women who are chaste; and by “unsuspecting,” those who are unsuspecting of indecency and depravity, neither mindful of such things nor known for them.
“They are cursed in this world and the Hereafter, and theirs is a tremendous punishment.” [Al-Nūr: 23]
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Scholars of Quranic interpretation have differed, however, over which chaste women this ruling concerns. One group said that the verse was revealed concerning ʿĀ’ishah and what those responsible for the slander said about her, so this ruling applies exclusively to her, not to other chaste believing women. Another group said that it applies to the Prophet’s wives—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—but not to other believing women.
It is reported that Ibn ʿAbbās said: “This verse was revealed concerning ʿĀ’ishah and the other wives of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and applies to them. Its ruling is unqualified: Allah has made no provision for their accusers to repent. As for the other verse, ‘Those who accuse chaste women and then fail to produce four witnesses’ [Al-Nūr: 4], He says at its conclusion: ‘Except those who repent thereafter and mend their ways; surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful’ [Al-Nūr: 5]. Thus, He allowed those accusers to repent. But there is no repentance for anyone who accuses the wives of the Prophet, peace be upon him.” The narrator said that one of those present was about to rise and kiss his head in admiration of his interpretation.
It is also reported from Ibn ʿAbbās that the verse was revealed concerning ʿĀ’ishah, but was intended to include everyone possessing the qualities Allah described in it. It therefore applies generally to every chaste woman who has committed no wrongdoing. A group held this view, stating that the verse was revealed concerning the wives of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and that matters remained thus until the verse at the beginning of Al-Nūr was revealed, when Allah prescribed flogging and accepted repentance.
This is the more evident interpretation, Allah willing, because the verse is general and should therefore be understood in its general scope: tremendous punishment and a curse in this world and the Hereafter are due to anyone who accuses a chaste, virtuous woman who is not known to have committed wrongdoing or engaged in indecency—unless he repents, in which case Allah Most High, if He wills, accepts his repentance, as stated in the earlier verse.
Just as the earlier verse did not restrict mandatory flogging to those responsible for the slander, and the ruling for anyone who accuses any chaste woman or man, until the Day of Resurrection, is that he receive the prescribed flogging—as the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did to those responsible for the slander, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ubayy Salūl and Hassān