156 Preface وَبِكُفرِهِم وَقَولِهِم عَلىٰ مَريَمَ بُهتانًا عَظيمًاYusuf AliThat they rejected Faith; that they uttered against Mary a grave false charge;1The false charge against Mar)' was that she was unchaste, Cf. 19:27-28. Such a charge is bad enough to make against any woman, but to make it against Mary, the mother of Jesus, was to bring into ridicule God’s power itself. Islam is specially strong in guarding the reputation of women. Slanderers of women are bound to bring four witnesses in support of their accusations, and if they fail to produce four witnesses, they are to be flogged with eighty stripes and debarred forever from being competent witness: 24:4.