An-Nur 24:16

Juz 18 · Page 351

24:16

وَلَوْلَآ إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ قُلْتُم مَّا يَكُونُ لَنَآ أَن نَّتَكَلَّمَ بِهَٰذَا سُبْحَٰنَكَ هَٰذَا بُهْتَٰنٌ عَظِيمٌ

And why, when you heard it, did you not say, "It is not for us to speak of this. Exalted are You, [O Allah]; this is a great slander"?

Context

The ifk incident: the vindication of Aisha

11–20

On the return from the Banu Mustaliq expedition, Aisha went looking for her lost necklace, and the caravan set out without noticing her absence; Safwan b. al-Mu'attal later brought her to the army on his camel. The slander, fanned by the chief of the hypocrites Abdullah b. Ubayy, was talked about in Medina for about a month; Aisha, who had fallen ill, remained unaware of it, and was overwhelmed with grief when she learned. According to the long hadith narrated from Aisha herself in Bukhari, the verses beginning “Those who brought the slander are a group among you” were finally revealed, and Allah Himself declared her innocence.

Buhârî 4141; Müslim 2770

Revelation context of the surah

Surah-wide

An-Nur is Medinan; its best-known section comprises the verses revealed concerning the slander against Aisha on the return from the Banu Mustaliq campaign (the Ifk incident, around 5-6 AH). It legislates on safeguarding chastity, the penalty for slanderous accusation, modest dress, and the etiquette of privacy in family and social life.

Buhârî ve Müslim rivayetleri; klasik tefsir mukaddimeleri

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