۞ O Believers, do not follow in Satan's footsteps, for he will incite to indecency and wickedness any who will follow him. If Allah had not shown His Grace and mercy to you, none of you would have been able to cleanse yourself, for it is Allah alone Who cleanses whom He wills, and Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. 21 Hence, [even if they have been wronged by slander,] let not those of you who have been graced with God's favour and ease of life ever become remiss in helping [the erring ones among] their near of kin, and the needy, and those who have forsaken the domain of evil for the sake of God, but let them pardon and forbear. [For,] do you not desire that God should forgive you your sins, seeing that God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace? 22 [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 23 They should not forget the Day when their own tongues and their own hands and test will bear testimony in regard to their misdeeds. 24 On that Day Allah shall pay them in full their recompense, and they shall know that Allah! He is the True, the Manifest. 25 Evil words are for evil men, and evil men are [subjected] to evil words. And good words are for good men, and good men are [an object] of good words. Those [good people] are declared innocent of what the slanderers say. For them is forgiveness and noble provision. 26