Surah An Nur ayat 13 Tafsir Quran 24:13

﴿لَّوْلَا جَاءُوا عَلَيْهِ بِأَرْبَعَةِ شُهَدَاءَ ۚ فَإِذْ لَمْ يَأْتُوا بِالشُّهَدَاءِ فَأُولَٰئِكَ عِندَ اللَّهِ هُمُ الْكَاذِبُونَ﴾
[ النور: 13]

24:13 Why did they [who slandered] not produce for it four witnesses? And when they do not produce the witnesses, then it is they, in the sight of Allah, who are the liars.

Why did they that is this band of accusers not produce four witnesses to it? who had witnessed it. And since they did not produce the witnesses those in God’s sight in His judgement they are liars in this matter.

If only they -who laid the charge- supported their claim by four witnesses! And should they fail to accord with Allahs precepts and bind themselves by Allahs religious rite, then these are they whom Allah condemns in as much as they are worth and pronounces them wicked liars

Disciplining the Believers for spreading the Slander Here Allah disciplines the believers with regard to the matter of `A'ishah, because some of them spread this evil talk and the slander that had been mentioned.
So Allah says: لَّوْلا إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ ( Why then, when you heard it, ) meaning, the talk which accused the Mother of the believers, may Allah be pleased with her, ظَنَّ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَـتُ بِأَنفُسِهِمْ خَيْراً ( the believers, men and women, think good of their own people ) means, why did they not compare what was said to themselves -- if it was not befitting for them then it was even less appropriate for the Mother of the believers, and she was more likely to be innocent.
Or it was said that this was revealed about Abu Ayyub Khalid bin Zayd Al-Ansari and his wife, may Allah be pleased with them.
Imam Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Yasar narrated, "The wife of Abu Ayyub Khalid bin Zayd Al-Ansari, Umm Ayyub, said to him, `O Abu Ayyub, have you heard what the people are saying about `A'ishah' He said, `Yes, and it is all lies.
Would you do that, O Umm Ayyub' She said, `No, by Allah, I would not do that.' He said, `And by Allah, `A'ishah is better than you.' When the Qur'an was revealed, Allah mentioned those who spoke about the evil deed among the people of the slander, إِنَّ الَّذِينَ جَآءُوا بِالإِفْكِ عُصْبَةٌ مِّنْكُمْ ( Verily, those who brought forth the slander are a group among you. ) 24:1 This refers to Hassan and his companions who said what they said.
Then Allah said, لَّوْلا إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ ظَنَّ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ( Why then, did not the believers, men, when you heard it, think... ) means, as Abu Ayyub and his wife did." Allah's saying: ظَنَّ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ( the believers, men think... ) meaning, `why did they not think good, because the Mother of the believers is his wife and is closer to him.' This is concerned with innermost feelings; وَقَالُواْ ( and say: ) means, with their tongues, verbally, هَـذَآ إِفْكٌ مُّبِينٌ ( "This (charge ) is an obvious lie") means, a clear untruth told about the Mother of the believers, may Allah be pleased with her.
What happened should not have been the cause of suspicion.
The fact that the Mother of the believers came openly, riding on the camel of Safwan bin Al-Mu`attal at midday, with the entire army watching and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ among them, should have made it clear that there was no cause for suspicion.
If there had been anything suspicious about the matter, they would not have come openly in this manner in front of so many witnesses; they would have come secretly.
On this basis, what the people of the slander said accusing the Mother of the believers was an utter lie, false speech and evil foolish talk, by which people who indulged in it lost out.
Allah said: لَّوْلاَ جَآءُو عَلَيْهِ بِأَرْبَعَةِ شُهَدَآءَ ( Why did they not produce four witnesses against him ) meaning, to prove that what they were saying was true. فَإِذْ لَمْ يَأْتُواْ بِالشُّهَدَآءِ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ عِندَ اللَّهِ هُمُ الْكَـذِبُونَ ( Since they have not produced witnesses! Then with Allah they are the liars. )Allah has ruled that they are indeed wicked liars.

(24:13) Why did the slanderers not bring four witnesses (to prove their charge)? Now that they have not brought witnesses, they themselves are liars in the sight of Allah. *14

Why did they [who slandered] not produce meaning

*14) ` ....
in the sight of Allah": in the Law of Allah, or according to the Law of AIlah.
Obviously, in Allah's knowledge, the accusation was by itself false and its falsehood was in no way dependent on the production of witnesses by the accusers.

Here nobody should have the misunderstanding that failure to bring witnesses is being regarded as the basis and argument to prove that the accusation was false, and that the Muslims are also being told to regard it as a manifest calumny only because the accusers did not bring four witnesses.
This misunderstanding can arise if one dces not keep in view the background of the actual incident.
As a matter of fact, none of the accusers had actually witnessed the thing which they were uttering with their tongues.
The only basis of their accusation was that Hadrat `A'ishah had been left behind from the caravan and afterwards Safwan had brought her to the camp on his camel.
From this nobody with a little common sense could conclude that Hadrat `A'ishah's being left behind was intentional.
These are not the ways of those who do these things.
It cannot happen that the wife of the army commander quietly stays back with a man, and then the same man makes her ride on his camel and makes haste to catch up with the army at the next halting place in the open daylight at noon.
The situation itself warranted that they were innocent.
There could, however, be some justification in the charge if the accusers had seen something with their own eyes, otherwise the circumstances on which the accusers had based their accusation did not contain any ground for doubt and suspicion.

 

Disciplining the Believers for spreading the Slander Here Allah disciplines the believers with regard to the matter of `A'ishah, because some of them spread this evil talk and the slander that had been mentioned.
So Allah says: لَّوْلا إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ ( Why then, when you heard it, ) meaning, the talk which accused the Mother of the believers, may Allah be pleased with her, ظَنَّ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَـتُ بِأَنفُسِهِمْ خَيْراً ( the believers, men and women, think good of their own people ) means, why did they not compare what was said to themselves -- if it was not befitting for them then it was even less appropriate for the Mother of the believers, and she was more likely to be innocent.
Or it was said that this was revealed about Abu Ayyub Khalid bin Zayd Al-Ansari and his wife, may Allah be pleased with them.
Imam Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Yasar narrated, "The wife of Abu Ayyub Khalid bin Zayd Al-Ansari, Umm Ayyub, said to him, `O Abu Ayyub, have you heard what the people are saying about `A'ishah' He said, `Yes, and it is all lies.
Would you do that, O Umm Ayyub' She said, `No, by Allah, I would not do that.' He said, `And by Allah, `A'ishah is better than you.' When the Qur'an was revealed, Allah mentioned those who spoke about the evil deed among the people of the slander, إِنَّ الَّذِينَ جَآءُوا بِالإِفْكِ عُصْبَةٌ مِّنْكُمْ ( Verily, those who brought forth the slander are a group among you. ) 24:1 This refers to Hassan and his companions who said what they said.
Then Allah said, لَّوْلا إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ ظَنَّ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ( Why then, did not the believers, men, when you heard it, think... ) means, as Abu Ayyub and his wife did." Allah's saying: ظَنَّ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ( the believers, men think... ) meaning, `why did they not think good, because the Mother of the believers is his wife and is closer to him.' This is concerned with innermost feelings; وَقَالُواْ ( and say: ) means, with their tongues, verbally, هَـذَآ إِفْكٌ مُّبِينٌ ( "This (charge ) is an obvious lie") means, a clear untruth told about the Mother of the believers, may Allah be pleased with her.
What happened should not have been the cause of suspicion.
The fact that the Mother of the believers came openly, riding on the camel of Safwan bin Al-Mu`attal at midday, with the entire army watching and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ among them, should have made it clear that there was no cause for suspicion.
If there had been anything suspicious about the matter, they would not have come openly in this manner in front of so many witnesses; they would have come secretly.
On this basis, what the people of the slander said accusing the Mother of the believers was an utter lie, false speech and evil foolish talk, by which people who indulged in it lost out.
Allah said: لَّوْلاَ جَآءُو عَلَيْهِ بِأَرْبَعَةِ شُهَدَآءَ ( Why did they not produce four witnesses against him ) meaning, to prove that what they were saying was true. فَإِذْ لَمْ يَأْتُواْ بِالشُّهَدَآءِ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ عِندَ اللَّهِ هُمُ الْكَـذِبُونَ ( Since they have not produced witnesses! Then with Allah they are the liars. )Allah has ruled that they are indeed wicked liars.

( Why did they not produce four witnesses ) four, upright witnesses to support their claim? ( Since they produce not witnesses ) four witnesses, ( they verily are liars in the sight of Allah ).

Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they (the slanderers) have not produced witnesses! Then with Allah they are the liars.

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