Tafsir of Al-Ahzab 33:58

"And those who harm the believing men and believing women..." They commit against them that which causes them harm, whether by word or deed. It is qualified by His saying, the Almighty: "...without their having earned [it]..."—meaning, without any crime on their part that would render such harm religiously deserved. It is qualified here after having been mentioned absolutely in the preceding verse [regarding the harm of Allah and His Messenger] to indicate that harming Allah and His Messenger can never be justified, whereas harming these [the believers] may be justified in some cases and not in others.

It is narrated that 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said one day to Ubayy: "O Abu al-Mundhir, I read a verse from the Book of Allah yesterday, and it affected me deeply: 'And those who harm the believing men and believing women'—by Allah, I punish and strike them [the believers for their faults]!" Ubayy replied: "You are not among them; you are a teacher and a disciplinarian."

His saying, the Almighty: "Those" is the subject (mubtada'). His saying, the Glorified: "...have certainly borne [upon themselves] a slander..."—that is, a heinous act. It has been said that it is like a buhtan (slander)—a lie that stuns the person due to its gravity in terms of sin. It has also been said that "having borne a slander" means a grave lie, if the harm was committed by speech. "...and a manifest sin"—meaning clear and evident. The fa (in faqad) is included due to the noun acting as a subject (mawsul) containing the meaning of a condition.

It is said that the verse was revealed concerning hypocrites who used to harm ‘Ali (may Allah honor his face) and say things about him that held no good.

Ibn Juwaybir narrated from al-Dahhak, from Ibn ‘Abbas, who said: "It was revealed concerning ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy and those with him who slandered ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) gave a sermon and said: 'Who will excuse me for a man who harms me and gathers in his house those who harm me?'—and so this verse was revealed."

Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from her (may Allah be pleased with her) that it was revealed concerning those who disparaged the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) regarding his taking of Safiyyah bint Huyayy (may Allah be pleased with her). According to al-Dahhak, al-Suddi, and al-Kalbi, it was revealed regarding fornicators who used to follow women when they went out at night to attend to their needs; they would only accost slave women, but sometimes they would accost free women through ignorance or feigned ignorance, as all were similar in attire and dress.

The manifest meaning is that the verse is general, applying to all that was mentioned and all that will follow regarding the rumors of rumor-mongers. It contains an indication of the sanctity of believing men and women.

Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Mujahid regarding this verse, saying: "Scabies will be cast upon the people of Hellfire, and they will scratch themselves until their bones appear. They will say: 'Our Lord, why has this afflicted us?' It will be said: 'Because of your harming the Muslims.'"

Many have narrated from Qatadah that he said: "Beware of harming a believer, for Allah protects him and becomes angry on his behalf."

Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Mardawayh, and al-Bayhaqi in Shu'ab al-Iman narrated from ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to his companions: "Which usury is the greatest in the sight of Allah?" They said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "The greatest usury in the sight of Allah is treating the honor of a Muslim man as lawful," then he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recited: 'And those who harm the believing men and believing women without their having earned [it]...' up to the end of the verse.