Tafsir of An-Nur 24:24

[Linguistic Note] It is read as yashhadu (in the imperfect, with a ya). As for al-haqq (the Truth), it is in the accusative case (nasb) as an adjective for al-din (the religion/recompense), meaning the recompense. It is also read in the nominative case (raf') as an adjective for Allah.

[The Gravity of the Slander against Aisha] If you were to examine the entire Quran and search for the threats issued against sinners, you would not find Allah, the Exalted, expressing severity in anything as He did regarding the slander (ifk) of Aisha—may Allah be pleased with her. He did not send down such crushing verses, laden with intense threats, eloquent rebuke, violent warning, and the magnification of the sin committed, as He did in this matter. He employed various methods and captivating styles, each sufficient in its own right. If only these three verses had been revealed, they would have sufficed, for He declared the slanderers cursed in both worlds, threatened them with a great punishment in the Hereafter, and decreed that their tongues, hands, and feet would testify against them for what they fabricated and falsely accused. He promised to pay them their "true, obligatory recompense" which they deserve, so that they might know at that moment that "Allah is the Manifest Truth." He was concise yet exhaustive, detailed yet comprehensive, emphatic yet repetitive, bringing forth a level of severity not found even in the threats against the idolaters—except for what is less than this in horror. This is solely due to the gravity of the matter.

[The Status of the Slander] It is narrated that Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) was in Basra on the Day of Arafah, answering questions about the interpretation of the Quran. When asked about these verses, he said: "Whoever commits a sin and then repents, his repentance is accepted—except for the one who waded into the affair of Aisha." This was his way of exaggerating and magnifying the gravity of the ifk.

[The Fourfold Vindication] Allah, the Exalted, vindicated four people through four means:

1. He vindicated Yusuf through the tongue of a witness: "And a witness from her family testified..." (12:26).
2. He vindicated Musa from the claims of the Jews by the stone that ran off with his garment.
3. He vindicated Maryam by making her child speak when he called out from her lap: "Indeed, I am the servant of Allah."
4. He vindicated Aisha through these magnificent verses in His miraculous Book, recited throughout time, with such a vindication and such emphasis.

Look at the difference between her vindication and theirs! This was only to manifest the high status of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and to alert [mankind] to the exalted position of the Master of the Children of Adam, the chosen one of the first and the last, and the proof of Allah over all worlds. Whoever wishes to verify the greatness of his status (peace be upon him), his precedence, and his attainment of the lead over all predecessors, let him receive that from the verses of the ifk. Let him contemplate how Allah became angry for his honor and how He exaggerated in removing the accusation from his household.

[The Meaning of "The Chaste Women"] If you ask: "If Aisha is the one intended, why is the term 'the chaste women' (al-muhsanat) used?" I say: There are two aspects:

1. That "the chaste women" refers to the wives of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and they are singled out such that whoever slanders them falls under this threat. Since Aisha is the greatest of them in status and proximity to the Messenger of Allah, she is the primary intended subject.
2. That she is the Mother of the Believers, so the term encompasses her and her daughters among the women of the Ummah who are described by chastity, heedlessness [of evil], and faith. Just as the poet said: "Sufficient for me is the support of the Khubaybites..." (referring to Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr and his followers).

[The Meaning of "The Manifest Truth"] If you ask: "What is the meaning of His saying: 'Allah is the Manifest Truth'?" I say: It means the Possessor of clear truth, i.e., the Just One, whose justice is manifest, in whose judgment there is no oppression, and the True One who cannot be described by falsehood. For one whose attribute is this, the offense of a sinner does not go unnoticed, nor does the good deed of a doer of good. Thus, it is fitting that such a One be feared and His prohibitions avoided.

"The corrupt women are for the corrupt men, and the corrupt men are for the corrupt women; and the good women are for the good men, and the good men are for the good women. Those are innocent of what they say; for them is forgiveness and a noble provision."