وَٱلْخَـٰمِسَةُ أَنَّ لَعْنَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ إِن كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْكَـٰذِبِينَ 7
Translations
And the fifth [oath will be] that the curse of Allāh be upon him if he should be of the liars.
Transliteration
Wa-al-khāmisatu anna la'nata Allāhi 'alayhi in kāna mina al-kādhībīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah completes the five testimonies in the li'ān (mutual cursing) procedure, where the fifth oath invokes Allah's curse upon the husband if he is among the liars. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir explain that this severe invocation of divine curse serves as the ultimate deterrent and truth-verifier in cases of accusation of adultery when four witnesses cannot be produced, making it a mechanism of divine justice that only the truthful would dare invoke.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the passage (24:6-9) detailing the li'ān procedure in Islamic law, which addresses the situation when a husband accuses his wife of adultery but lacks four witnesses. The broader Surah An-Nur deals with matters of chastity, modesty, and legal testimony, with this specific ruling revealed to provide a path for resolution in such delicate matrimonial disputes.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Muslim (1493) contains the hadith of Hilāl ibn Umayyah who performed li'ān with his wife before the Prophet (ﷺ), illustrating the practical application of this procedure. Additionally, Sunan An-Nasā'ī reports hadiths detailing the conditions and consequences of li'ān as a legal remedy.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that invoking Allah's curse as a witness to truth is a sacred act that demands absolute sincerity and honesty—only those confident in their truthfulness would dare make such an oath, reminding us that accountability before Allah is the ultimate measure of justice and integrity in our affairs.
Related Ayahs
وَإِن يَكُن لَّهُمُ ٱلْحَقُّ يَأْتُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِ مُذْعِنِينَ
But if the right is theirs, they come to him in prompt obedience.
لَّقَدْ أَنزَلْنَآ ءَايَـٰتٍ مُّبَيِّنَـٰتٍ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ يَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ إِلَىٰ صِرَٰطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ
We have certainly sent down distinct verses. And Allāh guides whom He wills to a straight path.
لَّوْلَآ إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ ظَنَّ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتُ بِأَنفُسِهِمْ خَيْرًا وَقَالُوا۟ هَـٰذَآ إِفْكٌ مُّبِينٌ
Why, when you heard it, did not the believing men and believing women think good of themselves [i.e., one another] and say, "This is an obvious falsehood"?
۞ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ ۚ وَمَن يَتَّبِعْ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ فَإِنَّهُۥ يَأْمُرُ بِٱلْفَحْشَآءِ وَٱلْمُنكَرِ ۚ وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُۥ مَا زَكَىٰ مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَدًا وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُزَكِّى مَن يَشَآءُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
O you who have believed, do not follow the footsteps of Satan. And whoever follows the footsteps of Satan - indeed, he enjoins immorality and wrongdoing. And if not for the favor of Allāh upon you and His mercy, not one of you would have been pure, ever, but Allāh purifies whom He wills, and Allāh is Hearing and Knowing.