Quran Universe
24:16

وَلَوۡلَآ إِذۡ سَمِعۡتُمُوهُ قُلۡتُم مَّا يَكُونُ لَنَآ أَن نَّتَكَلَّمَ بِهَٰذَا سُبۡحَٰنَكَ هَٰذَا بُهۡتَٰنٌ عَظِيمٞ

Walawla ith samiAAtumoohu qultum ma yakoonu lana an natakallama bihatha subhanaka hatha buhtanun AAatheemun

And why, when you heard it, did you not say, "It is not for us to speak of this. Exalted are You, [O Allah]; this is a great slander"?

Word by word
  1. وَلَوۡلَآAnd why not
  2. إِذۡwhen
  3. سَمِعۡتُمُوهُyou heard it
  4. قُلۡتُمyou said
  5. مَّاNot
  6. يَكُونُit is
  7. لَنَآfor us
  8. أَنthat
  9. نَّتَكَلَّمَwe speak
  10. بِهَٰذَاof this
  11. سُبۡحَٰنَكَGlory be to You
  12. هَٰذَاThis
  13. بُهۡتَٰنٌ(is) a slander
  14. عَظِيمٞgreat
An-Nur · 24:16Madinah

It is not for us to speak of this.

The sentence a believer keeps ready

What they should have said
you hear itthe rumor arrives
reply
not for usto speak of this
SubhanakGlory be to You
a great slandername it plainly
Thoughts versus words
a bad thought cameexcused if not spoken
keep it unspokendo not let it out

Ibn Kathir calls this a further lesson after thinking well of people. If a bad thought about good people is put into the mind by Shaytan, do not speak about it. He cites the hadith that Allah excuses what crosses the mind as long as it is not spoken or acted on.

Your cousin starts: "I'm not saying it's true, but..." Everyone leans in. You do not need a speech. Just one line: "This is not ours to talk about." The thought that crossed your mind is not held against you. Saying it would be.

If the thought came to me, I might as well say it.

A passing thought is excused; letting it out is where I become responsible.

Try this

Memorize one short line to stop gossip, like this is not ours to talk about, and use it once.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And why did you not, when you heard it, say: "It is not right for us to speak of this. Glory be to You (O Allah)! This is a great lie. (16)Allah forbids you from it and warns you not to repeat the like of it forever, if you are believers (17)And Allah makes the Ayat plain to you, and Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise (18)

Further Discipline

This is further discipline, in addition to the command to think well of people, i.e., if something unbefitting is mentioned about good people, then one should think well of them, and not feel towards them anything but good. Then if a person has any unsuitable thoughts about them, insinuated into his mind and imagination by Shaytan, he should not speak about that, for the Prophet ﷺ said:

إِنَّ اللهَ تَعَالَى تَجَاوَزَ لِأُمَّتِي عَمَّا حَدَّثَتْ بِهِ أَنْفُسُهَا مَا لَمْ تَقُلْ أَوْ تَعْمَلْ

(Allah will excuse my Ummah for anything that occurs to their minds, so long as they do not speak about it or act upon it.) This was reported in the Two Sahihs. Allah's saying:

وَلَوْلَا إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ قُلْتُم مَّا يَكُونُ لَنَا أَن نَّتَكَلَّمَ بِهَٰذَا

(And why did you not, when you heard it, say: "It is not right for us to speak of this".) meaning, we should not talk about it or mention it to anyone.

سُبْحَانَكَ هَٰذَا بُهْتَانٌ عَظِيمٌ

(Glory be to You (O Allah)! This is a great lie.) means, glory be to Allah that such a thing should be said about the wife of His Prophet and close Friend ﷺ. Then Allah says,

يَعِظُكُمُ اللَّهُ أَن تَعُودُوا لِمِثْلِهِ أَبَدًا

(Allah forbids you from it and warns you not to repeat the like of it forever,) meaning, Allah is forbidding you and warning you from doing anything like this again in the future. Allah says,

إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

(if you are believers.) meaning, if you believe in Allah and His Laws, and you respect His Messenger ﷺ. As for those who are described as disbelievers, a different ruling applies in their case. Then Allah says,

وَيُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ

(And Allah makes the Ayat plain to you,) meaning, He makes clear to you the rulings of Shari'ah and His divine decrees.

وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ

(and Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.) means, He knows what is right for His servants and He is Wise in His Laws and decrees.