وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُۥ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ لَمَسَّكُمْ فِى مَآ أَفَضْتُمْ فِيهِ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ 14
Translations
And if it had not been for the favor of Allāh upon you and His mercy in this world and the Hereafter, you would have been touched for that [lie] in which you were involved by a great punishment
Transliteration
Wa law laa fadlu Allahi alaikum wa rahmatuhu fi ad-dunya wa al-akhirati lamas-sakum fi ma afdatum fihi adhabun azim
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah concludes the account of the slander against Aisha (radiyallahu anha) and warns that without Allah's grace and mercy in this world and the hereafter, those who engaged in spreading false accusations would have faced severe punishment. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir emphasize that this verse highlights how Allah's mercy prevents immediate retribution for grave sins, offering believers the opportunity for repentance and reformation.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah An-Nur's discussion of the incident of al-ifk (the great slander), where innocent people were accused of immoral conduct during the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him). The revelation context concerns those who participated in spreading these false rumors without evidence, serving as both a warning and a reminder of Allah's clemency toward the Muslim community.
Related Hadiths
Aisha (radiyallahu anha) reported regarding the slander against her: 'By Allah, I did not know what to say, and I did not know the answer to this (slander).' (Sahih Bukhari 2661). Also relevant is the hadith about the severity of accusations without evidence and the protection Allah grants to the innocent.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that Allah's mercy is a shield protecting us from deserved punishment for our transgressions, and we should reciprocate this mercy by refraining from spreading accusations without evidence and by exercising caution in our speech. It reminds us that accountability for grave sins like slander is deferred by Allah's grace, not because such sins are minor.
Related Ayahs
ٱلزَّانِيَةُ وَٱلزَّانِى فَٱجْلِدُوا۟ كُلَّ وَٰحِدٍ مِّنْهُمَا مِا۟ئَةَ جَلْدَةٍ ۖ وَلَا تَأْخُذْكُم بِهِمَا رَأْفَةٌ فِى دِينِ ٱللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ ۖ وَلْيَشْهَدْ عَذَابَهُمَا طَآئِفَةٌ مِّنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
The [unmarried] woman or [unmarried] man found guilty of sexual intercourse - lash each one of them with a hundred lashes, and do not be taken by pity for them in the religion [i.e., law] of Allāh, if you should believe in Allāh and the Last Day. And let a group of the believers witness their punishment.
وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ كَمَا ٱسْتَخْلَفَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ ٱلَّذِى ٱرْتَضَىٰ لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا ۚ يَعْبُدُونَنِى لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِى شَيْـًٔا ۚ وَمَن كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْفَـٰسِقُونَ
Allāh has promised those who have believed among you and done righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession [to authority] upon the earth just as He granted it to those before them and that He will surely establish for them [therein] their religion which He has preferred for them and that He will surely substitute for them, after their fear, security, [for] they worship Me, not associating anything with Me. But whoever disbelieves after that - then those are the defiantly disobedient.
إِذْ تَلَقَّوْنَهُۥ بِأَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَتَقُولُونَ بِأَفْوَاهِكُم مَّا لَيْسَ لَكُم بِهِۦ عِلْمٌ وَتَحْسَبُونَهُۥ هَيِّنًا وَهُوَ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ عَظِيمٌ
When you received it with your tongues and said with your mouths that of which you had no knowledge and thought it was insignificant while it was, in the sight of Allāh, tremendous.
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُۥ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱلطَّيْرُ صَـٰٓفَّـٰتٍ ۖ كُلٌّ قَدْ عَلِمَ صَلَاتَهُۥ وَتَسْبِيحَهُۥ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌۢ بِمَا يَفْعَلُونَ
Do you not see that Allāh is exalted by whomever is within the heavens and the earth and [by] the birds with wings spread [in flight]? Each [of them] has known his [means of] prayer and exalting [Him], and Allāh is Knowing of what they do.