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.