350 Page Notes

24 Surah An-Nur

Page 350 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 350 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 350 of the standard Uthmani codex marks a monumental milestone in your index project. It introduces a brand new chapter: Surah An-Nur (The Light - Chapter 24), covering verses 1 through 10.

Unlike the deeply reflective, theological endings of the previous Surah, Surah An-Nur explicitly opens as a surah of societal law, divine boundaries (Hudud), and legal protection. This page lays down the foundational laws regarding adultery and fornication (Verses 2-3), the strict penal consequences for slander or false accusations against a person's chastity (Verses 4-5), and the highly specific legal process of Li'an (mutual oath of condemnation) when a spouse accuses another without outside witnesses (Verses 6-10).

The Sunnah provides direct legal execution, the historical circumstances of revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul), and the deep mercy behind these intense social codes.

1. Hadiths Related to Verse 2: The Standardization of Legal Penalties

Surah An-Nur opens by declaring that its laws are mandated obligations:

"The woman and the man guilty of fornication/adultery - flog each of them with a hundred stripes and do not let pity for them withhold you from the religion of Allah..." (Quran 24:2).

The Sunnah Specifying the Legal Distinctions

The Prophet ﷺ clarified that this verse acts as the primary code for unmarried individuals (Al-Bikr). The Sunnah immediately stepped in to provide the thorough judicial framework, separating the rulings between unmarried and married people to avoid misapplication of the text.

• The Proclamation of the Path: Ubadah ibn as-Samit narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Take it from me, take it from me! Allah has ordained a path for them. For the unmarried person with an unmarried person, the penalty is one hundred stripes and exile for one year. For a married person with a married person, it is one hundred stripes and stoning."

Source Citations:

• Sahih Muslim: Book 29, Hadith 12 (Book of Legal Punishments / Hudud).

• Jami` at-Tirmidhi: Hadith 1434.

2. Hadiths Related to Verses 4–5: Protection from Slander (Qadhf)

To protect the honor of citizens from malicious rumors, Verse 4 sets a remarkably high judicial bar for testimony:

"And those who accuse chaste women and then do not produce four witnesses - flog them with eighty stripes and never accept their testimony thereafter. And those are the defiantly disobedient." (Quran 24:4).

The Historical Enforcement of Honor Protection

The Sunnah shows that the Prophet ﷺ enforced this law instantly, even when it involved high-ranking members of Muslim society who fell into gossip.

• The Revelation Context: This verse was directly reinforced following the historical Incident of Slander (Al-Ifk), where the Prophet’s wife, Aisha, was falsely accused by hypocrites. When her innocence was revealed on subsequent pages of this Surah, the legal penalties of Verse 4 were immediately applied to the vocal spreaders of the rumor.

• The Punishment: Aisha narrated: "When the excuse of my innocence was revealed, the Prophet ﷺ stood on the pulpit, mentioned that, and recited the Quranic verses. When he came down from the pulpit, he ordered that the two men and one woman (who spread the rumor) be flogged with their legal penalty of eighty stripes."

Source Citations:

• Sunan Abi Dawud: Hadith 4474 (Book of Legal Punishments).

• Jami` at-Tirmidhi: Hadith 3181. Graded Sahih.

3. Hadiths Related to Verses 6–9: The Law of Mutual Oaths (Al-Li'an)

Because the standard requirement for four eye-witnesses (Verse 4) could trap a husband who catches his spouse in infidelity with no one else around, Allah revealed a brilliant legal exit strategy at the bottom of page 350:

"And those who accuse their wives and have no witnesses except themselves - then the witness of one of them shall be four testimonies swearing by Allah that he is indeed of the truthful..." (Quran 24:6).

The Anxious Companion and the Prophetic Response

The Sunnah documents the exact moment this law descended, displaying the profound psychological relief it brought to husbands facing an impossible legal paradox.

• The Dilemma of Hilal: Hilal ibn Umayyah came before the Prophet ﷺ and accused his wife of infidelity with another man. The Prophet ﷺ, adhering strictly to Verse 4, warned him repeatedly: "Bring your proof (four witnesses), or else the legal penalty of slander (80 lashes) will be applied to your own back!"

• The Relief: Hilal cried out: "O Messenger of Allah! If one of us sees a man on top of his wife, must he go looking for witnesses? By Allah, I am telling the truth, and Allah will surely reveal something to protect my back from the whip!"

• The Revelation: Right then, Angel Jibril descended with verses 6 through 9 of Surah An-Nur, establishing the Li'an process where spouses can swear opposing sets of five oaths to legally dissolve the marriage cleanly without standard criminal penalties.

Source Citations:

• Sahih al-Bukhari: Book 65, Hadith 4747 (Book of Prophetic Commentary).

• Sahih Muslim: Book 19, Hadith 11 (Book of Mutual Oath of Condemnation).

4. Hadiths Related to Verse 10: The Umbrella of Divine Grace

Page 350 concludes by reminding the community that these strict legal frameworks are an act of ultimate protection rather than malice:

"And if not for the favor of Allah upon you and His mercy... and that Allah is Accepting of repentance and Wise." (Quran 24:10).

The Sunnah of Preventing Legal Execution Through Doubt

The Prophet ﷺ built his entire judicial philosophy around the mercy highlighted in Verse 10. He constantly instructed his judges to find any viable reason to waive corporate physical penalties if the psychological intent or clarity of evidence was compromised.

• The Golden Judicial Rule: Aisha narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stated as a fundamental pillar of Islamic law:
  "Ward off the legal penalties (Hudud) from the Muslims as much as you possibly can. If there is any way out for an accused person, then let them go free. For it is far better for an authority/leader to err in forgiving someone than to err in punishing them."

Source Citation:

• Jami` at-Tirmidhi: Hadith 1424 (Book of Legal Punishments). Graded Authentic as a legal maxim supported by the companions.