In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Compendium of Tafsir al-Tabari,
Abridged by Dr. Aqeel Ibn Salim al-Shammar.
Surah an-Nur.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
"[This is] a Surah which We have revealed and ordained,
“(Here is) a surah which We have revealed and enjoined, and wherein We have revealed plain tokens, that haply ye may take heed.” (24:1)
“(Here is) a surah which We have revealed and enjoined, and wherein We have revealed plain tokens, that haply ye may take heed.” (24:1)
that you may remember."
This is a Surah that We have revealed,
making its prescribed rulings obligatory upon you,
binding you to them, and clarifying them for you.
And We have revealed within this Surah clear proofs and signs of the truth,
evident to whoever reflects and ponders upon them,
so that you may take heed through these clear verses We have sent down.
Whoever among men or women commits unlawful sexual intercourse,
being free and unmarried—never having been sheltered by marriage—
flog each of them with a hundred stripes.
And do not let pity for the male or female adulterer withhold you,
O believers, out of tender mercy from obeying Allah,
regarding what He has commanded you to implement of the prescribed legal punishment against them,
if you truly believe in Allah, your Lord,
and in the Last Day.
For whoever genuinely believes in that
will never disobey Allah in His commands and prohibitions.
And let the flogging of the two unmarried fornicators, as their prescribed punishment, be witnessed
by a group of believers in Allah and His Messenger.
“The adulterer shall not marry save an adulteress or an idolatress, and the adulteress none shall marry save an adulterer or an idolater. All that is forbidden unto believers.” (24:3)
“The adulterer shall not marry save an adulteress or an idolatress, and the adulteress none shall marry save an adulterer or an idolater. All that is forbidden unto believers.” (24:3)
“The adulterer shall not marry save an adulteress or an idolatress, and the adulteress none shall marry save an adulterer or an idolater. All that is forbidden unto believers.” (24:3)
The fornicator only engages in intercourse with a fornicatress who does not deem fornication forbidden,
or an idolatress who considers it lawful;
and the fornicatress likewise.
And such unlawful intercourse has been forbidden to the believers in Allah and His Messenger.
"And those who accuse chaste women,
“And those who accuse honourable women but bring not four witnesses, scourge them (with) eighty stripes and never (afterward) accept their testimony - They indeed are evil-doers -” (24:4)
flog them with eighty stripes,
“And those who accuse honourable women but bring not four witnesses, scourge them (with) eighty stripes and never (afterward) accept their testimony - They indeed are evil-doers -” (24:4)
and those are the defiantly disobedient."
Those who revile chaste, free Muslim women,
falsely accusing them of fornication,
and then fail to substantiate what they accused them of
with four upright witnesses
who testify that they actually saw them committing the act:
flog those who accused them with eighty stripes.
“And those who accuse honourable women but bring not four witnesses, scourge them (with) eighty stripes and never (afterward) accept their testimony - They indeed are evil-doers -” (24:4)
"And those are the ones who have defied the command of Allah,
departed from obedience to Him, and thus become defiantly disobedient."
"Except those who repent thereafter and reform,
for indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful."
Except those who repent of their crime that they committed
by falsely accusing chaste women;
for Allah will conceal their sins through His pardon,
being merciful to them after repentance by not punishing them for it;
so accept their testimony and do not designate them as defiantly disobedient.
"And those who accuse their spouses,
“As for those who accuse their wives but have no witnesses except themselves; let the testimony of one of them be four testimonies, (swearing) by Allah that he is of those who speak the truth;” (24:6)
“As for those who accuse their wives but have no witnesses except themselves; let the testimony of one of them be four testimonies, (swearing) by Allah that he is of those who speak the truth;” (24:6)
“As for those who accuse their wives but have no witnesses except themselves; let the testimony of one of them be four testimonies, (swearing) by Allah that he is of those who speak the truth;” (24:6)
“As for those who accuse their wives but have no witnesses except themselves; let the testimony of one of them be four testimonies, (swearing) by Allah that he is of those who speak the truth;” (24:6)
that he is of the truthful.
And the fifth [oath] that the curse of Allah be upon him..."
“And yet a fifth, invoking the curse of Allah on him if he is of those who lie.” (24:7)
Those who accuse their wives of indecency,
charging them with adultery,
while having no witnesses to testify on their behalf
to the truth of the indecency they charged them with:
one of them shall swear four oaths by Allah,
by stating:
"I testify by Allah that I am indeed among the truthful
in accusing my wife of this indecency."
And in the fifth testimony, he shall say:
that the curse of Allah is binding upon him,
and will certainly descend upon him,
if he is, in what he accused her of
regarding that indecency, among the liars.
"And it will avert punishment from her,
“And it shall avert the punishment from her if she bear witness before Allah four times that the thing he saith is indeed false,” (24:8)
that he is of the liars."
“And a fifth (time) that the wrath of Allah be upon her if he speaketh truth.” (24:9)
“And a fifth (time) that the wrath of Allah be upon her if he speaketh truth.” (24:9)
The prescribed punishment is averted from her if she swears four oaths by Allah
that her husband, who accused her
of the indecency he charged her with,
is indeed among the liars regarding his accusation of adultery against her.
And the fifth oath:
“And a fifth (time) that the wrath of Allah be upon her if he speaketh truth.” (24:9)
if her husband, in what he accused her of
regarding adultery, is among the truthful.
"And if not for the favor of Allah upon you and His mercy..."
“And had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy unto you, and that Allah is Clement, Wise, (ye had been undone).” (24:10)
And were it not for the favor of Allah upon you,
O people, and His mercy toward you,
and that He constantly bestows upon His creation
His gentleness and abundant grace,
being All-Wise in His governance of them,
He would have hastened the punishment upon you;
but He concealed your sins.
So give thanks for His blessings, and desist
from engaging in the acts of disobedience He forbade you from.
"Indeed, those who brought forth the slander
are a group among you;
“Lo! they who spread the slander are a gang among you. Deem it not a bad thing for you; nay, it is good for you. Unto every man of them (will be paid) that which he hath earned of the sin; and as for him among them who had the greater share therein, his will be an awful doom.” (24:11)
“Lo! they who spread the slander are a gang among you. Deem it not a bad thing for you; nay, it is good for you. Unto every man of them (will be paid) that which he hath earned of the sin; and as for him among them who had the greater share therein, his will be an awful doom.” (24:11)
for every person among them
“Lo! they who spread the slander are a gang among you. Deem it not a bad thing for you; nay, it is good for you. Unto every man of them (will be paid) that which he hath earned of the sin; and as for him among them who had the greater share therein, his will be an awful doom.” (24:11)
“Lo! they who spread the slander are a gang among you. Deem it not a bad thing for you; nay, it is good for you. Unto every man of them (will be paid) that which he hath earned of the sin; and as for him among them who had the greater share therein, his will be an awful doom.” (24:11)
will be a great punishment."
Indeed, those who brought forth the lie and falsehood
are a band from among you, O people.
Do not think that the sin they brought forth
is bad for you in the sight of Allah and among the people;
rather, it is good for you.
That is because Allah makes it
an expiation for the one who was falsely accused,
makes manifest their innocence of what they were accused of,
and grants them a way out from it.
For every person among those who brought forth the sin
is the recompense for the sin he committed,
being held accountable according to what he brought forth.
And the one who took upon himself the greater part of that sin and slander among them,
being the one who initiated delving into it—
and there is no disagreement among the scholars of the Prophetic biography (Seerah)
that the one who initiated mentioning the slander,
gathering his people and speaking to them,
was Abdullah Ibn Ubayy Ibn Salul.
"Why, when you heard it,
did not the believing men and believing women think,
and say,
'This is an obvious slander'?"
Why did you not, O people,
when you heard what the people of the slander said about Aisha,
think well of the one accused of that
from among you, and not presume
that they committed any indecency?
And why did not the believing men and believing women say:
"What we heard from these people, with which she was slandered,
is a lie and a grave sin,
evident to anyone who reasons and ponders,
to be a lie, a sin, and a sheer falsehood"?
Why did this faction not—
since they brought forth the slander and accused Aisha of falsehood—
bring four witnesses to testify
to their claim about her and what they accused her of?
And since they failed to bring the four witnesses
to substantiate the truth of what they accused her of,
then this faction who accused her of that
“Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they produce not witnesses, they verily are liars in the sight of Allah.” (24:13)
are the liars regarding the slander they brought forth.
"There would have touched you for what you took part in,
a great punishment.
When you received it with your tongues
and said with your mouths
that of which you had no knowledge,
and considered it a slight matter,
and considered it a slight matter..."
“When ye welcomed it with your tongues, and uttered with your mouths that whereof ye had no knowledge, ye counted it a trifle. In the sight of Allah it is very great.” (24:15)
And were it not for the favor of Allah upon you,
O you who indulged in the matter of Aisha,
by refraining from hastening your punishment,
and His mercy upon you,
in pardoning you in this world and the Hereafter
by accepting your repentance,
there would have touched you for what you delved into regarding Aisha's affair
a tremendous punishment.
And you said with your mouths
that of which you had no knowledge regarding the matter
that you were narrating,
saying:
"We heard that Aisha did such and such,"
without knowing the reality of that,
nor its authenticity,
thinking that your utterance
was a slight, negligible matter,
whereas by it you were causing hurt to
the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and to his lawful wife.
And why did you not, O you who delved
into the slander, when you heard it from whoever brought it forth,
say: "It is not lawful for us to speak of this,
nor is it proper for us to utter it.
Exalted are You, O my Lord, in Your glory!
We declare our innocence before You of what these people brought forth;
this statement is a monstrous slander!"?
"Allah admonishes you lest you return
to the like of it, ever,
if you should be believers.
And Allah makes clear
to you the verses,
and Allah is Knowing and Wise."
Allah reminds you
and forbids you through the verses of His Book,
so that you never repeat the like of your deed
which you committed regarding the matter of Aisha,
if you truly take heed of the admonitions of Allah,
comply with His command, and desist
from what He has forbidden you,
so that the obedient may be distinguished from the disobedient.
And Allah is All-Knowing of you and your deeds,
All-Wise in the governance of His creation.
"Indeed, those who like
that indecency should spread
“Lo! those who love that slander should be spread concerning those who believe, theirs will be a painful punishment in the world and the Hereafter. Allah knoweth. Ye know not.” (24:19)
a painful punishment;
for them is a painful punishment
in this world and the Hereafter.
And Allah knows,
while you do not know."
Indeed, those who love for fornication to spread
among those who believe in Allah and His Messenger,
and wish for it to become widespread among them,
will have a painful punishment in this world through the legal penalty,
and in the Hereafter the torment of Hellfire,
if they die persisting in that without repenting.
And Allah knows the falsehood of those who brought it forth
from their truthfulness,
whereas you, O people, do not know that.
And were it not for the favor of Allah upon you,
O people, and His mercy toward you,
and that Allah is full of kindness and mercy toward His creation,
you would surely have perished on account of what you indulged in.
The Compendium of Tafsir al-Tabari.