Surah An-Noor (24) — Ayah 10

(Ayah 10){ وَ لَوْ لَا فَضْلُ اللّٰهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَ رَحْمَتُهٗ … :} "If it were not for Allah's favor upon you and His mercy..." The answer to this "if" is omitted, meaning "then your condition would be such that it is difficult to describe," so this answer has been omitted. Some details of this are as follows: If Allah had not revealed the ruling of li'an, then if a husband saw his wife in the act of adultery, his case would not be like that of other people, regarding whom the command is that if they see someone committing adultery and cannot bring four witnesses, then they should remain silent, because they have no personal involvement in it and they are not more protective than Allah. In contrast, if the husband remains silent, he would have to remain silent his whole life with a burning heart and accept someone else's child as his own. If he divorces, it is a loss for him, and if he accuses, he must bring four witnesses, and if he cannot, which apparently is not possible, then he would suffer the punishment for slander. On the other hand, if the wife's adultery was proven merely by the husband's accusation or oaths, it would be a great hardship for the woman, because it is possible she is truthful. Similarly, if the woman was acquitted due to her oaths, then the man would be liable for the hadd of qadhf (slander), even though it is possible he is the truthful one. Therefore, the ruling of li'an is Allah's special favor and His mercy, and He has given this ruling because of being {’’ تَوَّابٌ ‘‘} and {’’ حَكِيْمٌ ‘‘}, so that whichever party among the husband and wife is truthful may be saved from punishment without cause, and the one who is lying may be covered in this world, and perhaps he may benefit from the respite and, due to Allah's attribute of being the Acceptor of Repentance, may repent and attain the good fortune of having his repentance accepted.