Tafseer of The Women · An-Nisaa · 4:156
And [We cursed them] for their disbelief and their saying against Mary a great slander,
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The statement concerning the explanation of His word: وَبِكُفْرِهِمْ وَقَوْلِهِمْ عَلَى مَرْيَمَ بُهْتَانًا عَظِيمًا ("And because of their disbelief and their utterance against Maryam, a tremendous slander") (156).
Abū Jaʿfar said: He, exalted is His praise, means by it: and because of the disbelief (kufr) of those whose character He has described = "and their utterance against Maryam, a tremendous slander," that is to say: because of their fabrication against her and their accusation of her of fornication (zinā), and that is "the tremendous slander," for they accused her of it while she was free of that of which they accused her, without any proof or indication. Thus they slandered her with a false utterance.
And in accordance with what we have said about this, the people of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) have spoken.
*Mention of who said that:
10776 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya ibn Ṣāliḥ related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭalḥa, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "and their utterance against Maryam, a tremendous slander," that is to say: that they accused her of fornication.
10777 — Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Aḥmad ibn al-Mufaḍḍal related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, his word: "and their utterance against Maryam, a tremendous slander," when they accused her of fornication.
10778 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: Yaʿlā ibn ʿUbayd related to us, on the authority of Juwaybir, concerning his word: "and their utterance against Maryam, a tremendous slander," he said: they said: "She has committed fornication".
