Quran Universe
24:17

يَعِظُكُمُ ٱللَّهُ أَن تَعُودُواْ لِمِثۡلِهِۦٓ أَبَدًا إِن كُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِينَ

YaAAithukumu Allahu an taAAoodoo limithlihi abadan in kuntum mumineena

Allah warns you against returning to the likes of this [conduct], ever, if you should be believers.

Word by word
  1. يَعِظُكُمُAllah warns you
  2. ٱللَّهُAllah warns you
  3. أَنthat
  4. تَعُودُواْyou return
  5. لِمِثۡلِهِۦٓ(to the) like of it
  6. أَبَدًاever
  7. إِنif
  8. كُنتُمyou are
  9. مُّؤۡمِنِينَbelievers
An-Nur · 24:17Madinah

Never again, if you truly believe.

A warning given like a parent's counsel

What Allah does here
warnscounsels you
against
the like of itany slander like this
everfor all time
What is tied to it
a one-off lessonfor that day only
a mark of faithif you are believers

Ibn Kathir explains that Allah is forbidding and warning them against anything like this again in the future. The words if you are believers tie it to faith in Allah, His laws, and respect for His Messenger ﷺ.

You promised yourself after the last family fight that you would never bring up her past again. Then the next argument comes, and it is right there. This verse is Allah saying: never again, ever. Not as a threat. As a promise worth keeping because you believe.

I slipped once; it will probably happen again.

Allah warns me lovingly so I can make never again part of my faith.

Try this

Pick one hurtful thing you tend to repeat about someone. Decide today you will not say it again.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 24:16)

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.