The Quran

سورة النُّور

Surah Al-Nûr 24:4

The Light · Verse 4 of 64

وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَأْتُوا بِأَرْبَعَةِ شُهَدَاءَ فَاجْلِدُوهُمْ ثَمَانِينَ جَلْدَةً وَلَا تَقْبَلُوا لَهُمْ شَهَادَةً أَبَدًا ۚ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ

Abdul Mannan Omar

Strike eighty times on the bodies of those who calumniate chaste women and who do not support (their accusation) with four witnesses, and never accept their testimony (because) it is they who are the disobedient (and break the law);

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And those who launch a charge against chaste women, and produce not four witnesses (to support their allegations),- flog them with eighty stripes; and reject their evidence ever after: for such men are wicked transgressors;-

Ahmed Ali

Those who defame chaste women and do not bring four witnesses should be punished with eighty lashes, and their testimony should not be accepted afterwards, for they are profligates,

12 more translations

Ali Unal

Those who accuse chaste, honorable women (of illicit sexual relations) but do not produce four male witnesses (who will witness that they personally saw the act being committed): flog them with eighty stripes, and do not accept from them any testimony ever after. They are indeed transgressors,

Daryabadi

And those who accuse clean wowomen and then bring not four eyewitnesses, Scourge them with eighty stripes and accept not their- testimony for Ever. And these! they are the transgressors

Faridul Haque

And those who accuse chaste women and do not bring four witnesses to testify - punish them with eighty lashes and do not ever accept their testimony; and it is they who are the wicked.

Maulana Muhammad Ali

And those who accuse free women and bring not four witnesses, flog them (with) eighty stripes and never accept their evidence, and these are the transgressors --

Maulvi Sher Ali

And those who culminate chaste woman but bring not four witnesses - flog them with eighty stripes, and do not admit their evidence ever after, for it is they that are the transgression,

Muhammad Asad

And as for those who accuse chaste women [of adultery], and then are unable to produce four witnesses [in support of their accusation], flog them with eighty stripes; and ever after refuse to accept from them any testimony - since it is they, they that are truly depraved!

Muhammad Musin Khan

And those who accuse chaste women, and produce not four witnesses, flog them with eighty stripes, and reject their testimony forever, they indeed are the Fasiqun (liars, rebellious, disobedient to Allah).

Muhammad Pickthall

And those who accuse honourable women but bring not four witnesses, scourge them (with) eighty stripes and never (afterward) accept their testimony - They indeed are evil-doers -

Muhammad Sarwar

Those who accuse married women of committing adultery - but are not able to prove their accusation by producing four witness - must be flogged eighty lashes. Never accept their testimony thereafter because they are sinful,

Muhammed ali Shakir

And those who accuse free women then do not bring four witnesses, flog them, (giving) eighty stripes, and do not admit any evidence from them ever; and these it is that are the transgressors,

Rashad Khalifa

Those who accuse married women of adultery, then fail to produce four witnesses, you shall whip them eighty lashes, and do not accept any testimony from them; they are wicked.

Shabbir Ahmed

(Protecting the honor of a woman is extremely important.) Those who accuse chaste women and then fail to produce four witnesses (the court of law shall order to) carry out eighty lashes to such accusers. And never in the future accept their testimony. They have drifted away from morality.

Commentary 24:4 Muhsinât الْمُحْصَنَاتِ are chaste women, i.e., women who are fortified against unchasteness, implying that from a legal perspective every woman must be…

وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَأْتُوا بِأَرْبَعَةِ شُهَدَاءَ فَاجْلِدُوهُمْ ثَمَانِينَ جَلْدَةً وَلَا تَقْبَلُوا لَهُمْ شَهَادَةً أَبَدًا

24:4 Muhsinât الْمُحْصَنَاتِ are chaste women, i.e., women who are fortified against unchasteness, implying that from a legal perspective every woman must be considered chaste unless at least four eyewitnesses to the contrary produce a conclusive proof. It is obvious that the implication of this injunction applies to protect women from false accusation by men.