Charity Withheld, and the Curse on Slander

Another lesson: this Misṭaḥ, who was talking bad about ʿĀ'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), was a poor man, and Abū Bakr was the one who was taking care of his financial needs. So when Abū Bakr knew that this particular man was the one talking about his daughter ʿĀ'ishah, Abū Bakr was upset and he stopped spending money on him. So Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, said, "The men of grace and wealth among you should not swear against giving to the kinsmen and the poor and to those who have migrated in the way of Allah, and they should forgive and forego. Do you not like that Allah forgives you? Allah is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful" (24:22). So Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, is saying that here you should overlook. It was a mistake. They did not know the ḥukm of it yet. So pardon them.^†

Another lesson: Allah is jealous about the reputation of Muslims. Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, says, "Surely, those who level a false charge against the chaste, naive and believing women are cursed in this world and the Hereafter, and for them there is a mighty punishment" (24:23). So you can see that it is a serious crime to accuse a Muslim woman of adultery. Now, even though the āyah talks about women, the same ruling, the exact same ruling, applies to women and men. The reason why the āyah mentions women, even though men are included, is because it is even worse when it is about women. But it doesn't mean that it is okay to slander men. Allah says that those who level a false charge against the chaste, naive and believing women are cursed in this world and the Hereafter, and that for them there is a mighty punishment "on the Day when their tongues, their hands and their legs will testify against themselves of what they used to do. On that day Allah will give them their rightful recompense in full, and they will know that Allah is the Very Truth who makes all things manifest" (24:24–25). So Allah doesn't want Muslims to slander one another.