Why - when you (O believers) heard of it - did the believing men and the believing women not think well on their own selves and (why did they not) say, 'This is a manifest lie'. - (Quran Surah An-Noor 24:12) The Tafseer for this ayah thats given in Ma'ariful Quran: In this verse quite a few things need attention. In the first place the Holy Qur'an as hinted by the word بِأَنفُسِهِمْ (on their own selves) that if a Muslim defames and disgraces another Muslim, he in fact disgraces himself, because the relationship of Islam has brought them all together as one body.... ...All these verses point toward one theme, that a Muslim who casts aspersion on another Muslim or causes oppression and harm to another Muslim, he in fact casts aspersion and causes harm to himself, because it leads to defamation of the whole Muslim Ummah. Hate the Sin not the Sinner, for only Allah knows his/her fate.