22. Let not those among you who are possessed of grace and amplitude swear...

(Let not) [wa-lā ya’tal]: Meaning, let them not swear. This is a form of ifti‘āl derived from al-āliyyah (oath). Abu ‘Ubaydah said—and Abu Muslim preferred this—that it means: let them not fall short or neglect, from al-alw, which is of the measure of al-dalw (bucket) or al-‘utuw (defiance). It is said that the former is more consistent with the occasion of revelation (sabab al-nuzūl), for it is authentically reported from ‘Aishah and others that Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), upon seeing the innocence of his daughter, swore never to provide for Mistah again. Mistah was among the poor early Emigrants who witnessed Badr, and he was the son of his maternal aunt (and it is said, the son of his sister), may Allah be pleased with them. Thus, [the verse] "Let not those among you who are possessed of grace..." was revealed. This is the well-known account.

From Muhammad ibn Sirin, it is narrated that Abu Bakr swore not to support two men who were orphans under his guardianship, as they had engaged in the affair of ‘Aishah, one of whom was Mistah; so the verse was revealed. From Ibn Abbas and al-Dahhak, it is narrated that a group of believers, among them Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), ceased providing benefits to those who spoke about the Ifk (the slander), saying, "By Allah, we shall not assist those who spoke of her." So the verse was revealed.

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas, ibn Rabi‘ah, Abu Ja‘far the freedman, and Zayd ibn Aslam recited it as yatāl—the present tense of tālā, meaning "to swear." A poet said: "The son of Aws swore a solemn oath to return me to my womenfolk, as though they were captives." This recitation supports the first meaning.

"Those among you who are possessed of grace": that is, an increase in religion. "And amplitude": that is, in wealth. "That they should not give": meaning, against giving, or detesting to give; or that they should not fall short in giving.

Abu Haywah, Ibn Qutayb, and Ibn al-Burhasm recited it as tu’tū (with the tā of address), as a turn toward the addressee (iltifāt).

"To those of kinship, the poor, and the Emigrants in the path of Allah": These are attributes of a single described subject, based on the understanding—as you have learned—that the verse was revealed, according to the correct view, because of Abu Bakr’s oath not to spend on Mistah, who was described by these traits. The conjunction serves to treat the difference in attributes as equivalent to a difference in the subjects described. Even if the cause is specific, the plural is used to intend generality, and to avoid being satisfied with a single attribute, for the sake of hyperbole in establishing Mistah’s (and others like him) entitlement to the support. For if one who possesses one of these attributes deserves it, then one who possesses them all does so with greater priority. It is also said that they are separate individuals to whom these attributes are assigned. The second object is omitted due to its extreme clarity: that is, "that they should give them something."

"And let them pardon and let them overlook": ‘Abdullah, al-Hasan, Sufyan ibn al-Hasan, and Asma bint Yazid recited it as wa-li-ta‘fū wa-li-tafṣaḥū (with the tā of address), in accordance with the Almighty’s saying: "Would you not like that Allah should forgive you?"—that is, by way of exchange for your pardon, your overlooking, and your benevolence toward those who have wronged you.

"And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful": He is hyperbolic in forgiveness and mercy, along with His perfect ability—Glory be to Him—to requite, and the abundance of the servants' sins that call for it. In this is a great enticement to be forgiving and a noble promise of requital. It is as if it were said: "Would you not like that Allah should forgive you?" This is one of the causes of it. It is authenticated that when Abu Bakr heard the verse, he said: "Yes, by Allah, our Lord, we do indeed love that You should forgive us," and he restored his support to him. In one narration, he began giving him double what he had been giving him before.

This verse was revealed—according to what Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Muqatil—after Mistah came to Abu Bakr, apologizing. He said: "May Allah make me your ransom! By Allah, He who sent down [the revelation] upon Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), I did not slander her, nor did I speak any of what was said about her." That is, he denied it. Abu Bakr said: "But you laughed and were pleased with what was said about her." Mistah replied: "Perhaps some of that may have occurred."

The verse contains immense exhortation toward noble character. It is used as proof of the merit of the Ṣiddīq (Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him), because he is included among those "possessed of grace" definitively, as he—alone or with a group—is the reason for the revelation. It does not harm that the ruling is general for all believers, as is the manifest meaning; there is no need to claim it concerns him exclusively. The plural is for glorification, and the claim that he is specifically addressed by the singular pronoun is refuted; furthermore, it involves departing from the literal meaning. The Rafidah argued that the "grace" means an increase in wealth, but this is rejected because it would then be redundant with the Almighty’s saying "and amplitude." The Imam claimed that it demonstrates the Ṣiddīq (may Allah be pleased with him) is superior to all the Companions, explaining this in a manner distant from his merits. He also mentioned that it indicates various aspects of his praise, though most of these are open to debate.

It is also used as evidence that sins which do not constitute apostasy do not nullify deeds; otherwise, Allah would not have named Mistah an "Emigrant" after he had committed what he committed. Furthermore, it is used as evidence that an oath to abstain from an act of obedience is not permissible, because the Almighty prohibited it by His saying: "Let not those... swear." Based on the occasion of revelation, the meaning is: "do not swear." The outward implication is to interpret the prohibition as absolute taḥrīm (unlawfulness). It is said that it is for the sake of honor, and it is said that the truth is that swearing to abstain from an act of obedience can be unlawful and can be disliked; therefore, the prohibition here is to request the abstention generally, though there is debate in this.

The majority of jurists mentioned that if a person swears an oath and then sees something else as better, he should perform that which is better and make atonement (kaffārah) for his oath, as stated in the Hadith. Some said: "If he swears, let him do that which is better, and that is his atonement," as stated in another Hadith. This has been countered by the claim that the "atonement" in that Hadith refers to the expiation of the sin, not the legal kaffārah consisting of one of the specified acts.