Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, said: "Indeed, those who love that immorality should be spread among those who have believed will have a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter. And Allah knows, while you do not know." "And if it had not been for the favor of Allah upon you and His mercy, and that Allah is Kind and Merciful."

Mujahid and Ibn Zayd said: The reference in this verse is to the hypocrites, Abdullah ibn Ubayy and those like him. It is specific to the matter of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: So their love for the spread of immorality among the believers is firmly established due to their enmity towards the people of faith. Their painful punishment in this world is the legal penalties, and in the Hereafter, it is the Fire.

A group said - and their statement is the more apparent - that the verse is general for every slanderer, whether a hypocrite or a believer.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And the believing slanderer does not possess the characteristic of loving the spread of immorality among the believers as a whole. However, he loves it for the one he slanders, and likewise another for his slandered one, and another until the immorality spreads from the totality of their actions. They love it in this way, as each one loves a part of its spread. The painful punishment in this world is the legal penalties, and in the Hereafter, it has two possibilities: One is that the slanderer is threatened among the sinners with a punishment in the Hereafter that the legal penalty does not remove, according to the implication of the hadith of Ubadah ibn al-Samit. His situation would be like that of the fighters when they are crucified, disgrace in this world and for them in the Hereafter is punishment. The second possibility is that it is ruled that the legal penalty removes the punishment of the Hereafter according to the hadith of Ubadah, and that his saying: "and the Hereafter" does not intend the generality of slanderers, but rather intends either the hypocrites or those who did not find [evidence]. And Al-Tabari said: Its meaning is: If he dies persistently without repenting.

And His saying, the Exalted, "And Allah knows" means: the innocent from the sinner, and all matters, and the aspect of wisdom in concealing you and the severity of the warning and punishment upon your slanderers.

And His saying, the Exalted, "And if it had not been for the favor of Allah" - the verse. The answer to "if not" is omitted due to the indication of the speech upon it. Its estimation is: He would have exposed you for your sins and would not have concealed you, and would have punished you for what you have indulged in of false speech and slander.