But he who commits a fault or a sin and then throws the blame therefore on an innocent person, burdens himself with the guilt of calumny and [yet another] flagrant sin.

And yet, [O believers,] it was not you who slew the enemy,* but it was God who slew them; and it was not thou who cast [terror into them, O Prophet], when thou didst cast it, but it was God who cast it:* and [He did all this] in order that He might test the believers by a goodly test of His Own or daining.* Verily, God is all-hearing, all-knowing!

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!

And as for those who accuse their own wives [of adultery], but have no witnesses except them­selves, let each of these [accusers] call God four times to witness that he is indeed telling the truth,*

[But,] verily, those who [falsely, and without repentance,]* accuse chaste women who may have been unthinkingly careless but have remained true to their faith,* shall be rejected [from God's grace] in this world as well as in the life to come: and awesome suffering awaits them

which – behold!- will throw up sparks like [burning] logs,

which smote them with stone-hard blows of chastisement pre-ordained,*