24:22 An-Noor (The Light)

{ وَلَا يَأْتَلِ } أي: لا يحلف { أُولُو الْفَضْلِ مِنْكُمْ وَالسَّعَةِ أَنْ يُؤْتُوا أُولِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا } كان من جملة الخائضين في الإفك \" مسطح بن أثاثة \" وهو قريب لأبي بكر الصديق رضي الله عنه، وكان مسطح فقيرا من المهاجرين في سبيل الله، فحلف أبو بكر أن لا ينفق عليه، لقوله الذي قال. فنزلت هذه الآية، ينهاهم عن هذا الحلف المتضمن لقطع النفقة عنه، ويحثه على العفو والصفح، ويعده بمغفرة الله إن غفر له، فقال: { أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ } إذا عاملتم عبيده، بالعفو والصفح، عاملكم بذلك، فقال أبو بكر - لما سمع هذه الآية-: بلى، والله إني لأحب أن يغفر الله لي، فرجع النفقة إلى مسطح، وفي هذه الآية دليل على النفقة على القريب، وأنه لا تترك النفقة والإحسان بمعصية الإنسان، والحث على العفو والصفح، ولو جرى عليه ما جرى من أهل الجرائم.

يقول تعالي "ولا يأتل" من الألية وهي الحلف أي لا يحلف "أولو الفضل منكم" أى الطول والصدقة والإحسان "والسعة" أي الجدة "أن يؤتوا أولي القربي والمساكين والمهاجرين في سبيل الله" أي لا تحلفوا أن لا تصلوا قراباتكم المساكين والمهاجرين وهذا في غاية الترفق والعطف على صلة الأرحام ولهذا قال تعالى "وليعفوا وليصفحوا" أي عما تقدم منهم من الإساءة والأذى. وهذا من حلمه تعالي وكرمه ولطفه بخلقه مع ظلمهم لأنفسهم وهذه الآية نزلت في الصديق رضي الله عنه حين حلف أن لا ينفع مسطح بن أثاثة بنافعة أبدا بعدما قال في عائشة ما قال كما تقدم في الحديث فلما أنزل الله براءة أم المؤمنين عائشة وطابت النفوس المؤمنة واستقرت وتاب الله على من كان تكلم من المؤمنين في ذلك وأقيم الحد على من أقيم عليه- شرع تبارك وتعالى وله الفضل والمنة يعطف الصديق على قريبه ونسيبه وهو مسطح بن أثاثة فإنه كان ابن خاله الصديق وكان مسكينا لا مال له إلا ما ينفق عليه أبو بكر رضي الله عنه وكان من المهاجرين في سبيل الله وقد زلق زلقة تاب الله عليه منها وضرب الحد عليها. وكان الصديق رضي الله عنه معروفا بالمعروف له الفضل والأيادي على الأقارب والأجانب فلما نزلت هذه الآية إلى قوله "ألا تحبون أن يغفر الله لكم" الآية فإن الجزاء من جنس العمل فكما تغفر ذنب من أذنب إليك يغفر الله لك وكما تصفح يصفح عنك فعند ذلك قال الصديق: بلى والله إنا نحب أن تغفر لنا يا ربنا ثم رجع إلى مسطح ما كان يصله من النفقة وقال: والله لا أنزعها منه أبدا في مقابلة ما كان قال: والله لا أنفعه بنافعة أبدا. فلهذا كان الصديق هو الصديق رضي الله عنه وعن بنته.

Urging Those Who have been blessed with Wealth to give and to be tolerant

Allah says,

وَلاَ يَأْتَلِ

(And let not swear) meaning, make an oath,

أُوْلُواْ الْفَضْلِ مِنكُمْ

(those among you who are blessed with graces ) means, those who have the means to give charity and do good,

وَالسَّعَةِ

(and wealth) means, good fortune,

أَن يُؤْتُواْ أُوْلِى الْقُرْبَى وَالْمَسَـكِينَ وَالْمُهَـجِرِينَ فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ

(to give to their kinsmen, the poor, and those who left their homes for Allah's cause.) means, do not swear that you will not uphold the ties of kinship with your relatives who are needy or who migrated for the sake of Allah, which is the ultimate act of kindness in the area of upholding kinship ties. Allah says,

وَلْيَعْفُواْ وَلْيَصْفَحُواْ

(Let them pardon and forgive.) past insults and bad treatment. This is part of the patience, generosity and kindness of Allah towards His creation, despite the fact that they wrong themselves. This Ayah was revealed concerning As-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, when he swore that he would not help Mistah bin Uthathah after he said what he said about `A'ishah, as we have already seen in the Hadith. When Allah revealed the innocence of the Mother of the believers, `A'ishah, and the believers were happy and content with the outcome of this incident, and those believers who had talked about the matter repented, and the prescribed punishment had been carried out upon those on whom it was carried out, then Allah started to soften the heart of As-Siddiq towards his relative Mistah bin Uthathah. Mistah was the cousin of As-Siddiq, the son of his maternal aunt, and he was a poor man with no wealth except whatever Abu Bakr spent on him. He was one of those who had migrated for the sake of Allah. He had invented the lies and the slander, but then Allah accepted his repentance from that and the prescribed punishment was carried out on him. As-Siddiq was known for his generosity and he did favors to his relatives and strangers alike. When this Ayah was revealed:

أَلاَ تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ

(Do you not love that Allah should forgive you), which shows that the reward fits the action, and that `if you forgive others, you will be forgiven,' then As-Siddiq said, "Of course, by Allah, we love -- O our Lord -- that You should forgive us." Then he resumed his spending on Mistah and said, "By Allah I will never stop spending on him." This was to counteract what he had said previously, "By Allah I will never spend on him." This proves that he deserved to be called As-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him and his daughter.

And do not let those of you who possess bounty the wealthy and the affluent swear not to give to the near of kin and the poor and those who emigrate in the way of God — this was revealed regarding Abū Bakr who swore to provide no more for Mistah his maternal cousin a destitute Emigrant who had fought at the battle of Badr because of his involvement in the calumny when thitherto he had provided for him. And it was revealed also regarding certain Companions who swore not to give voluntary alms to those who had participated in spreading the calumny in any way. Let them forgive and excuse them in this matter. Do you not love that God should forgive you? And God is Forgiving Merciful to believers. Abū Bakr said ‘Indeed. I would love that God forgive me’ and he restored thereafter to Mistah what he used to expend on him.

وَلَا يَأْتَلِ أُولُو الْفَضْلِ مِنكُمْ وَالسَّعَةِ أَن يُؤْتُوا أُولِي الْقُرْ‌بَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَالْمُهَاجِرِ‌ينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ ۖ وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا ۗ أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ‌ اللَّـهُ لَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ غَفُورٌ‌ رَّ‌حِيمٌ ﴿22﴾

And the men of grace and wealth among you should not swear against giving (their charitable gifts) to the kinsmen and the poor and to those who have migrated in the way of Allah. And they should forgive and forego. Do you not like that Allah forgives you? And Allah is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful - 24:22.

Teachings of high morals for the exalted companions

The word أِٰیٔتلا means to swear. Sayyidna Mistah and Hassan ؓ got involved in the incident of slandering Sayyidnh ` A'ishah ؓ from amongst the Muslims. They were awarded punishment for false accusation by the Holy Prophet ﷺ after the revelation of exoneration verses. Both Sayyidna Mistah and Hassan ؓ were illustrious companions and had taken part in the battle of Badr, but they slipped on this occasion and received Divine help for the sincere repentance. Then the way exoneration was revealed by Allah Ta’ ala for Sayyidnh ` A'ishah ؓ ، in the same manner it was also declared that the repentance of these believers was accepted and they were pardoned.

Sayyidna Mistah ؓ was a relative of Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ ، and was a poor person. Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ used to help him materially. When the involvement of Mistah ؓ in the spread of the incident of Ifk was established, then Sayyidna Aba Bakr's paternal love for the daughter surged up, and he was annoyed with Sayyidna Mistah ؓ as a natural corollary, because her feelings were deeply injured by him. He then swore an oath that he would never help Sayyidna Mistah ؓ materially. It is obvious that to help any specific poor person is not obligatory for a Muslim, and if someone stops the material help he used to give to a poor person, it is not a sin .But Allah Ta’ ala wanted to make the illustrious group of companions as a model for the society. So, whereas on the one hand those who had slipped were granted Divine help to repent sincerely and reform themselves, on the other hand those who had sworn not to help any more the poor people, because of the natural grief and displeasure, were imparted wisdom of supreme ethics in this verse, that they should break their oath and expiate for it. It is below their dignity to stop the material help. They should also forgive and overlook, the way Allah has forgiven them.

Since it was not a religious obligation on Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ to help Sayyidna Mistah ؓ ، therefore the Qur'an has adopted the line to say that those whom Allah Ta’ ala has bestowed the knowledge and excellence, and who are granted the means to spend in the way of Allah, they should be careful not to undertake such an oath. The words أُولُو الْفَضْلِ مِنكُمْ وَالسَّعَةِ (the men of grace and wealth) are used to put across this meaning.

The last sentence of this verse is أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ‌ اللَّـهُ لَكُمْ , (24:22) which says Do you not like that Allah forgives you?

On this Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ said immediately واللہ اَنّی احبّ ان یغفر اللہ لِی that is ` By God, I definitely want that Allah forgives me'. Immediately after that he restored the material help of Sayyidna Mistah ؓ ، and said ` This help will never stop now'. (Bukhari and Muslim)

These are the graces of ethics which were imparted to train the illustrious companions. Sahih of Bukhari has quoted on the authority of Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Umar ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ once said:

لیس الواصل بالمکافی ولٰکنّ الواصل الّذی اذا قطعت رحمہ وصلھا

` He is not the kind hearted towards relatives who only returns their favours, but the real kind hearted towards relatives is the one who maintains his relationship with them, despite they have severed the relations' (Mazhari).