Do not let the people of virtue and affluence among you swear to suspend donations to their relatives, the needy, and the emigrants in the cause of Allah. Let them pardon and forgive. Do you not love to be forgiven by Allah? And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.6
Let not those among you who are endued with grace and amplitude of means 2974 resolve by oath against helping their kinsmen, those in want, and those who have left their homes in Allah's cause: let them forgive and overlook, do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
2974 The immediate reference was to Abu Bakr, the father of 'A'ishah. He was blessed both with spiritual grace from Allah and with ample means, which he always used in the service of Islam and of Muslims. One of the slanderers of 'A'ishah turned out to be Mistah, a cousin of Abu Bakr, whom he had been in the habit of supporting. Naturally Abu Bakr wished to stop that aid, but according to the highest standards of Muslim ethics he was asked to forgive and forget, which he did, with the happiest results to the peace and unity of the Muslim community. But he general application holds good for all time. A generous patron should not, in personal anger, withdraw his support even for serious faults if the delinquent repents and mends his ways. If Allah forgives us, who are we to refuse forgiveness to our fellows?
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 25 [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, 26 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? 27
25 Or: "Swear that [henceforth] they would not help [lit., "give to"]…", etc. Both these meanings - "he swore [that]" and "he became remiss [in]" - are attributable to the verb ala, which appears in the above sentence in the form ya tal. My rendering is based on the interpretation given to this verb by the great philologist Abu Ubayd al-Qasim al-Harawi (Cf. Lane I, 84).
26 For an explanation of this rendering of the designation al-muhajirun (or, in other places, alladhina hajaru), see surah 2 note 203.
27 It is generally assumed that this verse refers to Abu Bakr, who swore that he would never again help his poor relative, the muhajir Mistah (whom he used to support until then) after the latter had taken part in slandering Abu Bakr’s daughter, A’ishah (see note 12 above). There is no doubt that this assumption of the commentators is well-founded; but there is also no doubt that the ethical purport of the above verse is timeless and, therefore, independent of the fact or facts with which it appears to be historically linked. (This view finds additional support in the use of the plural form throughout the above passage.) The call to "pardon and forbear" is fully consonant with the Quranic principle of countering evil with good (see 13:22 and the corresponding note 44).
6 This verse was revealed when Abu Bakr Aṣ-Ṣiddîq, ’Ȃishah’s father, swore to end his financial assistance to his poor cousin, Misṭaḥ ibn Athathah, for taking part in the rumours against ’Ȃishah. Once the verse was revealed, Abu Bakr resumed his assistance to Misṭaḥ.