Overall meaning : Those who have concocted the vicious slander by accusing ‘Aishah, Mother of the Believers, of adultery were a group among you, Muslims. Do not consider such slander bad for you; rather, it is good for you. Each one of those slanderers will bear his share of punishment in proportion to his crime, but the one who is guilty of the greater part of the slander will suffer a terrible punishment. When you, believing men and women, first heard the slander, why did you not think well of your fellow Muslim brothers and sisters, and say, ‘This is obviously a lie!’ Why did these slanderers not produce four witnesses known for their probity and integrity in support of their charge?! Since they have not produced the witnesses, then they are truly liars in Allah’s estimation.
Had it not been for Allah’s favour and grace towards you in this life and in the life to come—for His affording you the chance to repent, not hastening to inflict His punishment you and pardoning you—a severe punishment would have come upon you for your indulging in such calumny, when you passed it from mouth to mouth and uttered false statements without knowledge or a conclusive proof; considering it a trivial matter but in Allah’s estimation it was a great sin!
When you heard such slander, why did you not say, by way of censure and deterrence, ‘It is not proper for us to talk of this false matter. High Exalted are You, our Lord, above all defects and imperfections! We are astounded by the enormity of what we have heard. This is a gross calumny.’ Allah admonishes you never to repeat this great sin, if you are true believers. Allah makes the verses of His Book clear to you. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise: He is fully aware of all people’s circumstances, and all His commands are highly judicious.