this phrase from Mistah's mother for her own son , and said to her that it was very bad that she was cursing her own son, who was such a gentleman and who had participated in the battle of Badr. On that Mistah's mother asked her ` My dear girl, don't you know, this son of mine, what has he been saying around?' Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ inquired as to what had he been saying around. Then Mistah's mother told her the whole story of Ifk fabricated by the people, and how her son was involved in its spreading. Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ goes on to say that on hearing this her sickness was doubled. When she returned home and the Holy Prophet ﷺ came and inquired about her health after salutation as usual, she asked his permission whether she could go to her parent's house. He consented to her going to their house. The idea was to take them in confidence and have consultation. So she consulted her mother, who consoled her and said that there were people who were jealous of women like her, and spread rumors like that. So, she need not worry about it. Things would get alright on their own. On that she retorted ` Allah is Pure / Subhan Allah! People have been talking about that. How can I be patient?' Then the whole night she cried, and did not sleep a wink. On the other hand the Holy Prophet ﷺ was extremely grieved on the spread of this false story, more so, because he did not receive any revelation on the incident during that period. Therefore, he called Sayyidna ` Ali and Usamah Ibn Zaid ؓ ، who were both members of his household, and consulted them as to what should he do under the circumstances. Sayyidna Usamah Ibn Zaid said very emphatically that on the basis of his information he had no misgivings about Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ whatsoever. There is absolutely nothing, which could point toward any mistrust. Hence he need not pay any heed to such rumors. Sayyidna ` Ali ؓ advised him (in order to bring him out of his grief and anxiety) that Allah Ta’ ala had not put any restriction on him, hence if he had any unpleasant feelings about Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ ، because of the rumors, then there are many other women. Moreover he suggested another alternative to remove his unpleasant feelings, and advised him to make inquiries about her from Barirah رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہا who was the slave girl working for Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ . Hence, the Holy Prophet ﷺ made inquiries from Barirah ؓ ، who submitted that she did not see anything unbecoming in Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ except that sometimes, because of her young age, she would leave the dough in the open and go to sleep, and the goat would eat up the dough. (After this the Hadith narrates the address of the Holy Prophet ﷺ from the rostrum in great detail in which he had complained about those who had fabricated the accusation and those who had spread the slander. A brief account of what happened next is as follows). Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ goes on to say "I cried the whole day and the second night also continuously. My parents had also come to me, as they feared that I would break down with grief. While my parents were sitting with me the Holy Prophet ﷺ came in and sat down alongside me. He had not sit with me before ever since this incident had started. Then he recited the khutbah of shahadah and said ` 0, ` A'ishah, I have received this information about you. If you are free from blame, then Allah will definitely exonerate you (that is express exoneration through revelation), but if you have slipped, then beg for Allah's pardon with repentance, because when the servant invokes His mercy after admitting his sin then Allah Ta’ ala accepts his repentance'. After the Holy Prophet ﷺ had completed his discourse, my tears dried up completely. There was not a drop in my eyes. I requested my father, Abu Bakr ؓ ، to give an answer to the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، but he excused himself saying what could he say. Then I asked my mother to give an answer, and she too excused herself saying as to what could she say. Then per force I had to speak. I was only a young girl, and by then had not learnt much even the Qur'an". In such a perplexing condition of grief and distress that she was in, even extremely learned and intelligent persons would have found it very difficult to express themselves in a balanced manner, but what Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ said at that time is a piece of highly intellectual and scholarly discourse. Her wordings are reproduced verbatim below: و اللہ لقد عرفت لقد سمعتم ھٰذا الحدیث حتّٰی استقرَّ فی انفسکم وصدقتم بہ، ولیٔن قلت لکم : انّی بریٔۃ، واللہ یعلم انّی بریٔۃ، لا تصدّقونی ولیٔن اعترفت لکم بامر، واللہ یعلم انی منہ بریٔۃ، لتصدقونی ، واللہ لا اجد لی ولکم مثلا الا کما قال ابو یوسف : فصبر جمیل واللہ المستعان علی ما تصفون "By God, I fully realize that you listened to this talk and kept on listening until it made inroads into your heart, and you have confirmed this (by your actions). Now if I say that I am free from this blame, as Allah knows well that I am in reality, then you will not verify my statement. And if I make admission of the accusation, of which Allah knows I am free, then you will agree with my admission. Wallah, now I do not see any example on the issue between you and me, except the one which the father of Yusuf (علیہ السلام), said after hearing the wrong statement of his sons that ` So patience is best. And it is Allah whose help is sought against what you describe." Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ 'related further that "After having said so I went away and lied down on my bed. I was confident that since I was free from the blame in reality, Allah Ta’ ala would surely exonerate me by sending down a revelation. But I did not have the slightest idea or expectation that in my case Qur'anic verses will be revealed, which will be recited forever. It was because I considered my position to be much lower than that. All I had expected was that probably my exoneration will be revealed to him in his dream". Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ goes on to narrate that "the Holy Prophet ﷺ had not got up from that company yet, nor anyone from the household had got up, when he was overtaken by the condition which he used to experience at the time of revelation of the Qur'an. In this condition he used to perspire profusely on the forehead. When this condition was over, then the Holy Prophet ﷺ got up smiling, and the very first thing that he said was ابشری یا عایٔشہ اما اللہ فقد ابرأکِ that is "0 ` A'ishah, listen the good tiding . As for Allah Ta’ ala, He has exonerated you". Then my mother said to me "Get up and go to the Holy Prophet ﷺ . I replied, "I do not feel obliged to anyone in this case, except Allah, nor would I get up. I am thankful to my Lord, and it is He who has exonerated me". Few distinctions of Sayyidah Siddiqah ؓ While explaining these verses Imam Baghawi (رح) has said that there were some distinctions of Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ which no woman other than her could get, and Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ ، also used to relate them with a sense of pride (as honorable gift). First, that before the marriage with the Holy Prophet ﷺ Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) had brought to him her image wrapped in a silk cloth, and said to him ` she is your wife', (As reported by At-Tirmidhi - from ` A'ishah رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہا) while some other versions say that Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) had brought this image in his palm. Second, that the Holy Prophet ﷺ did not marry any maiden girl other than her. Third, that the Holy Prophet ﷺ died in her lap. Fourth, that he was buried in her house. Fifth, that he ﷺ had received revelation even at that time also when he used to be with Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ under the same quilt. None other wives was granted this distinction ever. Sixth, that her ؓ ، exoneration was sent down from the Heaven. Seventh, that she was the daughter of the caliph of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and was herself a Siddiqah ؓ and was among those whom Allah Ta’ ala had promised forgiveness and bountiful sustenance even during their lifetime. (Mazhari) After seeing Sayyidah ` A'ishah's ؓ scholarly research, understanding of jurisprudence and eloquent expression, Sayyidna Musa Ibn Talhah ؓ commented that he had never come across a person more eloquent than her. (Tirmidhi) Tafsir al-Qurtubi has related that when Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) was falsely accused, Allah Ta’ ala exonerated him through the evidence of a baby by granting him speech, and when Sayyidah Maryam (علیہا السلام) was falsely accused, Allah Ta’ ala exonerated her through the evidence of her son, ` Isa (علیہ السلام) but when false accusation was leveled against Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ ، then Allah Ta’ ala sent down ten verses of the Holy Qur'an to declare her exoneration, which has further enhanced her respect and stature. Now the specific sentences of these verses will be discussed and elaborated: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ جَاءُوا بِالْإِفْكِ عُصْبَةٌ مِّنكُمْ Those who have come up with the false imputation are a gang among you. 24:11. Literal meaning of Ifk (اِفک) is to turn over, reverse or to change. The worst type of lie which turns the truth to falsehood and the false as truth, and labels the pious and God fearing as sinner, and the sinner as pious and God fearing, also falls under the connotation of Ifk. ` Usbah عُصبَہ means a group of ten to forty persons, but is also used for less or more persons. The word مِنکُم (among you) in the verse refers to Muslims. Although the actual fabricator of the slander was ` Abdullah Ibn 'Ubayy, who was a hypocrite and not a Muslim, but since the hypocrites used to claim themselves as Muslims, he too has been included within the fold of (مِنکُم). Among the Muslims two men and one woman got involved in the spread of slander, who were awarded the punishment of false accusation by the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، after the revelation of these verses. But all Muslims felt penitence and their repentance was accepted by Allah Ta’ ala. Among them were Sayyidna Hassan and Mistah ؓ ، who had both participated in the battle of Badr, and for whom Allah Ta’ ala has declared forgiveness in the Qur'an. For this very reason Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ used to dislike if anyone would speak ill of Sayyidna Hassan ؓ before her, although he was one of those two men who were punished for false accusation. Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ used to say that Hassan ؓ was the one who had defended the Holy Prophet ﷺ in his poetry against the infidels. Hence, no one should speak ill of him. Whenever he used to visit Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ she would make him sit with dignity and respect. (Mazhari etc.) لَا تَحْسَبُوهُ شَرًّ‌ا لَّكُم Do not think it is bad for you - 24:11. This sentence is addressed to the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ ، Safwan ؓ and all the Muslims, who were hurt by the spread of this rumor. The purport of the sentence is that you should not feel bad about this incident, because after the exoneration declared in the Qur'an by Allah Ta’ ala her esteem has been raised further, and those who were involved in rumor-mongering were warned strongly in the Qur'an, which will be recited until the Dooms Day. لِكُلِّ امْرِ‌ئٍ مِّنْهُم مَّا اكْتَسَبَ مِنَ الْإِثْمِ Everyone of them is liable for what he earned of the sin - 24:11. It means that whoever had taken part in the spread of this slander, his sin has been recorded exactly in the same proportion as was his share in the spread of the slander, and he will be punished accordingly. The one who had fabricated this rumor, which will be dealt later, deserves the most severe punishment, and the one who endorsed the rumor when it reached him, a little less than that, and the one who kept quiet after hearing it, still less than that. وَالَّذِي تَوَلَّىٰ كِبْرَ‌هُ مِنْهُمْ لَهُ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ And the one who undertook the major part of it, for him there is a mighty punishment - 24:11. The word means big, large or great. Here it means that the one who has taken big part in the slander, that is who fabricated it and passed on to others, for him is the great punishment. The indication is toward ` Abdullah Ibn 'Ubayy (Baghawi etc.).

لَّوْلَا إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ ظَنَّ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بِأَنفُسِهِمْ خَيْرً‌ا وَقَالُوا هَـٰذَا إِفْكٌ مُّبِينٌ Why - when you (0 believers) heard of it - did the believing men and the believing women not think well on their own selves and (why did they not) say, ` This is a manifest lie'. - 24:12. It means that when the Muslim men women heard about this slander they should have a good assumption about their own-self - that is about their Muslim brother and sister - and declared that it was but an open lie. In this verse quite a few things need attention. In the first place the Holy Qur'an has hinted by the word بِأَنفُسِهِمْ (on their own selves) that if a Muslim defames and disgraces another Muslim, he in fact disgraces himself, because the relationship of Islam has brought them all together as one body. A similar expression is used by the Holy Qur'an wherever the close tie between a Muslim and the whole Ummah is to be emphasized, for instance, a verse says وَلَا تَلْمِزُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ (49:11) which means ` Do not cast aspersion on your own-self, which actually means do not cast aspersion on any of your Muslim brethren - man or woman. At another place the Qur'an says لَا تَقْتُلُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ (4:29) which means ` Do not kill yourselves'. Here again the sense is the same, that is, do not kill any of your Muslim brethren. Yet at a third place it says وَلَا تُخْرِ‌جُونَ أَنفُسَكُم مِّن دِيَارِ‌كُمْ (2:84) which means ` You shall not drive out yourselves from your homes'. Here also it means not to expel any Muslim from his house. At a fourth place it says فَسَلِّمُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِكُمْ which means ` Salute your own-self, which in fact means, salute your Muslim brethren. All these verses point toward one theme, that a Muslim who casts aspersion on another Muslim or causes oppression and harm to another Muslim, he in fact casts aspersion and causes harm to himself, because it leads to defamation of the whole Muslim Ummah, as the poet Saadi has said: چو از قومے یکے بےدانشی کرد نہ کِہ را منزلت ماند نہ مِہ را "When a single person from a nation does an unwise act, no one from that nation, big or small, can achieve a respectful place (in the eyes of others). It was this teaching of the Qur'an which brought up the Muslims into prominence, and when they gained prominence, it was the whole nation which was uplifted, both collectively and individually. One can see the result of giving up of the Qur'anic teachings, that the Muslims have slumped into oblivion, again both collectively and individually. The other point, which needs attention in this verse, is that after having said لَّوْلَا إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ (Why, when you (0 believers) heard of it) it was in the fitness of things that the address form should have been used by saying, "why did you not think well of your own-selves". But the verse has opted for "the believers" instead of "you". The Holy Qur'an at this point has changed its form and said ظَنَّ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ instead ظَنَنتُم . In this form there is a subtle allusion that those who had committed this act were not fit to be called Mu'mins (believers) to the extent of this act, because it was the demand of faith that a Muslim should have stuck to the favourable view for another Muslim. The third point which needs attention is that in the last sentence of this verse وَقَالُوا هَـٰذَا إِفْكٌ مُّبِينٌ (24:12) it has been instilled that it was the demand of faith that the Muslims on hearing this rumor should have immediately rejected it as a total lie. This proves that to think good about any other Muslim is an obligatory demand of faith, unless an act of sin or evil is proved against him under Islamic law. Likewise, it is also the demand of faith to call an attribute of a sin or evil against a Muslim a lie, if there is no proof under Islamic law against him. Ruling This has proved that to think good about all Muslims men and women is obligatory, unless proved otherwise by Islamic law. And if someone accuses a Muslim without the proof under Islamic law, then the rejection of that accusation and to declare it as a lie is also obligatory, because it is nothing but backbiting and defaming an innocent Muslim. (Mazhari)