وَٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ بِغَيْرِ مَا ٱكْتَسَبُوا۟ فَقَدِ ٱحْتَمَلُوا۟ بُهْتَٰنًۭا وَإِثْمًۭا مُّبِينًۭا
And those who harm believing men and believing women for [something] other than what they have earned have certainly born upon themselves a slander and manifest sin.
Introduction
This is āyah 58 of Sūrat Al-Ahzaab (The Combined Forces), the 90th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Medinan period and sits within Juzʾ 22. 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
- 90 of 114
- Surah
- Al-Ahzaab (33)
(And those who malign believing men and believing women undeservedly�) [33:58]. 'Ata' reported that Ibn 'Abbas said: �Once, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be well pleased with him, saw a girl from the Helpers with her beauty uncovered. He disliked seeing her beauty and hit her. She complained to her family about him and, as a result, they went out to him in order to hurt him. Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse about this incident�. Muqatil said: �This verse was revealed about 'Ali ibn Abi Talib who used to be harmed and maligned by a group of hypocrites�. Al-Dahhak and al-Suddi said: �This verse was revealed about those adulterers who used to roam the streets of Medina and follow the women who come out at night to relieve themselves. When they saw a woman, they approached her and winked at her. If the woman did not say anything, they followed her; but if she rebuked them, they left her alone. Actually, these adulterers were only after slave girls. But at that time, freewomen were not distinguishable from slave-girls. All women used to go out wearing a chemise and a headscarf. The women complained to their husbands who mentioned the matter to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse�. The proof for the soundness of the above opinion is the saying of Allah, exalted is He (O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them�) [33:59]. Sa'id ibn Muhammad al-Mu'adhdhin informed us> Abu 'Ali al-Faqih> Ahmad ibn al-Husayn ibn al-Junayd> Ziyad ibn Ayyub> Hushaym> Husayn> Abu Malik who said: �The believing women were in the habit of going out at night to relieve themselves, but the hypocrites used to approach and malign them. This verse was revealed about this�. Said al-Suddi: �The houses of Medina used to be narrow. [For this reason,] women used to wait until nightfall in order to go out to relieve themselves. The corrupt of Medina also used to go out at night. Whenever they saw a woman with a cover, they said: 'This is a freewoman', and they left her alone. But whenever they saw a woman without cover, they said: 'This is a slave', and tempted her to commit adultery. Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse about this matter�.
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.
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