24-21 O you who believe, follow not the footsteps of the devil. And whoever follows the footsteps of the devil, surely he commands indecency and evil. And were it not for Allah’s grace on you and His mercy, not one of you would ever have been pure, but Allah purifies whom He pleases. And Allah is Hearing, Knowing.a
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 أَبَدًۭا وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُزَكِّى مَن يَشَآءُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌۭ (۲۱)
24-21a: This section is a supplement to the previous two sections. The Arab society at the advent of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sunk deep in all kinds of vices and hence was following the devil. Allah sent a purifier who cleansed the society of all its evils. How could it be, that his own household not cleansed by the righteous person whose spiritual prowess purified a whole nation. This is the reason why the words: And were it not for Allah’s grace on you and His mercy (24:10) which are stated before the mention of the allegations against Hazrat A‘ishah Siddiqa, are repeated in 24:20 at the end of the narration of the incident.
24-22 And let not possessors of grace and abundance among you swear against giving to the near of kin and the poor and those who have fled in Allah’s way; and pardon and overlook. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.a
وَلَا يَأْتَلِ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْفَضْلِ مِنكُمْ وَٱلسَّعَةِ أَن يُؤْتُوٓا۟ أُو۟لِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَٱلْمَسَـٰكِينَ وَٱلْمُهَـٰجِرِينَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَلْيَعْفُوا۟ وَلْيَصْفَحُوٓا۟ ۗ أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌ (۲۲)
24-22a: يَأْتَلِ – The meaning of اَلَوۡت is to decrease something, and اَلَیۡت means to swear or take an oath. يَأْتَلِ is a verbal noun of Form VIII (verb pattern) in Arabic morphology (باب افتعال ) derived from اَلَوۡت or اَلَیۡت .
Mistah, who was an active participant in spreading rumors against Hazrat A‘ishah, was the son of the maternal aunt, or the sister of Hazrat Abu Bakr. He participated in the Battle of Badr and being among the impoverished migrants, received financial help from him. Due to his involvement in spreading the allegations against Hazrat A‘ishah, Hazrat Abu Bakr stopped his financial assistance. This was the occasion for the revelation of this verse in which Hazrat Abu Bakr is called أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْفَضْلِ a person of high spiritual status in terms of his faith, and a philanthropist in terms of his worldly generosity. He is further commanded not to stop the financial assistance, which he forthwith restored. This teaching shows such generosity of spirit, that its parallel is hardly found anywhere else in the world. Such a serious allegation is made against the wife of the Holy Prophet and the daughter of Hazrat Abu Bakr, and on the Holy Prophet the revelation descends to not stop giving financial help to the slanderer. How magnanimous is this Prophet (peace be upon him) whose wife is the target of a grievous allegation when the revelation comes to prevent aid from being withheld for the slanderer, and what a generous spirit his pupil has, who keeps on giving financial assistance. In modern times, a perceived derogatory remark leads to a lifetime of enmity. It is hard to present any example of the generosity of spirit shown by the Holy Prophet and Hazrat Abu Bakr.
24-23 Surely those who accuse chaste believing women, unaware (of the evil), are cursed in this world and the Hereafter, and for them is a grievous chastisement,a
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ ٱلْمُحْصَنَـٰتِ ٱلْغَـٰفِلَـٰتِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ لُعِنُوا۟ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌۭ (۲۳)
24-23a: غَـٰفِلَـٰتِ –Refer to 12-3a for غفلة . It is also used for being unmindful, inattentive, heedless, negligent. This refers to women who are so pure that the idea of evil does not even cross their mind. The verse also completely exonerates Hazrat A‘ishah Siddiqa of the charges again her, showing that she was so pure that the thought of evil never entered her heart.
24-24 On the day when their tongues and their hands and their feet bear witness against them as to what they did,
يَوْمَ تَشْهَدُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَلْسِنَتُهُمْ وَأَيْدِيهِمْ وَأَرْجُلُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ (۲۴)
24-25 On that day Allah will pay back to them in full their just reward, and they will know that Allah, He is the Evident Truth.a
يَوْمَئِذٍۢ يُوَفِّيهِمُ ٱللَّهُ دِينَهُمُ ٱلْحَقَّ وَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ ٱلْمُبِينُ (۲۵)
24-25a: ٱلْمُبِينُ – If ابان is derived from لازمی necessary, inevitable, the meaning would be الظاھر the manifest in the same sense as the attribute of Allah. If ابان is derived from متعدی which means to explain something clearly and succinctly, the meaning would be the one who explains the truth clearly. Both الحق and المبین are attributes of Allah.
24-26 Unclean things are for unclean ones and unclean ones are for unclean things, and good things are for good ones and good ones are for good things; these are free from what they say. For them is forgiveness and an honourable sustenance.a
ٱلْخَبِيثَـٰتُ لِلْخَبِيثِينَ وَٱلْخَبِيثُونَ لِلْخَبِيثَـٰتِ ۖ وَٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتُ لِلطَّيِّبِينَ وَٱلطَّيِّبُونَ لِلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ مُبَرَّءُونَ مِمَّا يَقُولُونَ ۖ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌۭ وَرِزْقٌۭ كَرِيمٌۭ (۲۶)
24-26a: By طَيِّبَـٰتُ is meant good speech and deeds and by خَبِيثَـٰتُ bad speech and deeds (R). The verse means that all the impure hypocrites can do is indulge in impious talk. Since pious thoughts never enter their hearts, they attribute such thoughts to others. The reference in أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ is to those pious people who are unfairly accused and in particular to the people of the Holy Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) household.
