Surah An-Noor (24) — Ayah 22

(Ayah 22) ➊ {وَ لَا يَاْتَلِ اُولُوا الْفَضْلِ مِنْكُمْ وَ السَّعَةِ … : ’’ وَ لَا يَاْتَلِ ‘‘ ’’ أَلِيَّةٌ ‘‘} (on the pattern of {فَعِيْلَةٌ،} meaning oath) is from the form of ifti‘al, and in {’’اِئْتَلٰي يَأْتَلِيْ‘‘} it is the negative of the third person. In Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayah (226): «{ لِلَّذِيْنَ يُؤْلُوْنَ مِنْ نِّسَآىِٕهِمْ }», {’’ يُؤْلُوْنَ ‘‘} is from the form of if‘al. In Surah An-Nur, Ayah (11), the authentic hadith of Sahih Bukhari (4750) has already passed that among those who slandered Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was also Mistah bin Uthathah (may Allah be pleased with him), who was the son of the maternal female cousin of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) (some have also called him a maternal cousin). Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) had fixed an allowance for him due to their kinship and his poverty. When Mistah said this, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) stopped that allowance, but when this verse was revealed and in it these words came: «{ اَلَا تُحِبُّوْنَ اَنْ يَّغْفِرَ اللّٰهُ لَكُمْ }» "Do you not love that Allah should forgive you?" then Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "Why not, I do love that Allah should forgive me." So he resumed the allowance and said, "I will never reduce it again."
➋ In the previous verse it was said that Allah purifies whom He wills, so if the people of Ifk fell into this sin and you were protected from it, there is no excellence of yours in this; it is merely Allah’s grace and His mercy. Therefore, when the slanderers have repented and have also received their punishment, do not keep looking at their mistake, but also look at the reasons for kindness towards them, each of which demands that you should give them from the superiority and abundance Allah has given you. Among these reasons for kindness, one is being a relative, the second is being needy, and the third is being an emigrant in the way of Allah. If all three reasons are combined, then their right should be given to them all the more.
➌ From this verse it is known that except for apostasy, a person’s good deeds are not completely nullified by other sins, because Allah has appreciated the migration of the emigrants among the people of Ifk despite their slander and has commanded good treatment towards them.
➍ The meaning of {وَ لْيَعْفُوْا وَ لْيَصْفَحُوْا:’’ وَ لْيَعْفُوْا ‘‘ ’’عَفَا يَعْفُوْ‘‘} is to erase. It is said: {’’عَفَتِ الرِّيْحُ الْأَثَرَ‘‘} "The wind erased the footprints." That is, erase their slip from your heart and cover it up. {’’ وَ لْيَصْفَحُوْا ‘‘} Some scholars have said that it is derived from {’’صَفْحَةُ الْعُنُقِ‘‘} (side of the neck), meaning overlook their bad behavior as if you have turned your neck away from them. This command of forgiveness and overlooking has come in Surah Al-Imran (134), An-Nisa (149), Al-Hijr (85), Ash-Shura (43), and many other verses. (Adwa’ al-Bayan)
➎ { اَلَا تُحِبُّوْنَ اَنْ يَّغْفِرَ اللّٰهُ لَكُمْ:} Its reason for revelation has been mentioned above. From this it is known that forgiving a sinful Muslim and overlooking his fault is a means of forgiveness of sins. If you forgive, Allah will forgive you; if you overlook, Allah will overlook you; as you act, so will you be rewarded.
➏ This verse is evidence that it is not permissible to swear an oath not to do good; one should give the expiation for such an oath and do the good deed. Similarly, if not fulfilling the oath is better, then one should give its expiation and do the better deed. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ مَنْ حَلَفَ عَلٰی يَمِيْنٍ فَرَأَی غَيْرَهَا خَيْرًا مِّنْهَا فَلْيُكَفِّرْ عَنْ يَّمِيْنِهِ وَلْيَفْعَلْ ] [ ترمذي، النذور والأیمان، باب ما جاء في الکفارۃ قبل الحنث : ۱۵۳۰، و قال الألباني صحیح ] "Whoever swears an oath about something, then sees something else better, let him give the expiation for his oath and do (the better thing)."

22-1 Hazrat Mistah, who became involved in the incident of Ifk, was among the poor Muhajireen and was a cousin of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq, which is why Abu Bakr was his sponsor and responsible for his livelihood. When he too participated in the campaign against Hazrat Aisha, Abu Bakr Siddiq was deeply hurt, which was a natural reaction. Therefore, after the revelation of Aisha's innocence, in anger, he swore that he would no longer provide any benefit to Mistah. This oath of Abu Bakr Siddiq, although in accordance with human nature, was nevertheless below the elevated character required of the rank of Siddiq, and Allah did not like it. Thus, this verse was revealed, in which, with great affection, he was gently warned about this hasty human action, that you too continue to make mistakes and you wish that Allah continues to forgive your mistakes. Then why do you not deal with others in the same way, with forgiveness and overlooking faults? Do you not wish that Allah forgives your mistakes? Here, the manner of expression was so effective that upon hearing it, Abu Bakr Siddiq spontaneously exclaimed, "Why not, O our Lord! We certainly wish that You forgive us." After this, he paid the expiation for his oath and resumed his financial support of Mistah as before (Fath al-Qadeer, Ibn Kathir).

22. And let not those among you who are blessed with wealth swear not to give (charity or support) to their relatives [27], the needy, and those who have migrated in the way of Allah. Rather, they should forgive and overlook. Do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? [27.1] And Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.

[27]
The Oath of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr to Stop the Allowance:

In the detailed narration of Hazrat Aishaؓ, it is mentioned that Mistah bin Athathah was among those simple-minded Muslims who got swept away in this turmoil. He was a close relative of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ and was needy. Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ used to give him a monthly allowance for his subsistence. When he too became one of those who leveled accusations, it was natural for Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ to feel hurt by him. He had repaid kindness with evil. Thus, he swore that he would never again help such an ungrateful person. Upon this, this verse was revealed, in which even such people are urged to forgive and overlook. Accordingly, he immediately submitted to this command and said: "O Lord! We certainly wish that You forgive us." Thus, he pledged to resume his help and even began to help more than before.
[27۔ 1]

One Should Forgive So That Allah May Forgive Us:

Thus, in this verse, Muslims are taught to keep a lofty principle in mind, that is, when forgiving someone, they should not think about how that person has treated them, but rather forgive so that Allah will forgive them. And this is a need that every person has in every circumstance. Another noteworthy point is that Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiqؓ did resume his assistance, but did he also pay the expiation for his oath? There is no mention of this here. Therefore, some scholars believe that adopting the good deed itself is the expiation for the oath. While another group believes, and after the command regarding expiation of oaths was revealed in Surah Ma'idah, that paying the expiation for the oath is also necessary, and as further evidence, they present the following hadith: Hazrat Abu Musa Ash'ari narrates that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "By Allah! if Allah wills, whenever I swear an oath about something, and then I find something else better than it, I pay the expiation for my oath and do what seems better to me." [بخاری۔ کتاب الایمان والنذور۔ باب الاستثناء فی الایمان]

Therefore, the better course is to also pay the expiation for such an oath.