This verse was revealed in response to something that happened in the Al-Ifk incident. If you remember in the past lectures, we mentioned about three characters who played a key role in this incident. One of them had been Sayidina Mistah bin Uthaathah, the son of the cousin of Sayidina Abu Bakar RA.
Just a recap of who he is, Mistah and his mother became amongst the needy people of Makkah after the passing of Uthaathah, Mistah’s father. After the Hijrah of Rasulullah SAW from Makkah to Madinah, Sayidina Mistah and his mother had migrated as well. Due to his poverty, he was financially supported by Sayidina Abu Bakar, amongst the wealthy people of the believers.
During the Al-Ifk incident, Sayidina Mistah was amongst the people who had spread the rumours regarding Aisyah RA’s alleged affair. This was in spite of them being second cousins, and his own living expenses being shouldered completely by Sayidatina Aisyah’s father.
When Sayidina Abu Bakar RA discovered this, he was enraged by what had happened. Despite the aid that he had offered to Mistah, Mistah had thoughtlessly spread baseless rumours about his dear daughter. The betrayal and hurt felt by Abu Bakar RA led him to swear not to aid and maintain Mistah anymore.
In response to this, Allah SWT sent down this verse as a reminder to Sayidina Abu Bakar RA. Now, if we had been in the position of Sayidina Abu Bakar RA, would we not have done the same thing? Mistah was Abu Bakar RA’s first cousin once removed. We would have said he was ungrateful and unworthy of further aid.
Yet, Allah SWT sent down revelation for Abu Bakar RA. Allah did not use his name, but He SWT did mention that whoever has been given ease and expansion in their wealth should not swear to withhold their contribution from someone in need.
Interpretations of “Wal-ya’fuu wal-yaShfahuu”
Allah SWT is telling us that in such a situation, it is normal and natural to feel angry and upset. Of course, it is not right to be wronged and for your trust to be betrayed just like that.
However, Allah SWT says, forgive and overlook. Do not bear any grudges. Let it go. If you look into the tafsir, there are various interpretations of the phrase “Wal-ya’fuu wal-yaShfahuu”.
Interpretation One: Forgive and Forget
Some say that ‘wal-ya’fuu’ means ‘forgive him’; do not reciprocate an evil with another evil. Some say that ‘wal-yaShfahuu’ means ‘forget’; let go instead of holding on to it.
We do not want to be like the people who say, “I can forgive you, but I will never forget this.”. Do not do that! Surrender all the wrongs that people have committed against you to Allah SWT.
Interpretation Two: Forgive and Accept Him
Another interpretation of this verse is that ‘wal-ya’fuu’ means ‘forgive him’ and ‘wal-yaShfahuu’ means ‘accept him’. What this means is that sometimes when someone commits a mistake, we become angry, and we say, “Ok, I accept your apology, I forgive you. But don’t you dare show your face in front of me anymore!”.
We forgive them and do not seek revenge and compensation; however, we want nothing to do with them anymore. We want our future generations to not have anything to do with their future generations even! Allah SWT tells us to accept them. Regard them as our brothers, forgive them and accept them.
Now, is this an easy feat to do? If we had been in the place of Sayidina Abu Bakar RA, would we have been able to forgive someone who bites the hand that feeds him? Abu Bakar had conscientiously given him maintenance all this while to support him through hardship unconditionally. Allah SWT says, forgive him and forget. Even though it may be hard, accept him.
Interpretation Three: Forgive and Forget
Amongst the supporters of this opinion is Dr Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi in his book Al-Tafsir Al-Wasit Lil-Quran Al-Karim. He says that ‘wal-ya’fuu’ means ‘forgive him’, do not reciprocate evil with evil.
And ‘wal-yaShfahuu’ is a whole different level, it means that when someone wrongs you, and you forgive him, you return his deed by doing good to him. We increase our aid to him. We ask him what other support he requires. We give him guidance and aid. This is the third interpretation.
Do You Not Love that Allah Should Forgive You?
Allah SWT then continues the verse by saying to those who own wealth and give to the needy and swear not to do it anymore:
أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌ
… Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. [24:22]
Allah asks them, would you not love forgiveness from Me? When this verse reached Sayidina Abu Bakar RA, he immediately responded with “Wallahi! O Allah, I want your forgiveness O Allah”. Do you see, my brothers and sisters, this is what the companions of Rasulullah SAW were like.
Whenever there had been a question posed in the Qur’an, whether they felt like that verse had been dedicated to them specifically or to the general public audience, they would immediately and unhesitatingly respond.
This was the adab of the companions towards the verses of Allah SWT. Allah SWT ends the verse with “Wallahu Ghafuuru-Rahiim” – Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. At that moment, Sayidina Abu Bakar immediately retracted his oath and treated Mistah as he usually would, with kindness and generosity.
Mistah, as we have mentioned in previous lectures, had repented after being given the 80 strokes of whip punishment. He proceeded to fight in the cause of Allah, fighting in the Muslim Army. This is the attitude of a Muslim.
Whether or not your mistake had been pointed out, acknowledge your wrong, make sincere repentance, and strive to do better. And Allah SWT will wipe away your sins.
If a human being has committed a deed so grave in Allah SWT’s eyes and yet He forgives him, then who are we to not forgive someone who wrongs us? Allah SWT has the total right to punish His servants because He is the One who owns Hellfire. Yet, Allah forgives whomsoever He wills.
My brothers and sisters, if you are aware of the many sins you have, and you are aware that each time you ask for Forgiveness from Allah SWT, you hope that He would forgive you… then why is it that when people seek your forgiveness, you do not accept their apology?
Are you any better or purer in the sight of Allah compared to them? Why is it that Allah must forgive us when we do not like to forgive others?
Making and Breaking Oaths by Allah’s Name in Islam
So Sayidina Abu Bakar disavowed his swear. My brothers and sisters do not make it a habit to make oaths. A swear that is taken lightly becomes a sin. We cannot play and jest with the name of Allah.
At times we whole-heartedly make oaths, and later, we change our minds. We think that a swear is no big deal. We think that the impact would be a certain way, but it ends up being another way. We regret it and then we break the oath.
For example, we are enraged with the Darul Makmur Mosque management. We say that we have given them charity for years and yet they treat us a certain way. So, we make an oath that we will never again step into Darul Makmur Mosque.
Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi rojiun… What happens next is that you will regret. You will want to go to the mosque to do Jema’ah or Jumu’ah prayers and then realise you have already sworn by Allah’s name that you would not go there anymore. Now you must travel a distance to get to another mosque.
Kaffarah For Breaking an Oath
Can you break your oath? Yes, but you will need to pay a kafarah, a price. You need to make Taubah and make lots of Istighfar. We fear that our oath is one that Allah SWT is not pleased with.
There is a price to pay, Allah SWT gives us three options to choose from. The first is to feed ten needy people. The second is to give clothing to ten needy people. The third is to free a slave; this is no longer an option in today’s world.
A domestic worker is not a slave, they are paid workers. Sometimes we see the atrocities that are being done towards our foreign domestic workers and they shock us. Even when it came to slaves, Rasulullah SAW did not give the permission for them to be tortured.
They were not free men, but they were to be treated as human beings should. There is no tolerance in Islam for torturing, beating, or starving your maids. Treat them well.
Ok so the third option is out. Now there are only two options left, to feed or clothe ten poor people. How do you feed ten poor people? Do you gather a party of 10 people and bring them to a restaurant?
No, according to today’s standards, provide enough food for three meals for each person per day. Is it possible to give them money instead? Yes, you can give them money to buy food for themselves, but when you give them that money, specify that it is only to be spent on their meals.
How much does it cost to feed someone for three meals in a day? $20? For ten people it is only $200. Now this may seem like a small amount but note that it is not about the cost. This Kaffarah is for us to realise the graveness of our sin, of making an oath and withdrawing it. You can choose to give more if you wish, out of your own repentance.
If you find difficulty finding ten people to donate to, then choose two people and feed them for five days. How do you clothe someone who is poor? You give them clothing to cover their Aurah such that when they are wearing the clothes that you donate, they can pray and their prayer is Sah (valid). So, the choice is up to you.
However, if you find that you yourself are poor and cannot afford to do the first two options, but you have broken a vow, then what do you do? You can fast for three days. Make the intention to fast the Kaffarah fast for Allah.
You do not have to fast for consecutive days, you just have to complete three days. This should not be your go-to option. It is the last resort for those who cannot afford to do the first two options.
Now, it might sound like peanuts for Abu Bakar As-Siddiq to be paying Kaffarah by sponsoring the food or clothing of ten people. Afterall, he was a rich man. But we know from history that Abu Bakar was someone who had no qualms about giving his wealth in charity. When other companions would give a portion of their wealth for Allah, Abu Bakar would give all of it in charity.
A Punishment for Those Who Accuse the MuhShonaat, Ghafilaat and Mu’minaat
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ ٱلْمُحْصَنَـٰتِ ٱلْغَـٰفِلَـٰتِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ لُعِنُوا۟ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌۭ
Verily, those who accuse chaste women, who are Ghafilaat and are steadfast believers - are cursed in this life and in the Hereafter, and for them will be a great torment – [24:23]
In this verse, Allah SWT is referring to the people who have not repented. The three companions who have already been punished and have repented for their sin of Qazaf (i.e. Hasan bin Thabit, Hemnah binte Jahsy and Mistah bin Uthaathah) are not included in here.
This verse refers to Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul, who denied having been involved in this mess. He had pretended that he himself was a victim to rumours. Allah SWT has revealed that he was indeed a hypocrite.
And we did mention in past lecture that he was someone who was not punished by Rasulullah SAW. If you have not heard the previous lectures, you can find out why here.
So, these people have accused women who are (1) MuhShonaat – chaste and pure, (2) Ghafilaat – preoccupied, negligent and careless, and (3) Mu’minaat – believers.
Who are the Ghafilaat? Is being negligent a good thing?
My brothers and sisters, when we say someone is negligent and careless, are these positive or negative traits? Someone who is careless, indifferent or apathetic, is not someone who has positive traits.
So why does Allah SWT list this amongst the three traits of women who were accused. Why was carelessness grouped with noble traits like chastity and faith?
In another verse, using the same word Ghaafil to say:
وَمَا ٱللَّهُ بِغَـٰفِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ
… And Allah is not unaware/unmindful of what you do. [2:85]
Being careless and negligent is not a trait suitable for Allah SWT. In this verse, the word Ghafilah is used to describe Sayidatina Aisyah RA. Her negligence or indifference was not one that is negative. It implies that she was so pure and clean in her heart and her mind that it never occurred to her to even commit a sin, much less to be unfaithful to her husband.
She does not have anything to do with any illegitimate relations. Her negligence is not negligence towards her responsibilities. That is not good. When we are negligent, we forget Allah for example – that is bad negligence. But in this case, women who are chaste are negligent towards sin – the thought of committing sin has never crossed their minds.
If you read deeper into the Tafsir, you will find how beautifully Professor Hamka has described this in his book Tafsir Al-Azhar. He describes these women as women whose lives are dedicated only to their husband. It never occurs to them to look for another man.
Whenever they leave the house, they only concern themselves with matters of the household and fulfilling the needs of her children and husband. They do not even consider entertaining any advances from any men who regard them.
They are unlike the people who like to flirt around, both men and women, who even though they are already married, enjoy getting the attention of others. At times, even when they are walking with their spouse, they could be looking at other people from the corner of their eyes. They are very aware when they are being watched or gazed upon by others.
Women like Sayidatina Aisyah do not care for such things. To her, her husband is the world. Her family is the world. She does not regard anyone else and does not care if others see her. She does not dress up to impress others. These are the Ghafilaat, whose lives are dedicated to pleasing Allah and whose self-dignity is preserved.
How then can you accuse someone who is Muhsonaat, Ghafilaat, and Mu’minaat? This is why Allah SWT’s curse is upon these people both in this world and the next. They are truly deserving of such a punishment from Allah forever.
May Allah SWT protect us. Let not our hearts, minds, and bodies go into such deeds like these. Stay far away from speaking about the evils of others. Do not perk up your ears to hear stories which do not concern you about people.
And if you hear something about someone briefly, do not go and dig further to ask about it. “Eh eh, I heard yesterday you mentioned Mak Limah. What did you say? What have you heard? Is it true that she…?”.
Do not go around collecting stories. When you hold onto too many stories and secrets, it is likely that you will explode and let the stories out. You do not want to earn the curse of Allah SWT. Stay away from this mess.
Beware of the Witnesses Against Us on the Day of Judgement
يَوْمَ تَشْهَدُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَلْسِنَتُهُمْ وَأَيْدِيهِمْ وَأَرْجُلُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
on the Day their tongues, hands, and feet will testify against them for what they used to do. [24:24]
In the Court of Allah on the Day of Judgement, there will be no need to hire a lawyer or find witnesses to testify against us. Our own tongues, hands, and feet will testify. They will not testify for us; they will testify against us.
In the Arabic language, the word ‘tashhadu’ means to witness. If the word after is ‘li’, it will bring the meaning of being a witness to defend someone, or a witness for someone. Allah uses the word ‘‘alaa’ here, meaning that the witness is against someone.
On that day, the tongue would speak up and say, “O Allah! My owner used to be so evil throughout his life. He would speak lies about people, accusing people of nonsense. He even gossiped and slandered others!”. On that day, there would be no denying the truth! Our own tongue would speak up against us.
In this world, the Munafiq (hypocrite) can blatantly deny having wronged anyone. They can say, “O Rasulullah, how could people accuse me of such a thing? Astaghfirullahal’azhim! I would never do that!”. They may escape persecution in this world. But in the Hereafter, in the Court of Allah SWT, there is no escape.
If in this world they have already been punished for their actions, then in the Hereafter their sentence would be lightened – after all, they have already paid their price. The price in the Hereafter would be different in scale, as deemed fit by Allah SWT’s Justice.
So my brothers and sisters, before you utter any words against anyone, hold that internal conversation with yourself. Ask your tongue, “O tongue, how will you be in the Hereafter? Would you become my defendant, or would you attack me?”. Before you look at something not allowed for you, ask your eyes, “O eyes, will you be a witness for or against me?”.
Before your hands reach out to something that is not yours to take, before they oppress or harm others, stop yourself. Ask them what they will tell Allah. Look at your legs, what kind of evidence would you like them to have for or against you? Where would you ask them to take you. Think about it. All this evidence will be presented to Allah SWT for Judgement someday.
Allah Will Pay them with their Deen
يَوْمَئِذٍۢ يُوَفِّيهِمُ ٱللَّهُ دِينَهُمُ ٱلْحَقَّ وَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ ٱلْمُبِينُ
On that day Allah will pay them their just due, and they will know that Allah, He is the Manifest Truth. [24:25]
That will be the day when everyone will receive whatever punishment that they deserve fully, based on what has been determined by Allah SWT. On that day, they will know for sure who Allah SWT is.
For Allah is the Truth, Allah is Clear in Justice. The phrase “their just due” in this translation was derived from the word “Deen” in this verse.
This same word is often used to mean ‘religion’; we hear of ‘Deen-ul Islam’ for example. We know of “Allahu Rabii, Al-Islamu Deeni”, “Rabiitubillahi Rabbaa, Wab il Islaami Deena”.
Why is the word ‘Deen’ being translated into ‘recompense’ or ‘punishment from Allah’? Is this religion all about punishment from Allah? Is this why Muslims are all so fearful of the Hellfire and have no firm belief in Paradise? No wonder Muslims are so fierce!
No, the word ‘Deen’ is often translated to mean ‘religion’. But it also has the meaning of ‘recompense that is equal to what you have earned’.
There is a famous hadith that refers to this. Scholars question the authenticity of the hadith, some say that it is weak in its narration. But the content is accepted by scholars. It is said that Rasulullah SAW said:
البر لا يبلى، والإثم لا يُنسى، والديان لا يموت، كن كما شئت، كما تدين تدان
“Al-Birru laa yublaa” – ‘Good deeds will not disappear’.
Our deeds are well-secured, no one will take it away. If that is how much you earned, then that is what you will get in compensation.
“Wal-Ithmu laa yunsaa” – ‘Sins will not be forgotten’.
Remember that you cannot pretend you do not know or that you forgot. For as long as you do not repent, Allah SWT does not forget your sins.
“Wad-dayyaanu laa yamuut” – ‘And Dayyaan will not die’.
The word ‘Dayyaan’ comes from the same root as the word ‘Deen’. Dayyaan refers to Allah SWT, He who Recompenses.
Whoever deserves a good reward will earn a good reward without even a bit of it being taken away. But he who does evil and deserves the punishment of Hellfire will receive fairly what he deserves, without even a bit of it being taken away. That is Dayyaan.
“Kun kamaa shi’ta” – ‘Do as you wish’.
Allah SWT gives us the choice to choose the path we want to walk. To go through the straight path or the one that curves and bends.
“Kamaa tadeenu tudaanu” – ‘Just as you have acted in this world, you will be recompensed on the Day of Judgement later’.
The word ‘Deen’ in this hadith is used to mean recompense.
In verse 25, this word is used to mean the “fair/rightful recompense”. We also see the same word in Surah Al-Fatihah:
مَـٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ
Master of the Day of Recompense [1:4]
We cannot translate the word ‘Deen’ to mean religion in this verse. The religion is for us to obey Allah in this world. In the Hereafter, there is no more religion. “Yaumid-Deen” is the Day of Recompense, not the Day of Religion.
Al-Khobithaat are for Al-Khabitheen
ٱلْخَبِيثَـٰتُ لِلْخَبِيثِينَ وَٱلْخَبِيثُونَ لِلْخَبِيثَـٰتِ ۖ
Vile women are for vile men, and vile men for vile women…
وَٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتُ لِلطَّيِّبِينَ وَٱلطَّيِّبُونَ لِلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ ۚ
… And good women are for good men, and good men are for good women…
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ مُبَرَّءُونَ مِمَّا يَقُولُونَ ۖ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌۭ وَرِزْقٌۭ كَرِيمٌۭ
Those are freed from what they (the accusers) say. For them there is forgiveness, and an honourable provision. [24:26]
For the good people, whatever small mistakes they may have committed will be forgiven by Allah SWT. And in the Hereafter, Allah SWT will prepare for them a worthy reward for all that they have earned.
Interpretation One: Bad Women are for Bad Men
I am sure many of you may have heard of this verse before. A good woman will be matched by Allah SWT to a husband who is also good. And a man who is not good will not receive a wife that is good. Now we know where this verse comes from. It is linked to this story of Al-Ifk.
Allah SWT tells us in this verse that Aisyah RA should not have been accused with such a heinous deed. She is someone who is good. Allah SWT has paired her with someone who is good. However, you who does the despicable act of slander, you should beware because for you is a partner who is not good.
This verse is a reflection for us. Use it as a mirror to yourself. When you look at others as being less, as having flaws and mistakes, do not pay too much attention to it. We fear that they may be honoured in the eyes of Allah. They may have made mistakes, but we do not know their Taubah, their good deeds...
They may be way better than us and more beloved to Allah SWT than us. We are the ones who should fear for ourselves. Do not speak nonsense of them. We fear that at the end of the day, it is us who are looked down upon by Allah SWT. It is us who will lose out.
Interpretation Two: Bad Statements are for Bad Men
There is another interpretation for this verse. When this verse is interpreted to mean that good men are for good women, then the question is raised: “Well, then how about Prophet Lut and Prophet Nuh AS?”. In our previous lectures in the past, we have narrated their stories.
They are prophets but their wives were so vile that Allah SWT brought down His Wrath upon them. Prophet Lut had a wife who betrayed him while Prophet Nuh had a wife who chose to drown in disbelief rather than to follow her husband. This verse clearly did not apply to them.
And even if we look outside of the context of the prophets. When we look at the people in our lives, there are people who are good and kind, but their spouse is bad and wicked. How do we reconcile this seeming contradiction?
Firaun was amongst the vilest of villains in the history of humanity. Yet his wife was Asiyah, an honourable believer.
Therefore, some scholars interpret the word “Khobithaat” as ‘acts and statements that are bad’ rather than ‘bad women’. If there are bad words, they would never be spoken by people who are bad. So, if someone speaks with bad speech, then it shows that they are a bad person.
The interpretation of this verse would be: “Bad statements are for bad people and bad people for bad statements. Good statements are for good people and good people for good statements.”. This is the interpretation taken by Professor Hamka in his Tafsir al-Azhar.
My brothers and sisters, when we learn the Qur’an and Hadith, we want to use this knowledge not as a magnifying glass to examine people around us. Instead, use it as a mirror to look at yourself. This verse teaches us to look at ourselves and our speech.
If we are someone who enjoys speaking ill, then repent. There is a big chance that we are people with diseased hearts. We do not need to pretend to say, “Oh, I may speak badly but at least my heart is clean!”. Bad words belong to bad people. So, busy your tongue with good speech.
In Islam, we see that Rasulullah SAW has given many warnings to not fall into sin. The biggest reason for people to enter Hellfire is because of the tongue. This is a hadith! Do not come up with excuses to defend your actions. Let this be a warning for you to take care of your tongue.
Conclusion to the Al-Ifk Incident
Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah.
We have finished the verses relating to the Incident of Al-Ifk. After this incident, Sayidatina Aisyah returned to her home and lived peacefully with Rasulullah SAW in a home filled with love and affection.
Her relationship with Sayidatina Zainab became one that was filled with warmth and cordiality. Their rivalry that was borne out of envy disappeared, because when Sayidatina Aisyah was accused by many, Sayidatina Zainab stood firm in defending and praising her.
May Allah SWT protect us all. Allah bears witness that I love all of you for His sake. Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wa barakaatuh.
