وَلَوْلَآ إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ قُلْتُم مَّا يَكُونُ لَنَآ أَن نَّتَكَلَّمَ بِهَٰذَا سُبْحَٰنَكَ هَٰذَا بُهْتَٰنٌ عَظِيمٌۭ
And why, when you heard it, did you not say, "It is not for us to speak of this. Exalted are You, [O Allah]; this is a great slander"?
Introduction
This is āyah 16 of Sūrat An-Noor (The Light), the 102nd sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Medinan period and sits within Juzʾ 18. Medinan verses often address community life, law, and the building of society.
This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.
Revelation & occasion
- Period
- Medinan
- Order revealed
- 102 of 114
- Surah
- An-Noor (24)
(Wherefor, when ye heard it, said ye not: It is not for us to speak of this�) [24:16]. Abu �Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Humayd al-�Adl informed us> Abu Bakr ibn Zakariyya> Muhammad ibn �Abd al-Rahman al-Daghuli> Abu Bakr ibn Abi Khaythamah> al-Haytham ibn Kharijah> �Abd Allah ibn �Abd al-Rahman ibn Yazid ibn Jabir> �Ata� al-Khurasani> al-Zuhri> �Urwah who reported that �A�ishah related to him the incident of the slander in which she said: �Abu Ayyub al-Ansari was asked by his wife: �Did you not hear about what people are saying?� �And what are they saying�, he exclaimed. She informed him about the slander perpetuated by a group of people regarding �A�ishah, upon which he said: �It is not for us to speak about this. Glory be to You (O Allah)! This is awful calumny�. Allah, glorious and majestic is He, then revealed (Wherefor, when ye heard it, said ye not: It is not for us to speak of this. Glory be to Thee (O Allah)! This is awful calumny)�. Abu Sa�id �Abd al-Rahman ibn Hamdan informed us> Abu Bakr ibn Ahmad ibn Ja�far ibn Malik> �Abd Allah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal> his father> �Abd al-Razzaq> Ma�mar> �Abd Allah ibn �Uthman ibn Khuthaym> Ibn Abi Mulaykah> Dhakwan, the client of �A�ishah who reported that he asked permission for Ibn �Abbas to enter in on �A�ishah when she was dying while she had at her side her nephew �Abd Allah ibn �Abd al-Rahman, saying: �Ibn �Abbas is here and he asks permission to visit you; he is one of your best sons!� She said: �Spare me from Ibn �Abbas and his praise�. �Abd Allah ibn �Abd al-Rahman said: �He is a reader of the Book of Allah, glorified and exalted is He, and a man of knowledge regarding the religion of Allah, glorified is He. Give him permission so that he greets you and bids you farewell�. She said: �Give him permission, if you wish!� He gave him permission to enter. He entered, gave the greeting of peace, sat down and then said: �Good news for you, O mother of the believers. By Allah, in a short while all harm and toil will disappear from you. You will meet the loved ones, Muhammad, Allah bless him and give him peace, and his party (or he said Companions).
Tafsir
Hafiz Ibn Kathir
Chains of transmission
Oral — isnād
- ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation
Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.
- 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation
Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.
- TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation
Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.
Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.
Written — the manuscript record
- ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation
The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).
- 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation
Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.
- Modern printModern printawaiting curation
The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.
A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.
And now — what do you think?
The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.
Community resources
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