Committing sin is always viewed negatively not only in communities and societies but also Divinely. However, the gravity of the act of a sinner gets multiplied if the sinner throws blame on an innocent to evade justice and punishment of his act. Islam, like all Divine religions strictly prohibits committing sin and cautions against throwing the blame on others.
Today we share Ayah 112 of Surah 4. An-Nisa of Al Qur'an which delivers a stern warning against committing a sin and then falsely accusing an innocent person of it — one of the Qur’an’s strongest verses on justice, responsibility, and false accusation.
وَمَنۡ يَّكۡسِبۡ خَطِيۡٓـئَةً اَوۡ اِثۡمًا ثُمَّ يَرۡمِ بِهٖ بَرِيۡٓـئًـا فَقَدِ احۡتَمَلَ بُهۡتَانًا وَّاِثۡمًا مُّبِيۡنًا
“But whoever commits a fault or a sin, then throws it upon an innocent person, has indeed burdened himself with a false accusation and a manifest sin.” — Surah An-Nisā’ 4:112
Historical Context (Why This Verse Was Revealed)
This verse was revealed regarding a real incident in Madinah wherein a a Muslim man committed theft and to escape punishment, he planted the stolen item in the house of a Jewish man. Some Muslims defended the thief because he was “one of them.” And they even tried to convince the Prophet ﷺ that the Jewish man was guilty.
Before the revered Prophet ﷺ could give out a verdict, Allah revealed verses 4:105–112 to: (1) Declare the Muslim guilty, (2) Clear the innocent man, even if not from own fraternity, (3) Condemn false accusation and (4) Strictly warn against tribal or emotional bias
This shows Islam stands for justice even if it is against Muslims themselves.
Explanation of the Verse (Phrase by Phrase)
- “Whoever commits a fault or a sin…” - This includes: (1) Minor sins (mistakes, negligence) and (2) Major sins (theft, lying, betrayal). This shows Islam teaches personal responsibility.
- “…and then casts it upon an innocent person…” - This means: (1) Blaming someone who did not commit the crime, (2) Framing someone, (3) Lying to escape punishment, (3) Destroying someone’s reputation - This is considered worse than the original sin.
- “…has burdened himself with a false accusation…” - A false accusation is one of the gravest sins in Islam because: (1) It destroys lives, (2) Ruins reputations, (3) Causes injustice and (4) Breaks trust in society. In Arabic, this is buhtān بُهْتَان — a lie so serious that it shocks the listener.
- “…and a manifest (clear) sin.” - This means (1) The sin is obvious, (2) No excuse will stand and that (3) Allah Himself condemns it - It is a public moral crime, not a private mistake.
Ibn Kathir, the 14th century Arab Islamic exegete, historian and scholar. An expert on tafsir (Quranic exegesis), tarikh (history) and fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), he is considered a leading authority on Sunni Islam, explains that this verse sets a general and severe rule of conduct. The core of his explanation emphasizes the gravity of a false accusation:
- Doubled Sin: A person who commits a misdeed (khati'ah - minor fault, or ithm - major sin) and subsequently attributes it to an innocent individual commits a grave offense.
- Burden of Falsehood: This action doubles the offender's punishment, as they not only bear the weight of their original sin but also the additional, significant burden of lying and slandering an blameless person.
- Manifest Sin: The verse uses the term "manifest sin" (ithmam mubinan) to highlight that this is an obvious and great transgression in the sight of Allah.
Key Moral Lessons from This Verse
- ✅ Islam is based on justice, not loyalty, even if the accused is: (1) Muslim, (2) member of one's own family or a friend, (3) Powerful or an elite position holder, Justice must be upheld.
- ✅ False accusations are worse than many sins: Islam treats: (1) Slander, (2) False blame and (3) Framing others, as major sins, even if done to protect oneself.
- ✅ You carry the sin you commit. Islam rejects: (1) Blame-shifting, (2) Victim-blaming, Collective guilt, for Every soul answers for itself.
- ✅ Allah defends the innocent, even if: (1) People lie, (2) Society supports the wrongdoer, The victim is weak or a minority - Allah exposes the truth.
In our lives, we come across many acts of blame game, both at individual and state level where innocents are made scapegoats for the crimes committed by strong and powerful individuals both within and outside the official corridors to save their skin and come out of the crises clean. But they forget that that they are Divinely watched all the time and will not be forgiven.
This verse applies directly to: (1) False accusations on social media, (2) Framing people in courts or politics, (3) Character assassination, (4) Workplace blame games, (5) False rape or harassment claims, (6) Defaming religious or ethnic groups - Islam condemns all of it.
In nutshell, this verse teaches one of Islam’s greatest principles:
⚖️ Justice is sacred — even against yourself.🛑 Lying to escape blame is a double crime.🤲 Allah always defends the innocent.
There is nothing in our lives that Islam has no answer to. It is only us that remain aloof to Quranic injunctions and Divine commandments due to which we are heedless and commit acts which are tangent to the Islamic teachings. Remember, every man is responsible for his own acts - even if one succeeds in throwing the blame on others as is usually done in the courts cleverly articulated by the lawyers, one would be caught in the end, not only in this world but in the hereafter on the Day of Judgement when no lawyer would come forward to plead our case. Time is now to steer our lives as Islam leads us to and always stand true to our acts and actions.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
You may refer for more Selected Verses from Surah 4. An-Nisa (The Women) already published
You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.
For more Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. .
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.
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