24:19 An-Noor (The Light)

{ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَنْ تَشِيعَ الْفَاحِشَةُ } أي: الأمور الشنيعة المستقبحة المستعظمة، فيحبون أن تشتهر الفاحشة { فِي الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ } أي: موجع للقلب والبدن، وذلك لغشه لإخوانه المسلمين، ومحبة الشر لهم، وجراءته على أعراضهم، فإذا كان هذا الوعيد، لمجرد محبة أن تشيع الفاحشة، واستحلاء ذلك بالقلب، فكيف بما هو أعظم من ذلك، من إظهاره، ونقله؟\" وسواء كانت الفاحشة، صادرة أو غير صادرة. وكل هذا من رحمة الله بعباده المؤمنين، وصيانة أعراضهم، كما صان دماءهم وأموالهم، وأمرهم بما يقتضي المصافاة، وأن يحب أحدهم لأخيه ما يحب لنفسه، ويكره له ما يكره لنفسه. { وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ } فلذلك علمكم، وبين لكم ما تجهلونه.

هذا تأديب ثالث لمن سمع شيئا من الكلام السيء فقام بذهنه شيء منه وتكلم فلا يكثر منه ولا يشيعه ويذيعه فقد قال تعالى "إن الذين يحبون أن تشيع الفاحشة في الذين آمنوا لهم عذاب أليم" أي يختارون ظهور الكلام عنهم بالقبيح "لهم عذاب أليم في الدنيا" أي بالحد وفي الآخرة بالعذاب الأليم "والله يعلم وأنتم لا تعلمون" أي فردوا الأمور إليه ترشدوا وقال الإمام أحمد حدثنا محمد بن بكير حدثنا ميمون بن موسى المرئي حدثنا محمد ابن عباد المخزومي عن ثوبان عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال "لا تؤذوا عباد الله ولا تعيروهم ولا تطلبوا عوراتهم فإنه من طلب عورة أخيه المسلم طلب الله عورته حتي يفضحه في بيته".

Disciplining Those Who like that Illegal Sexual Intercourse should be circulated among the Believers

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. Allah says:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَن تَشِيعَ الْفَـحِشَةُ فِى الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

(Verily, those who like that Fahshah should be circulated among those who believe, they will have a painful torment) meaning, those who like to see evil talk about them (the believers) appear,

لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ فِى الدُّنْيَا

(they will have a painful torment in this world) means, because of the prescribed punishment, and in the Hereafter because of the torment in Hell.

وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ

(And Allah knows and you know not.) means, return the matter to Him and you will be guided. Imam Ahmad recorded from Thawban that the Prophet said:

«لَا تُؤْذُوا عِبَادَ اللهِ وَلَا تُعَيِّرُوهُمْ، وَلَا تَطْلُبُوا عَوْرَاتِهِمْ، فَإِنَّهُ مَنْ طَلَبَ عَوْرَةَ أَخِيهِ الْمُسْلِمِ طَلَبَ اللهُ عَوْرَتَهُ، حَتَّى يَفْضَحَهُ فِي بَيْتِهِ»

(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.)

Truly those who love that indecency should be spread by the tongue concerning those who believe by its being associated with them — and the ones meant are the band — theirs will be a painful chastisement in the life of this world by way of the prescribed legal punishment for false accusation and the Hereafter by way of the Fire as is God’s due and God knows that such indecency does not apply in their case and you O band of accusers as regards the calumny of which you spoke do not know whether such indecency took place among them.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَن تَشِيعَ الْفَاحِشَةُ فِي الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَ‌ةِ

Surely, those who like that shamelessness spreads among the believers, for them there is a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter - 24:19.

Those who had taken part in any way in the slander are again condemned in this verse, and are warned with the punishment in the world and in the Hereafter. An extra element in this verse is that those who propagate such rumors actually want the spread of obscenity and immorality among the Muslims.

The Qur'anic system for the prevention of obscenity

The Holy Qur'an has drawn out this unique system for the prevention of obscenity that, in the first place such a news should not spread, and if at all it is leaked out, it should be backed up with lawful proof, so that the punishment of adultery is also executed publicly, immediately after the spread of the news. This way the publicity itself will serve as a preventive measure. If there were no condition of lawful proof, then it would have been lot easy to pass on and publicize such scandals, especially, when there is no punishment attached to it. Absence of any fear against spreading scandals leads to minimizing the repulsion against immorality and obscenity from the people's mind; rather it encourages to indulge in such crimes and to propagate them. This is an everyday experience that this sort of scandals is published in the newspapers daily. Young men and women read them frequently. As a result, the intensity of such wicked acts is minimized gradually, and instead a slow inclination for indulging in them develops in their minds. It is for this reason that the Holy Qur’ an has allowed publicity of such news only in such situations when it is supported with lawful evidence, so that people should see the severe punishment for the obscene crime along with the news of adultery when they learn about it. Where there is no proof and punishment, Qur'an has proclaimed the publicity of such news as a tool for spreading obscenity among the Muslims. This vital point needs to be pondered by the Muslims. This verse actually emphasizes that to give publicity to scandals without proof will invite very severe punishment both in this world and in the Hereafter. The punishment in the Hereafter will naturally follow after the Dooms Day, and thus cannot be experienced here, but the punishment of the world can be seen. So, those who were punished for false accusation have in fact experienced the punishment of the world. If anyone has escaped the execution of the punishment for want of proof needed for the award of this punishment, even then he has earned the punishment (which will be executed in the Hereafter). For the implication of the verse even this is enough.