إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَنْ تَشِيعَ الْفَاحِشَةُ فِي الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿۱۹﴾ وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ ﴿۲۰﴾ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ وَمَنْ يَتَّبِعْ خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْمُرُ بِالْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ مَا زَكَى مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَدًا وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يُزَكِّي مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿۲۱﴾ وَلَا يَأْتَلِ أُولُو الْفَضْلِ مِنْكُمْ وَالسَّعَةِ أَنْ يُؤْتُوا أُولِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ ﴿۲۲﴾

﴾19﴿ Innal lazeena yuhibboona an tashee'al faahishatu fil lazeena aamanoo lahum 'azaabun aleemun fid dunyaa wal Aakhirah; wallaahu ya'lamu wa antum laa ta'lamoon
﴾20﴿ Wa law laa fadlul laahi 'alaikum wa rahmatuhoo wa annal laaha Ra'oofur Raheem
﴾21﴿ Yaaa aiyuhal lazeena aamanoo laa tattabi'oo khutuwaatish Shaitaan; wa many-yattabi' khutuwaatish Shaitaani fa innahoo yaamuru bilfahshaaa'i walmunkar; wa law laa fadlul laahi 'alaikum wa rahmatuhoo maa zakaa minkum min ahadin abadanw wa laakinnal laaha yuzakkee many-yashaaa'; wallaahu Samee'un 'Aleem
﴾22﴿ Wa laa yaatali ulul fadli minkum wassa'ati ai yu'tooo ulil qurbaa walmasaakeena walmuhaajireena fee sabeelillaahi walya'foo walyasfahoo; alaa tuhibboona ai yaghfiral laahu lakum; wal laahu Ghafoorur Raheem

﴾19﴿ Indeed, those who love that immorality should spread among the believers—for them is a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter. And Allah knows, while you do not know
﴾20﴿ And if it were not for the grace of Allah, the Most High, upon you and His mercy, and that Allah is indeed Compassionate, Merciful
﴾21﴿ O believers, do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Whoever follows the footsteps of Satan, indeed, he commands immorality and wickedness. And if it were not for the grace of Allah, the Most High, upon you and His mercy, none of you would have ever been purified. But Allah purifies whom He wills, and Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing
﴾22﴿ And let not those among you who possess virtue and wealth swear not to give [aid] to their relatives, the needy, and those who have emigrated in the way of Allah. Let them pardon and overlook. Do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful

[19] In this verse, the trait of the hypocrites is mentioned, along with both worldly and otherworldly warnings. The meaning of "spreading indecency" is general—it includes spreading slander against a believer, promoting shirk and disbelief through innovations, normalizing immoral customs, encouraging the causes of indecency and wrongdoing, and promoting such things through cinema and other means. All of these fall under the category of spreading indecency (اشاعت فاحشه).
The punishment is conditional—if they do not repent, then the punishment applies.
[20] In this verse, there is encouragement and an implied warning—indicated by the omission of the consequence after "لَوْلَا" (if not for), where the intended meaning is "He would have punished you" (لَعَذَّبَكُم).
The meaning of fadl (grace) here is the clarification of the signs of the hypocrites, and rahmah (mercy) refers to the protection from indecency and from its spread.
Both of these—clarification and protection—are manifestations of kindness and mercy for the believers.
[21] In this verse, an etiquette is mentioned for the believers, along with a prohibition from actions that reflect hypocrisy—this is referred to as "the footsteps of Satan" (خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ).
The meaning of "بِالْفَحْشَاءِ" is those actions that are universally considered vile by all scholars, such as lying, slandering, and committing indecency. The meaning of "وَالْمُنْكَرِ" is actions that are forbidden by the Shariah, even if people do not consider them evil.
In this verse, fadl refers to the Noble Qur'an, which prevents one from following Satan. And rahmah refers to the revelation of this surah, which promotes chastity and purity. It also points to the fact that a person is in constant need of Allah for self-purification.
[22] In this verse, an etiquette is mentioned for the believers—meaning, a believer of high status should also have high character.
The verse also highlights the greatness of the status of the noble Companions, because it was revealed concerning Abu Bakr and Mistah ibn Uthathah (may Allah be pleased with them both). Mistah was Abu Bakr’s cousin, poor, and a Muhajir (emigrant), yet he had taken part in the slander against Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her).
So, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) swore that he would no longer provide financial support or charity to him. After the revelation of these verses and Mistah’s repentance, this verse was revealed.
It also indicates that due to a single sin (other than shirk and disbelief), a person's deeds are not nullified, especially if the person has close ties and a background of good actions such as migration for the sake of Allah. His virtue is not diminished.
This verse is also proof that pardoning others for their wrongdoing can be a means of earning Allah’s forgiveness.