And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” The Arabic word /Safaha/ means to ignore, which is more important than forgiveness. Some have said that /safh/ is a forgiveness that is without rebuke and reproof. Some commentators have narrated an occasion of revelation for this holy verse, which shows how this verse is related to the pervious verses. They say that this holy verse was revealed about some of the Prophet (S).

After the event of ’Ifk, they took an oath to withdraw their financial helps from those who were involved in that event and spread this great calumny. They decided to give them no generous succour, in anything. But this noble verse prevented them from this violation and harshness. It orders them to be forgiving and lenient.

This occasion of revelation has been quoted by Qurtabi in his commentary narrated from Ibn Abbas;and Dahhak, as well as the deceased Tabarsi, have narrated it from Ibn Abbas and other persons, and it is general. But some Sunni commentators insist that this verse is revealed about Abu Bakr who terminated his financial help to Mastah Ibn ’Athathah, his maternal aunt’s son or his sister’s son, who helped to the circulation of ’Ifk. However all pronouns that are used in the verse are plural.

This matter shows that a group of Muslims decided to put an end to their helps unto these wrongdoers, and this verse prohibited them from this decision. Anyway, we know that the verses of Qur’an are not limited to occasion of revelation, and they involve all believers till Doomsday. The holy verse implicitly recommends Muslims not to be influenced by hot vehement feelings and they should not make rough and excessive decisions against wrongdoers’ errors and faults.

With regard to this occasion of revelation, we return to the commentary of the verse. The holy Qur’an says: “And let not those who possess dignity and ease among you swear against giving to the near of kin and the needy, and fugitives for the cause of Allah...” This way of saying shows that a group of those who were involved in ’Ifk were from among the Emigrants in the way of Allah.

They were deceived by hypocrites and because of their past records Allah did not allow them to be ostracized from Islamic society and He did not let the Muslims decide some horrible things about them that were more than the limit they deserved.