Then he explained what was necessitated by "if it were not for" in the sense of: but He did not do that as a favor to you and as a mercy for you, by His saying in a manner of emphasis regarding what He knew of the condition of many who were angered for Allah and His Messenger due to the desire for punishment for the slanderers by striking their necks. He was warning them that this would lead to a great corruption: "Indeed, those who came with the slander" (p-221), meaning the worst of lies, for it is the saying that is diverted from its meaning to its opposite, turned from its face to its back. It has been defined with an additional emphasis on its ugliness in this context, so that it is as if there is no slander except it, because it is in the right of the Mother of the Believers, Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, and she is among the most deserving of people to be praised for her chastity, honor, purity, and generosity. Whoever accused her of evil has turned the matter from its best aspects to its ugliest backsides, and he left her naming to purify her from this context, distancing her noble side from this aim. "A group" means a gathering, the least of them being ten and the most being forty. They, because they are a group, protect one another, and their matter becomes stronger, for the root of the word "aṣaba" is based on strength. Yet they are "from you," meaning from those who are counted among you in the ranks of the Muslims. If Allah had exposed them for all that they concealed and declared, and commanded you to punish them for what they deserve for that, the ties of kinship would have been corrupted, due to their protection of themselves while they are many, and the ties of their bonds to them, except by an extraordinary matter that would protect them from that, as experience has revealed when the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "Who will excuse me from a man whose harm has reached my family" when they were about to fight each other if it were not for the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, calming them. So Allah, glorified and exalted is He, with His mercy upon you prevents their schemes by revealing their lies, and with His wisdom He conceals them and frightens them, so that the source of their deceit is cut off and the means of their harm are severed.

And when this necessitated concern for their affair, he followed it with his saying, belittling their matter, addressing the pure ones, specifically the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, Abu Bakr, Aisha, her mother, and Safwan ibn al-Mu'attal, may Allah be pleased with them: "Do not think of it" meaning the slander "as an evil for you" O believers, that anyone would believe him or that a fitnah would arise from it. "Rather, it is good for you" by the establishment of the innocence that necessitates the pride that is not followed, by its recitation throughout the ages by the tongues of countless servants, in most of the lands, and the consolation of the Messenger, blessings and peace be upon him, and the truthful ones with that, along with the great reward, for patience upon the bitterness of this saying, and the establishment of the miraculous nature of the Qur'an after its miracle of eloquence, with its truthfulness in the protection of those praised in that long era, which she lived with the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, and after him until she passed away, may Allah, the Exalted, be pleased with her, the most pious of people in religion, the most evident in protection, the purest in honor, and the most virtuous in soul. So he is a tongue of truth in this world, and an elevation of ranks in the Hereafter, in addition to other wisdoms that the Creator of creation has arranged, among the religious benefits, rulings, and etiquettes.

And when there is no remedy for the anger of a person greater than the victory of the King, the Just, for him, he means by saying: ﴿For every person among them﴾ that is, the slanderers ﴿what﴾ that is, the recompense of what ﴿he has earned﴾ by engaging in it ﴿of sin﴾ that necessitates his misery. The form of 'if'ti'al from 'kasaba' is used in sin, indicating that sin is based on what has occurred with a strong determination and resolution, confirmed by the action with what is in it of seriousness and activity. And the act of goodness is indicated by the fact that reward is written merely by the act of goodness, and even by its intention. ﴿And the one who took upon himself the greater part﴾ that is, its most significant part by spreading it and openly declaring it ﴿among them﴾ concerning him for his persistence in harm ﴿is a great punishment﴾ that is, greater than the punishment of the others, because they did not say anything except that it was upon him like his burden without diminishing from their burdens anything. And the story of the slander is well-known in the authentic narrations and the Sunnah and is very famous. That is, "The Prophet ﷺ attacked Banu al-Mustalaq after the verse of hijab was revealed, and he had with him the truthful one, the daughter of the truthful one, his wife, the Mother of the Believers, Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, carrying a howdah for her. She lost a necklace one night and returned to the place where she had left it to search for it. The Prophet ﷺ departed and her camel drivers carried her howdah, thinking she was in it. When she returned, she found no one, so she lay down in the place of her howdah hoping that they would realize she was there and return. And Safwan ibn al-Mu'attal al-Sulami, then al-Dhakwani, may Allah be pleased with him, had camped behind the army, so he remained in his place. When he saw her, and he had seen her before the hijab, he called out and brought his camel to her, and he did not speak a word except for his calling out. The Mother of the Believers, may Allah be pleased with her, rode, and then he brought her until he caught up with the army while they were encamping at noon. The people of slander spoke about them, may Allah be pleased with them, and among those named among them was Abdullah ibn Ubayy the hypocrite, and Zayd ibn Rafi'a, and Mistah ibn Athatha, and Himmana bint Jahsh, and Hassan ibn Thabit." 'Urwah ibn al-Zubair said: "There are other people I have no knowledge of except that they are a group, as Allah, the Exalted, said.

And thus they mentioned Hassan among them, and by Allah, I do not think ill of him at all, even if his name came in the authentic narrations. The trustworthy may err for countless reasons, as those who engage in the critique of reports know. And how can he be thought of in that way when he has no occupation except praising the Prophet ﷺ and defending him and disparaging his enemies? And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ testified that Gabriel, peace be upon him, was with him. So I swear by Allah that the one who supported him with Gabriel would not leave him to himself in such an incident. And the one who preceded me in defending him was the scholar Imam al-Din ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi, may Allah have mercy on him. And how could he not defend him when he is the one who said:

'For indeed, my father and his father and my honor are a shield for the honor of Muhammad from you.'

And he is the one who says praising Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, and denying what has been reported from him regarding that:

A noble, composed woman, not weighed down by suspicion, And she becomes satiated from the flesh of the heedless.

The wife of the best of people in religion and status, The Prophet of guidance and the most honorable of the virtuous.

A noble woman from the tribe of Lu'ay ibn Ghalib, The generous in endeavors, her glory does not fade.

A refined one whom Allah has blessed her tents, And purified her from every shame and falsehood.

So if what has been conveyed to you that I said, Then my fingers did not raise the whip to me.

And how could it be, while my affection as long as I live and my support, Is for the family of the Messenger of Allah, the adornment of gatherings.

For him are high ranks above people, Which the boastful cannot reach.

And the scholar Abu Umar ibn Abd al-Barr said in Al-Isti'ab: And a group denied that Hassan had engaged in the slander and was punished for it, and they narrated from Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, that she exonerated him from that - this has ended.

And the people of slander continued in this for more than a month, and Allah, the Exalted, knows what they say, and that their words nearly cut the hearts of His most beloved creation to Him, and He is capable of refuting them at the first moment they engaged in it. But He, glorified and exalted is He, intended for some people the elevation of ranks, and for others destruction. So, how great was the trial that the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, and the truthful one, and his family, may Allah be pleased with them, faced, and all who love them, and they are the best of people. And Allah, glorified and exalted is He, gives respite to the slanderers and delays them. And indeed, the situation is as Abu Tammam al-Ta'i said in a poem:

So let the matter be great and let the affair be severe, For there is no excuse for an eye that has not shed its water.

And when Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, heard the words of the people of slander, she fell unconscious and was afflicted with a fever. She sought permission from the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, to go to her father's house, and he permitted her. She asked her mother about the news, and her mother informed her, so she wept and cried. Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, was in an upper room reading, and he heard her weeping, so he came down and asked her mother. She said: 'What has reached her regarding her affair?' His eyes overflowed with tears. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, continued to cry until she thought that crying would split her liver. A woman from the loyal, supportive, generous, and selfless ones, the Ansar, may Allah be pleased with them, helped her in crying, and she cried along with her. The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, asked about Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, and her maid, Barira, may Allah be pleased with her, was astonished that anyone would think such a thing about Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her. She said: 'Glorified is Allah! By Allah, I have not known anything about her except what a goldsmith knows about red gold.' The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, addressed the people from the pulpit and sought pardon from those who spoke about his family, saying that he knew nothing about them except good. The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, testified to the righteousness of Safwan ibn al-Mu'attal, may Allah be pleased with him, and that he knew nothing about him except good. The people nearly fought, but the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, calmed them down. Then he entered after praying the afternoon prayer to Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, while she was crying, and the Ansari woman was with her, and he advised her. She responded well. Then Allah revealed to the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, in that gathering, and he experienced what he would usually experience from the divine inspiration. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: 'As for me, when I saw what I saw, by Allah, I was not frightened nor did I care. I knew that I was innocent and that Allah is not unjust. As for my parents, by the One in whose hand is the soul of Aisha! I thought that their souls would depart in fear that Allah would bring about the truth of what the people said.' She said: 'Then it was lifted from him, and I could see the joy on his face as he wiped the sweat from his forehead and said: 'Rejoice, O Aisha, for Allah has revealed your innocence.' I was angrier than I had ever been. My parents said to me: 'Go to him!' I said: 'By Allah, I will not go to him, nor will I praise him, nor will I praise you, nor will I praise anyone except Allah, who has revealed my innocence. You have heard it, so you did not deny it nor change it.' And Allah, the Exalted, revealed: 'Indeed, those who came with the slander...' all ten verses. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: 'By Allah, the man who was spoken about would say: 'Glorified is Allah! By Him in whose hand is my soul! I have never uncovered the covering of a female.' She said: 'Then he was killed after that as a martyr in the cause of Allah.'