Tafsir of An-Nur 24:15

Surah An-Nur (The Light): Verse 15

[15] إذ تلقونه بألسنتكم . . . . . (When you were receiving it with your tongues...)

This verse also serves as a strong deterrent.

The author of Al-Kashshaf states that إذ (when) is a temporal adverb related to مسكم (touched you) or أفضتم (you plunged into).

The meaning of تلقونه (you receive it) is that some of you take it from others. It is said: talaqqā al-qawl (he received the saying), tulaqqinuhu (he dictated it to him), and talaqqafuhu (he snatched it up). This is derived from the verse: {فَتَلَقَّى آدَمُ مِنْ رَبِّهِ كَلِمَاتٍ} (And Adam received from his Lord words) (Al-Baqarah: 37).

There are various recitations:

1. تتلقونه (with the original form).
2. إتلقونه (by merging the dhāl into the tā’).
3. تلقونه (from laqiyahu, meaning he fabricated it).
4. تلقونه (from ilqā’, meaning one casting it upon another).
5. تألقونه (from al-walq and al-alif, which means falsehood/lying).
6. تلقونه (narrated from Aisha).
7. Sufyan reported: "I heard my mother reciting إذ تثقفونه (when you were catching it up), as her father used to recite according to the variant reading of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud."

Know that Allah (SWT) described them as committing three sins, and He linked the great punishment to them:

The First Sin: Receiving the slander with their tongues. This means that a man would meet another and ask him, "What news do you have?" The other would relate the slanderous story until it became widespread and famous, reaching every household and gathering. Thus, they actively sought to spread obscenity, which is one of the gravest matters.

The Second Sin: They spoke about something they had no knowledge of. This indicates that one is not permitted to report anything except with certainty. As for what one does not know to be true, reporting it is like reporting something known to be false in terms of prohibition. A parallel is found in His saying: {وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ} (And follow not that of which you have no knowledge) (Al-Isra: 36).

If one asks: What is the meaning of بأفواهكم (with your mouths), since speech inherently comes from the mouth? We reply: The meaning is that something known is known in the heart, and the tongue translates it. However, this slander was merely speech passing over their tongues without any corresponding knowledge residing in the heart, similar to the verse: {يَقُولُونَ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ مَا لَيْسَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ} (They say with their mouths what is not in their hearts) (Al 'Imran: 167).

The Third Sin: They considered this matter trivial, while it was a monumental transgression. This points to three implications:

1. It indicates that slander (Qadhf) is a major sin, due to His statement: {وَهُوَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَظِيمٌ} (and it is grave in the sight of Allah).
2. His statement {وَتَحْسَبُونَهُ هَيِّنًا} (and you think it is insignificant) highlights that the magnitude of a sin does not change based on the doer's assumption or estimation. In fact, ignorance of its gravity might even intensify its magnitude.
3. It is obligatory upon the accountable person regarding every forbidden act to regard the initiation of it as great, as one cannot be certain it is not a major sin. It is said: There is no minor sin with persistence, and no major sin with seeking forgiveness.

The Fifth Category

{وَلَوْلَا إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ قُلْتُمْ مَا يَكُونُ لَنَا أَنْ نَتَكَلَّمَ بِهَذَا سُبْحَانَكَ هَذَا بُهْتَانٌ عَظِيمٌ} (And why did you not, when you heard it, say, "It is not for us to speak of this? Exalted are You! This is a grave slander!")