Verses 19–26
24. An-Noor · The Light
Madinan64 verses
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَن تَشِيعَ ٱلْفَٰحِشَةُ فِى ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۭ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْءَاخِرَةِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
24:19Indeed those who want indecency to spread among the faithful—there is a painful punishment for them in the world and the Hereafter, and Allah knows and you do not know.
وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُۥ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ رَءُوفٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ
24:20Were it not for Allah’s grace and His mercy upon you, and that Allah is all-kind, all-merciful…
۞ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنِ ۚ وَمَن يَتَّبِعْ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنِ فَإِنَّهُۥ يَأْمُرُ بِٱلْفَحْشَآءِ وَٱلْمُنكَرِ ۚ وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُۥ مَا زَكَىٰ مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَدًۭا وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُزَكِّى مَن يَشَآءُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌۭ
24:21O you who have faith! Do not follow in Satan’s steps. Whoever follows in Satan’s steps [should know that] he indeed prompts [you to commit] indecent and wrongful acts. Were it not for Allah’s grace and His mercy upon you, not one of you would ever become pure. But Allah purifies whomever He wishes, and Allah is all-hearing, all-knowing.
وَلَا يَأْتَلِ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْفَضْلِ مِنكُمْ وَٱلسَّعَةِ أَن يُؤْتُوٓا۟ أُو۟لِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَٱلْمَسَٰكِينَ وَٱلْمُهَٰجِرِينَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَلْيَعْفُوا۟ وَلْيَصْفَحُوٓا۟ ۗ أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌ
24:22The well-off and the opulent among you should not vow that they will not give [any longer] to the relatives and the needy, and to those who have migrated in the way of Allah, and let them excuse and forbear. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful.1
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ ٱلْمُحْصَنَٰتِ ٱلْغَٰفِلَٰتِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ لُعِنُوا۟ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْءَاخِرَةِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌۭ
24:23Indeed those who accuse chaste and unwary faithful women shall be cursed in this world and the Hereafter, and there shall be a great punishment for them2
يَوْمَ تَشْهَدُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَلْسِنَتُهُمْ وَأَيْدِيهِمْ وَأَرْجُلُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
24:24on the day when witness shall be given against them by their tongues, their hands, and their feet concerning what they used to do.
يَوْمَئِذٍۢ يُوَفِّيهِمُ ٱللَّهُ دِينَهُمُ ٱلْحَقَّ وَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ ٱلْمُبِينُ
24:25On that day, Allah will pay them in full their due recompense, and they shall know that Allah is the Manifest Reality.
ٱلْخَبِيثَٰتُ لِلْخَبِيثِينَ وَٱلْخَبِيثُونَ لِلْخَبِيثَٰتِ ۖ وَٱلطَّيِّبَٰتُ لِلطَّيِّبِينَ وَٱلطَّيِّبُونَ لِلطَّيِّبَٰتِ ۚ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ مُبَرَّءُونَ مِمَّا يَقُولُونَ ۖ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌۭ وَرِزْقٌۭ كَرِيمٌۭ
24:26Vicious women are for vicious men, and vicious men for vicious women. Good women are for good men, and good men for good women. These are absolved of what they say [about them]. For them is forgiveness and a noble provision.
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
Verse 24
1.It is very necessary to obtain evidence for the blame of fornication, otherwise the slanderer will he punishable instead without evidence and he will be whipped eighty times and if he would not obtain witness in the world then the parts of his own body will give witness against him in the Hereafter.
Verse 26
2.Obviously this is a common law that evil things are concerned with wicked people and good things are concerned with pious people therefore if anyone talks of slander like fornication, it means he himself is a wicked person internally otherwise he would not raise such an issue. This question is not concerned with the relation of male or female, on the contrary it is connected with faith, deeds, thinking, imaginations and people, whether they are male or female. Masculine gender is used because it is generally used in every place.
It is a different thing that according to the opinion of writers, impure and chaste means women and wicked and pious means men and in this way the marital relations of a good man has been settled with a good character. Though this manner is obviously against of the Holy Quran that the wives of Nuh and Lut (a.s.) were evil and the wife of Firon was a chaste woman but their husbands were entirely in opposition to them.
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
Benefit
Khatawatul Shaytaan is the practical performance of the sinful acts. That a person first mixes with the sinners, then participates in their assemblies. Then he begins to think about sinning. Then he starts doing doubtful acts. Then he does the smaller sins and finally commits the greater sin.
- 1
Hazrat Ayesha says, “When Musta laid allegation upon me my father swore that he would deal with him severely although he was a cousin of his. He was also a destitute and an emigrant. Thus this ayat was revealed that people should not disregards the rights of relatives, the destitute and the emigrants.” This report proves that according to Hazrat Abu Bakr if a person commits a wrong on another we must not give any consideration to his relationship or his emigration.
- 2
The women who do not even think of fornication. They are absolutely unmindful of it. Please note that though this is a greater sin it does not make a sinner a disbeliever. And neither the word ‘Curse’ is a proof of disbelief. ‘Curse’ is also used with regard to the greater sins.
Benefit
Tayyabaat and Khabathat could also be words and deeds as also women. The implication in this ayat is towards women. But it is related to sexual purity and impurity. It is not concerned with other aspects of character. That is why there are instances of prophets having disobedient wives and Firons having righteous ones.