سورة النور

The Messenger (peace be upon him and his family): Avoid the seven destructive things: associating partners with Allah ... and accusing chaste, believing, unaware women.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) says: Amr ibn Ubayd came to my father Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him); when he greeted him and sat down, he recited this verse: "Those who avoid the great sins and evil deeds." (Shura/37) Then he fell silent. The Imam said: "Why did you fall silent?" He said: "I would like to know the great sins from the Book of Allah the Mighty and Majestic." The Imam said: "Yes, O Amr! The greatest of sins is associating partners with Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and accusing a chaste woman of fornication, for Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: لُعِنُوا فِی الدُّنْیا وَ الْآخِرَةِ وَ لَهُمْ عَذابٌ عَظِیمٌ [they are cursed in this world and the hereafter, and they shall have a grievous chastisement]."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): وَ الَّذِینَ یَرْمُونَ الْمُحْصَناتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ یَأْتُوا بِأَرْبَعَةِ شُهَداء [And those who accuse chaste women and then do not bring four witnesses]. And He also declared those persons cursed and said: إِنَّ الَّذینَ یَرْمُونَ الْمحْصَناتِ الْغافِلاتِ الْمؤْمِناتِ لُعِنُوا فِی الدُّنْیا وَ الْآخِرَةِ وَ لَهُمْ عَذابٌ عَظیمٌ [Surely those who accuse chaste believing women, unaware, are cursed in this world and the hereafter, and they shall have a grievous chastisement].

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Allah here has considered those who slander to be outside of faith and has said: "Is one who is a believer like one who is a transgressor?! No, they are never equal." (Sajdah/18) And likewise He has considered the hypocrites to be transgressors and said: "Assuredly, the hypocrites are the very transgressors!" (Tawbah/67) And He has introduced the transgressors as friends of Satan and said: "Except Iblis; he was of the jinn and departed from the command of his Lord." (Kahf/50) And He has considered those who accuse chaste believing women and slander them to be cursed and said: إِنَّ الَّذِینَ یَرْمُونَ الْمحْصَناتِ الْغافِلاتِ الْمؤْمِناتِ لُعِنُوا فِی الدُّنْیا وَ الْآخِرَةِ وَ لَهُمْ عَذابٌ عَظِیمٌ یَوْمَ تَشْهَدُ عَلَیْهِمْ أَلْسِنَتُهُمْ وَ أَیْدِیهِمْ وَ أَرْجُلُهُمْ بِما کانُوا یَعْمَلُون [Surely those who accuse chaste believing women, unaware, are cursed in this world and the hereafter, and they shall have a grievous chastisement, on the day when their tongues, their hands and their feet shall bear witness against them of what they did]; the limbs do not testify against a believer, rather they testify against that group who deserve the punishment.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Mufaddal narrates that he wrote a letter to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him). He (peace be upon him) replied as follows: ... You had asked me to explain to you what is meant. Pay attention! Allah created the worlds and has no partner. Creation, command, this world and the hereafter are in His hands. He is the Creator of everything. He willed that people should know Him through the prophets, and through them He also completed the proof against them. The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), who is the guide toward Allah, is a created servant who has a Lord. Allah chose him for His messengership and honoured him, and made him His vicegerent among the people, the speaking tongue of Allah among the people, His trustee over them, and His guardian in the heavens and the earth. His speech is the speech of Allah. Concerning Allah he says nothing but the truth. Whoever obeys him has obeyed Allah, and whoever disobeys him has disobeyed Allah. He is the master (mawla) of everyone whose Lord is Allah. Whoever does not acknowledge obedience to the Prophet has refused obedience to Allah and servitude to Him, and whoever acknowledges obedience to the Prophet has obeyed Allah and been guided. The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) is the master of the worlds, whether they know him or deny him, and he is a compassionate father. Whoever is obedient to him and loves him is a righteous child who abstains from sins. I have explained what you asked. I know that a group have heard these distinctions of ours but have not grasped them, and have altered them and placed them outside their original limits — like what you have heard. Allah and His Messenger are averse to a group who, by means of us, deem their ugly deeds lawful. People have made their deeds a cause for reproaching us. Allah will judge between us and them. He says in the Noble Qur'an: الَّذِینَ یَرْمُونَ الْمُحْصَناتِ الْغافِلاتِ الْمُؤْمِناتِ لُعِنُوا فِی الدُّنْیا وَ الْآخِرَةِ وَ لَهُمْ عَذابٌ عَظِیمٌ، یَوْمَ تَشْهَدُ عَلَیْهِمْ أَلْسِنَتُهُمْ وَ أَیْدِیهِمْ وَ أَرْجُلُهُمْ بِما کانُوا یَعْمَلُونَ، یَوْمَئِذٍ یُوَفِّیهِمُ اللهُ دِینَهُمُ الْحَقَّ وَ یَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ اللهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ الْمُبِینُ [Those who accuse chaste, unaware, believing women are cursed in this world and the hereafter, and for them is a great chastisement, on the day when their tongues, their hands and their feet shall bear witness against them concerning what they used to do; on that day Allah will pay them in full their just due, and they will know that Allah — He is the Manifest Truth].

Ali ibn Ibrahim: إِنَّ الَّذِینَ یَرْمُونَ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ الْغَافِلَاتِ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ [Surely those who accuse chaste believing women, unaware]; what is meant by "unaware" is women who are heedless of and far removed from indecent acts.

Hazrat Zahra (peace be upon her): Allah the Exalted has made it obligatory to refrain from falsely accusing chaste women, so as to be protected from being cast away from the threshold of divine mercy.