Why, when you heard it, did not the believing men and believing women think good of themselves [i.e., one another] and say, "This is an obvious falsehood"?
Verse 12 of Surah An-Nur (24:12), a Medinan surah, is in juz 18, on page 351 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 72 reciters.
Listen to verse 12 of Surah An-Nur
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Tafsir of verse 12
Al-Mukhtasar
When the believers heard this great slander, why did they not believe the faultlessness of their believing brothers who were accused of that and say: “This is a clear lie”?
If only the believing men and women had thought well of themselves, and said, “This is a clear slander!”
Why then, did not the believers, men and women, when you heard it (the slander), think good of their own people and say: "This (charge) is an obvious lie2?"
Notes
[2] (V.24:12) See Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol.6, Hadith No.274 The story of the slander against ‘Aishah رضي الله عنها, the wife of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.
Why did not the believers, men and women, when ye heard it, think good of their own own folk, and say: It is a manifest untruth?
Why did not the believers - men and women - when ye heard of the affair,- put the best construction on it in their own minds and say, "This (charge) is an obvious lie"?
Why did not the believing men and the believing women, when you heard it, think well of their own people, and say: This is an evident falsehood?
If the men believers and the women believers had thought good (thoughts) of themselves as you heard it and they would have said, "This is an evident falsehood."
Indeed, those who came with falsehood are a group among you. Do not think it bad for you; rather, it is good for you. For every person among them is what [punishment] he has earned from the sin, and he who took upon himself the greater portion thereof - for him is a great punishment [i.e., Hellfire].
