The Private Apartments
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE[49:6]
O YOU who have attained to faith! If any iniquitous person comes to you with a [slanderous] tale, use your discernment, lest you hurt people unwittingly and afterwards be filled with remorse for what you have done.

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* v.6 : I.e., verify the truth before giving credence to any such report or rumour. The tale-bearer is characterized as “iniquitous” because the very act of spreading unsubstantiated rumours affecting the reputation of other persons constitutes a spiritual offence.
* Thus, after laying stress in the preceding verses on the reverence due to God’s message-bearer – and, by implication, to every righteous leader of the community – the discourse turns to the moral imperative of safeguarding the honour and reputation of every member of the community, man and woman alike. This principle is taken up, more explicitly, in verse 12.