Quran Times Cultural Institute
The Advanced Level of Islamic Understanding Courses
A short Commentary of Chapter Al-Noor
Session 4 (15 -20)
إِذْ تَلَقَّوْنَهُ بِأَلْسِنَتِكمُْ
وَ تَقُولُونَ بِأَفْوَاهِكمُ مَّا لَيْسَ لَكُم بِهِ عِلْمٌ وَ تحَسَبُونَهُ هَيِّنًا
وَ هُوَ عِندَ اللَّهِ عَظِيم
(When you were receiving it on your tongues,
and were mouthing something of which you had no knowledge, supposing it to be a
light matter, while it was a grave [matter] with Allah).
Meaning: "Some of you were relating it to others,'' where one
says, `I heard this from so-and-so, and so-and-so said such and such, and some
of them mentioned such and such.' Others recited the Ayah: ("When you
were inventing a lie with your tongues...'')
In fact three important sins mentioned in this verse. First
listening and accepting rumors, second propagating it without any knowledge
about the matter and third supposing it as a little thing while it is related
to the honor of Muslims and it is so grave in Allah’s sight.
… وَ تحَسَبُونَهُ هَيِّنًا وَ هُوَ
عِندَ اللَّهِ عَظِيم
You thought that it was a trifling and insignificant matter, but
even if she was not the wife of the Prophet, it still would not be an
insignificant matter - so how about when she is the wife of Prophet! Allah,
(glorified and exalted), feels great fury and anger over such matters, and He
would never decree such a thing for any Muslim.
وَ لَوْ لَا إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ قُلْتُم مَّا يَكُونُ
لَنَا أَن نَّتَكلَّمَ بهذَا سُبْحَانَكَ هَاذَا بهُتَانٌ عَظِيم
(And why did you not, when you heard it, say," It is not
for us to say such a thing. O Allah! You are immaculate! This is a monstrous
calumny)
This is further discipline, in addition to the command to think
well of people, i.e., if something unbefitting is mentioned about good people,
then one should think well of them, and not feel towards them anything but
good. Then if a person has any unsuitable thoughts about them, insinuated into
his mind and imagination by Satan, he should not speak about that and should
say “This is a great lie”.
يَعِظُكُمُ اللَّهُ أَن تَعُودُواْ لِمِثْلِهِ
أَبَدًا إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِين
Allah advises you lest you should ever repeat the like of it,
should you be faithful
Meaning, Allah is forbidding you and warning you from doing
anything like this again in the future. If you believe in Allah and His Laws, and you respect His
Messenger.
وَ يُبَينُِّ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الاَيَاتِ وَ اللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيم
Allah clarifies the signs for you, and Allah is all-knowing,
all-wise
Meaning, He
makes clear to you the rulings of Shari`ah and His divine decrees and He knows what is right for
His servants and He is Wise in His Laws and decrees.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يحبُّونَ أَن تَشِيعَ الْفَاحِشَةُ فىِ الَّذِينَ
ءَامَنُواْ لهمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ فىِ الدُّنْيَا وَ الاَخِرَةِ وَ اللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَ أَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُون
Indeed those who want indecency to spread among the faithful there
is a painful punishment for them in the world and the Hereafter, and Allah
knows and you do not know.
This is a third instance of discipline directed at those who hear
evil talk, believe it to some extent, and start to spread it; they should not
spread such talk or pass it on to others.
About having a
share of propagating slander on behalf of people, we have many traditions of
our Infallibles (A.S.). For example the Holly Prophet (S.A.V.S) said: Do not annoy the servants of Allah, nor abuse them, nor seek
their hidden shortcomings. Whoever seeks out the faults of his Muslim brother,
Allah will expose his faults and degrade him, even if he is hiding in his
house.
Or He said: one, who circulates rumors in society, is like the one
who fabricated it.
Somebody asked Imam Kadhem (A.S.) I heard something bad which I
don’t like it on behalf of one of my Muslim brother. I asked him about but he
denied it while the narrators were trustful, now what’s my duty? Imam (A.S.)
replied: accept him even if fifty of people come to you and swear he did such
and such and so and so.
وَ لَوْ لَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ
وَ رَحْمَتُهُ وَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِم
Were it not for Allah's grace and His mercy upon you, and that
Allah is all-kind, all-merciful.
Meaning, if it were not for this, it would have been another
matter altogether, but He, may He be exalted, is full of kindness towards His
servants and Merciful towards them. He accepts the repentance of those who
repent to Him from this sin, and purifies those among them who are purified by
the prescribed punishment carried out on them.
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