Sūrat al-Nūr

سورۃ النور

سُورَةٌ أَنزَلْنَاهَا وَفَرَضْنَاهَا وَأَنزَلْنَا فِيهَا آيَاتٍ بَيِّنَاتٍ لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ

Sūratun anzalnāhā wa-faraḍnāhā wa-anzalnā fīhā āyātin bayyinātin laʿallakum tadhakkarūn

"[This is] a Sūra which We have sent down and made obligatory, and in which We have revealed clear signs, that you may take heed." — al-Nūr 24:1

Translation: A Sūra that We have sent down — We have made its ordinances binding and incumbent — and in which We have revealed plain, clear commands, so that you may remember and reflect.

Commentary: The opening of Sūrat al-Nūr announces the seriousness of its contents: the entire sūra is declared obligatory (farḍ) by divine decree. Its rulings are not merely advisory but binding on every believer. The author reminds the reader: these are plain, unambiguous commands — heed them and take them to heart.

الزَّانِيَةُ وَالزَّانِي فَاجْلِدُوا كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ مِّنْهُمَا مِائَةَ جَلْدَةٍ وَلَا تَأْخُذْكُم بِهِمَا رَأْفَةٌ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَلْيَشْهَدْ عَذَابَهُمَا طَائِفَةٌ مِّنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

Al-zāniyatu wal-zānī fajlidū kulla wāḥidin minhumā miʾata jaldatin wa-lā taʾkhudhkum bihimā raʾfatun fī dīni'llāhi in kuntum tuʾminūna billāhi wal-yawmi'l-ākhiri wal-yashhadʿadhābahumā ṭāʾifatun mina'l-muʾminīn

"The fornicatress and the fornicator — flog each of them one hundred lashes; and let no compassion for them restrain you in the religion of Allah, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day; and let a group of believers witness their punishment." — al-Nūr 24:2

Translation: The woman guilty of illicit sexual intercourse (zinā) and the man guilty of the same — flog each of them one hundred lashes. Let not any tenderness for them stay your hand in executing the command of Allah, if you truly believe in Allah and the Day of Judgement. And let a group of the believers be present to witness their punishment.

Commentary: In Ḥanafī fiqh, this verse establishes the ḥadd (fixed legal punishment) for zinā for the unmarried offender (ghayr muḥṣan): one hundred lashes. The verse specifies two things beyond mere punishment: first, that sentimentality must not dilute the execution of divine law; second, that the punishment must be public, witnessed by a group of believers, to serve as a deterrent.

The author observes that this sin had once been largely confined to certain classes; now it has spread widely. Those who are chaste and pure-hearted must stand firm. The names people invent for illicit conduct cannot change the moral reality — renaming the sin does not alter its nature or consequence.

The feminine form al-zāniyah is mentioned first, as noted by classical grammarians and commentators: the verse implicitly acknowledges that social temptation more commonly originates from or is directed at women, and the law applies equally to both parties. Each sinner is individually accountable.

Translation (continued from the tarjuma): Flog the fornicatress and the fornicator — each of them one hundred lashes — and in executing Allah's ordinances let no compassion stay your hand, if you have faith in Allah and the Day of Judgement. And it is obligatory that a group of believers be present to witness their punishment.

Commentary (continued): This crime had once been spoken of with shame. Now it has become commonplace and normalised. The author laments that pure-hearted souls are being marginalised, while those who engage in corruption contrive new names and euphemisms so that the very word zinā is avoided. But changing language does not change reality: the act remains what it is, and its legal status remains unchanged.

الزَّانِي لَا يَنكِحُ إِلَّا زَانِيَةً أَوْ مُشْرِكَةً وَالزَّانِيَةُ لَا يَنكِحُهَا إِلَّا زَانٍ أَوْ مُشْرِكٌ وَحُرِّمَ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

Al-zānī lā yankiḥu illā zāniyatan aw mushrikatan wal-zāniyatu lā yankiḥuhā illā zānin aw mushrikun wa-ḥurrima dhālika ʿalā'l-muʾminīn

"The fornicator does not marry except a fornicatress or an idolatress, and the fornicatress — none marries her but a fornicator or an idolater; and that has been made forbidden to the believers." — al-Nūr 24:3

Translation: The fornicating man does not marry except a fornicating woman or a polytheist woman. And the fornicating woman — none marries her except a fornicating man or a polytheist. And that [union] has been declared forbidden to the believers.

Commentary: A legal and moral question arises: if a man or woman has committed zinā, may they contract a valid marriage (nikāḥ) with a chaste Muslim counterpart? The Ḥanafī position is that the marriage contract (nikāḥ) itself is legally valid (ṣaḥīḥ) even if it involves a person who has committed zinā. What the verse addresses is the moral impropriety and spiritual unsuitability of such a pairing. The coupling of an immoral person with a devout, chaste believer is morally incongruous.

By unanimous consensus (ijmāʿ), however, a Muslim woman may never marry a polytheist (mushrik), and this is absolutely impermissible. The phrase wa-ḥurrima dhālika ʿalā'l-muʾminīn ("that has been forbidden to the believers") refers principally to the act of zinā itself, which is categorically ḥarām upon every Muslim. The verse does not render every marriage of a repentant person permanently invalid, but it establishes the deep moral and spiritual incompatibility of purity with corruption.

Commentary (continued): Once a person repents sincerely — and sincere repentance (tawbah ṣādiqa) wipes away sin such that the repentant one is as one who never sinned, in accordance with the ḥadīth: "Al-tāʾibu mina'l-dhanbi ka-man lā dhanba lah" («التائب من الذنب كمن لا ذنب له»— al-Bayhaqī, Shuʿab al-Īmān) — then the question of whether they may be referred to as "a fornicator" (zānin) no longer applies in the same sense. The phrase wa-ḥurrima dhālika thus ultimately points to the unlawfulness of the act of zinā itself for believers, not a permanent social stigma to be imposed on the repentant.

وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَأْتُوا بِأَرْبَعَةِ شُهَدَاءَ فَاجْلِدُوهُمْ ثَمَانِينَ جَلْدَةً وَلَا تَقْبَلُوا لَهُمْ شَهَادَةً أَبَدًا وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ

Wal-ladhīna yarmūna'l-muḥṣanāti thumma lam yaʾtū bi-arbaʿati shuhadāʾa fajlidūhum thamānīna jaldatan wa-lā taqbalū lahum shahādatan abadan wa-ulāʾika humu'l-fāsiqūn

"Those who accuse chaste women [of fornication] and then do not produce four witnesses — flog them eighty lashes and never accept their testimony thereafter; those are the transgressors." — al-Nūr 24:4

Translation: Those who cast allegations of zinā against chaste and honourable women, and then fail to produce four witnesses — flog them eighty lashes, and never again accept their testimony. They are the morally corrupt and rebellious (fāsiqūn).

Commentary: This is the ḥadd of qadhf (false accusation of zinā): eighty lashes for the accuser who cannot substantiate the charge with four eyewitnesses. Three consequences follow: the flogging, permanent disqualification from bearing legal testimony, and the designation as fāsiq (a transgressor against divine law).

The question naturally arises: why are two witnesses sufficient for most matters, yet four required for zinā? The answer lies in the incommensurable severity of the accusation: in Islam, the honour (ʿird) of a person — especially that of a woman — is immeasurably precious. Because the charge is so grave and the injury to the accused's reputation so devastating, the threshold of proof is set at the highest possible level, making successful prosecution on false grounds nearly impossible, while simultaneously protecting the innocent from defamation.

إِلَّا الَّذِينَ تَابُوا مِن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ وَأَصْلَحُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

Illā'l-ladhīna tābū min baʿdi dhālika wa-aṣlaḥū fa-inna'llāha ghafūrun raḥīm

"Except those who repent after that and reform; for indeed Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful." — al-Nūr 24:5

Translation: However, those who thereafter repent and truly reform themselves — for them, Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Commentary: The exception here pertains to the removal of the moral designation of fisq (transgression) upon sincere repentance and genuine reform. The legal penalty of eighty lashes and the disqualification from testimony remain in effect in the outward juridical (qāḍāʾī) domain — once administered, the punishment is not retroactively cancelled — but before Allah Most High, the sincere penitent is forgiven. The ḥadīth states: "Al-tāʾibu mina'l-dhanbi ka-man lā dhanba lah" — "One who repents from sin is as one who has never sinned" (transmitted via al-Bayhaqī). This is the infinite mercy of the divine.

وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ أَزْوَاجَهُمْ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُمْ شُهَدَاءُ إِلَّا أَنفُسُهُمْ فَشَهَادَةُ أَحَدِهِمْ أَرْبَعُ شَهَادَاتٍ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ

Wal-ladhīna yarmūna azwājahum wa-lam yakun lahum shuhadāʾu illā anfusuhum fa-shahādatu aḥadihim arbaʿu shahādātin billāhi innahu la-mina'l-ṣādiqīn

"And those who accuse their wives but have no witnesses except themselves — the testimony of one of them [shall be] four testimonies [sworn] by Allah that he is indeed of the truthful." — al-Nūr 24:6

Translation: And those who accuse their wives of zinā and have no witnesses other than themselves — the testimony of each of them shall consist of four sworn oaths by Allah, declaring that they are among the truthful.

Commentary: This verse introduces the institution of liʿān (mutual imprecation), the Qurʾānic procedure for a husband who accuses his wife of zinā but cannot produce four external witnesses. In lieu of the standard four witnesses, the husband swears four solemn oaths by Allah attesting to the truth of his accusation — each oath functioning as the equivalent of one witness. The fifth oath is an invocation of Allah's curse upon himself if he is lying.

وَالْخَامِسَةُ أَنَّ لَعْنَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ إِن كَانَ مِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ

Wal-khāmisatu anna laʿnata'llāhi ʿalayhi in kāna mina'l-kādhibīn

"And the fifth [oath shall be] that the curse of Allah be upon him if he should be of the liars." — al-Nūr 24:7

Translation: And the fifth [oath] is: "The curse of Allah be upon me if I am among those who lie."

Commentary: The five oaths of the husband in liʿān: the first four establish that he is truthful in his accusation; the fifth calls down Allah's curse upon himself if he is lying. The words of the husband in liʿān are: "I swear by Allah four times that I speak the truth" — and the fifth: "And may the curse of Allah be upon me if I am lying."

وَيَدْرَأُ عَنْهَا الْعَذَابَ أَن تَشْهَدَ أَرْبَعَ شَهَادَاتٍ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ

Wa-yadraʾu ʿanhā'l-ʿadhāba an tashhada arbaʿa shahādātin billāhi innahu la-mina'l-kādhibīn

"And it shall avert the punishment from her if she bears witness four times by Allah that he is indeed of the liars." — al-Nūr 24:8

Translation: And the wife may avert the punishment from herself by swearing four oaths by Allah that her husband is among the liars.

Commentary: The wife's four counter-oaths in liʿān neutralise her husband's accusation, and thus she escapes the ḥadd of zinā. Her fifth oath is:

وَالْخَامِسَةَ أَنَّ غَضَبَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا إِن كَانَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ

Wal-khāmisata anna ghaḍaba'llāhi ʿalayhā in kāna mina'l-ṣādiqīn

"And the fifth [shall be] that the wrath of Allah be upon her if he should be of the truthful." — al-Nūr 24:9

Translation: And the fifth [oath of the wife]: "May the wrath of Allah be upon me if he is among the truthful."

Commentary: The wife's words: "I swear by Allah four times that my husband is lying — and may the wrath of Allah descend upon me if he is telling the truth." After the completion of liʿān, the couple is permanently separated by the ruling of the judge; they can never remarry. The husband is saved from the ḥadd of qadhf by his oaths; the wife escapes the ḥadd of zinā by hers.

وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ حَكِيمٌ

Wa-lawlā faḍlu'llāhi ʿalaykum wa-raḥmatuhu wa-anna'llāha tawwābun ḥakīm

"And were it not for the favour of Allah upon you and His mercy — and that Allah is Oft-Relenting, All-Wise…" — al-Nūr 24:10

Translation: And were it not for the favour and mercy of Allah upon you, and that Allah is ever Relenting, All-Wise [you would have been brought to ruin and disgrace].

Commentary: The verse is elliptical — the conclusion is left unspoken, understood as: "you would have been destroyed and disgraced." Allah's favour (faḍl) and mercy (raḥma) are what gave you this merciful procedure of liʿān rather than leaving such domestic disputes without resolution. His attribute of tawwāb (Oft-Relenting) assures that whoever errs and returns to Him finds acceptance, and His ḥikma (wisdom) ensures that every divine ruling is perfectly calibrated to human welfare.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ جَاءُوا بِالْإِفْكِ عُصْبَةٌ مِّنكُمْ لَا تَحْسَبُوهُ شَرًّا لَّكُم بَلْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مِّنْهُم مَّا اكْتَسَبَ مِنَ الْإِثْمِ وَالَّذِي تَوَلَّىٰ كِبْرَهُ مِنْهُمْ لَهُ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ

Inna'l-ladhīna jāʾū bil-ifki ʿuṣbatun minkum lā taḥsabūhu sharran lakum bal huwa khayrun lakum li-kulli'mriʾin minhum māktasaba mina'l-ithmi wal-ladhī tawallā kibrahu minhum lahu ʿadhābun ʿaẓīm

"Verily those who brought forth the slander are a group from among you. Do not consider it an evil for you; rather, it is good for you. For each person among them is what he has earned of sin, and the one who took the greater part of it — for him is a tremendous punishment." — al-Nūr 24:11

Translation: Indeed, those who circulated the calumny (ifk, the Lie) are a faction from among you. Do not think it an evil for you — rather, it is in truth good for you [in what it reveals and the reward it brings]. Each of them shall bear what he has earned of sin, and the one who took the chief role in it shall suffer a severe and grievous punishment.

Commentary: This verse and those that follow concern the grave historical event known as Ḥādīth al-Ifk — the Incident of the Slander — in which base and malicious slanders were spread against the Mother of the Believers, Sayyidatunā ʿĀʾisha al-Ṣiddīqa (may Allah be well pleased with her). Allah Most High Himself vindicated her through Qurʾānic revelation, an honour unparalleled for any person after the prophets (upon them be peace). This divine acquittal is her eternal crown of honour.

The verse consoles the Prophetﷺand the believers: what appeared to be a calamity was, by divine wisdom, a source of good — it clarified the rank of Sayyidatunā ʿĀʾisha (may Allah be well pleased with her), established rulings on qadhf, and exposed the hypocrites. The ringleader of the slander — identified by the exegetical tradition as ʿAbdullāh ibn Ubayy ibn Salūl — awaits a tremendous punishment.

إِذْ تَلَقَّوْنَهُ بِأَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَتَقُولُونَ بِأَفْوَاهِكُم مَّا لَيْسَ لَكُم بِهِ عِلْمٌ وَتَحْسَبُونَهُ هَيِّنًا وَهُوَ عِندَ اللَّهِ عَظِيمٌ

Idh talaqqawnahu bi-alsinatikum wa-taqūlūna bi-afwāhikum mā laysa lakum bihi ʿilmun wa-taḥsabūnahu hayyinan wa-huwa ʿinda'llāhi ʿaẓīm

"When you received it on your tongues and uttered with your mouths that of which you had no knowledge, and you counted it trivial — while in the sight of Allah it was tremendous." — al-Nūr 24:15

Translation: When you were passing the slander from tongue to tongue, and saying with your mouths what you had no knowledge of, thinking it a trivial matter — when in the sight of Allah it was immense and grave.

Commentary: The believers who unknowingly repeated the slander are here admonished. The act of transmitting unverified, damaging speech — even without malicious intent — is a serious sin. The phrase "received it on your tongues" (talaqqawnahu bi-alsinatikum) aptly describes how false reports travel: each person picks it up and passes it on, without verification, thinking it inconsequential. But in the divine reckoning it is enormous. This is a foundational principle in Islamic ethics of speech: the moral gravity of a statement is not determined by the speaker's subjective sense of its weight but by its objective harm and by Allah's knowledge.

وَلَوْلَا إِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ قُلْتُم مَّا يَكُونُ لَنَا أَن نَّتَكَلَّمَ بِهَٰذَا سُبْحَانَكَ هَٰذَا بُهْتَانٌ عَظِيمٌ

Wa-lawlā idh samiʿtumūhu qultum mā yakūnu lanā an natakallama bi-hādhā subḥānaka hādhā buhtānun ʿaẓīm

"And why, when you heard it, did you not say: 'It is not for us to speak of this. Glory be to You! This is a tremendous calumny'?" — al-Nūr 24:16

Translation: And why did you not, when you heard it, immediately say: "It is not fitting for us to speak of this. Glory be to Allah! This is an enormous slander!"

Commentary: The correct response of a believer upon hearing such a defamatory charge against a person of honour is prompt and categorical rejection. The Qurʾān prescribes the very words of repudiation: "Subḥānaka — Glory be to You [O Allah]! This is a colossal calumny (buhtān ʿaẓīm)." The believer's default assumption about other believers must be one of good faith (ḥusn al-ẓann). This verse establishes a Qurʾānic ethic of social responsibility: silence in the face of slander is complicity.

يَعِظُكُمُ اللَّهُ أَن تَعُودُوا لِمِثْلِهِ أَبَدًا إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Yaʿiẓukumu'llāhu an taʿūdū li-mithlihi abadan in kuntum muʾminīn

"Allah warns you never to repeat the like of it, if you are [truly] believers." — al-Nūr 24:17

Translation: Allah admonishes you never to revert to anything like this again, if you are truly people of faith.

Commentary: The admonition is absolute and eternal: never again, under any circumstances, must believers engage in the transmission of unverified, damaging speech about chaste persons. This divine warning is part of the moral constitution of the believing community.

وَيُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ

Wa-yubayyinu'llāhu lakumu'l-āyāti wa'llāhu ʿalīmun ḥakīm

"And Allah makes clear to you the signs, and Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise." — al-Nūr 24:18

Translation: And Allah makes His signs and rulings clear to you — for Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

Commentary: Allah's clarity in revelation is a mercy: He does not leave His servants in ambiguity concerning the ethics of speech, honour, and social conduct. His knowledge encompasses all things and His wisdom orders every rule to the highest benefit of humankind.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَن تَشِيعَ الْفَاحِشَةُ فِي الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

Inna'l-ladhīna yuḥibbūna an tashīʿa'l-fāḥishatu fī'l-ladhīna āmanū lahum ʿadhābun alīmun fī'l-dunyā wal-ākhirati wa'llāhu yaʿlamu wa-antum lā taʿlamūn

"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 and you do not know." — al-Nūr 24:19

Translation: Indeed, those who delight in and desire that shameful and immoral conduct should become widespread among the believers — for them is a grievous, painful punishment, both in this world and in the Hereafter. Allah knows [the secrets of hearts and the hidden consequences of deeds] and you do not know.

Commentary: This verse targets those who spread moral corruption not through ignorance but through deliberate desire — those who take pleasure in seeing immorality normalised. Such persons face a dual punishment: worldly consequences (disgrace, social harm, retribution) and eternal chastisement. The emphasis on "Allah knows and you do not" is a warning that the inner intentions of such individuals — even when outwardly concealed — are fully transparent to Allah.

وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ

Wa-lawlā faḍlu'llāhi ʿalaykum wa-raḥmatuhu wa-anna'llāha raʾūfun raḥīm

"And were it not for the favour of Allah upon you and His mercy — and that Allah is All-Compassionate, Most Merciful…" — al-Nūr 24:20

Translation: And were it not for the favour of Allah upon you and His mercy — and that Allah is the most tender in compassion (raʾūf), most merciful (raḥīm) — [you would have been overwhelmed by the punishment for your error].

Commentary: The verse again trails off, leaving the implied consequence unstated. Allah's raʾūfa (compassionate tenderness) and raḥma (mercy) are the only reasons the community was not swept away in punishment after this incident. The dual attributes underscore the depth of divine solicitude for the believing community.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ وَمَن يَتَّبِعْ خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْمُرُ بِالْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ

Yā ayyuhā'l-ladhīna āmanū lā tattabiʿū khuṭuwāti'l-shayṭāni wa-man yattabiʿ khuṭuwāti'l-shayṭāni fa-innahu yaʾmuru bil-faḥshāʾi wal-munkar

"O you who believe! Do not follow the footsteps of Satan; and whoever follows the footsteps of Satan — for he [Satan] commands to immorality and evil." — al-Nūr 24:21

Translation: O believers! Do not follow in Satan's footsteps, step by step. And whoever does follow the footsteps of Satan — know that Satan commands only indecency (faḥshāʾ) and reprehensible conduct (munkar).

Commentary: The image of "footsteps" (khuṭuwāt) is deliberate: one does not leap into corruption all at once; one is led step by step, each step seeming small, until one is far from the path. Satan's agenda is twofold: faḥshāʾ — all that is sexually immoral or egregiously indecent — and munkar — all that is objectionable and reprehensible in the sight of reason, revelation, and the upright conscience.

وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ مَا زَكَىٰ مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَدًا وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يُزَكِّي مَن يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

Wa-lawlā faḍlu'llāhi ʿalaykum wa-raḥmatuhu mā zakā minkum min aḥadin abadan wa-lākinna'llāha yuzakkī man yashāʾu wa'llāhu samīʿun ʿalīm

"And were it not for the favour of Allah upon you and His mercy, not one of you would ever have been purified. But Allah purifies whom He wills, and Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing." — al-Nūr 24:21

Translation: O believers! Do not follow in the footsteps of Satan. And whoever follows the footsteps of Satan — he [Satan] only commands indecency and reprehensible conduct. And were it not for the favour and mercy of Allah upon you, not one soul among you would ever have been purified. But Allah purifies (yuzakkī) whom He wills, and Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

Commentary: Human nature (nafs), left entirely to itself, would never achieve spiritual purity (zakāt). It is exclusively through Allah's grace that anyone attains moral and spiritual rectitude. This verse is a foundational statement of Sunnī-Maturīdī theology: human moral achievement is real but entirely dependent upon divine enabling grace (tawfīq). Allah hears all that is uttered and knows every hidden intention.

وَلَا يَأْتَلِ أُولُو الْفَضْلِ مِنكُمْ وَالسَّعَةِ أَن يُؤْتُوا أُولِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

Wa-lā yaʾtali ulū'l-faḍli minkum wal-saʿati an yuʾtū ulī'l-qurbā wal-masākīna wal-muhājirīna fī sabīli'llāhi wal-yaʿfū wal-yaṣfaḥū alā tuḥibbūna an yaghfira'llāhu lakum wa'llāhu ghafūrun raḥīm

"And let not those of virtue and plenty among you swear not to give to the near of kin, the poor, and those who emigrated in the path of Allah. Let them pardon and overlook. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful." — al-Nūr 24:22

Translation: And let not those among you who are possessed of virtue and ample means take oaths to withhold their giving from their relatives, the destitute, and those who emigrated in the path of Allah. Let them pardon and overlook. Do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Commentary: This verse was revealed concerning Sayyidunā Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq (may Allah be well pleased with him), who had vowed to cut off his financial support to his kinsman Misṭaḥ ibn Uthātha after the latter had participated in spreading the slander against Sayyidatunā ʿĀʾisha (may Allah be well pleased with her). The verse commands him to rescind the oath and resume his generosity — the model being that just as you desire Allah's forgiveness for your own sins, so you must pardon the wrongs done to you by others.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ الْغَافِلَاتِ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ لُعِنُوا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ

Inna'l-ladhīna yarmūna'l-muḥṣanāti'l-ghāfilāti'l-muʾmināti luʿinū fī'l-dunyā wal-ākhirati wa-lahum ʿadhābun ʿaẓīm

"Verily those who slander chaste, unwary, believing women are cursed in this world and the Hereafter, and for them is a tremendous punishment." — al-Nūr 24:23

Translation: Indeed, those who cast false accusations against chaste, heedless (innocent and unaware), believing women — upon them is the curse of Allah in this world and the Hereafter, and for them awaits a grievous, tremendous punishment.

Commentary: Three attributes qualify the women defamed: muḥṣanāt (chaste, honourably married or guarded), ghāfilāt (innocent, wholly unaware and unsuspecting of such suspicion), and muʾmināt (women of faith). The cumulative force of these three descriptions makes the slander all the more heinous: these are women of the highest moral and spiritual standing. The triple divine sanction — worldly curse, eschatological curse, and tremendous punishment — reflects the magnitude of this offence.

يَوْمَ تَشْهَدُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَلْسِنَتُهُمْ وَأَيْدِيهِمْ وَأَرْجُلُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ

Yawma tashhadu ʿalayhim alsinatuhum wa-aydīhim wa-arjuluhum bi-mā kānū yaʿmalūn

"On the Day their tongues, their hands, and their feet will testify against them for what they used to do." — al-Nūr 24:24

Translation: On that Day, their own tongues, their hands, and their feet will bear witness against them concerning all that they used to do.

Commentary: This verse introduces one of the most awe-inspiring descriptions of the Day of Judgement: the body of the slanderer and the sinner becomes its own witness. The limbs that were used as instruments of oppression and transgression will speak the truth that the person concealed or denied. The Prophetﷺinformed us in the Qurʾān's own testimony: "There is not a single thing but glorifies His praise" — al-Nūr 24:41. Inanimate objects have their own mode of awareness; plants are shown to possess sensitivity; animals are granted their form of perception; and the limbs of the human body, having been present and knowing, will testify on the Day when Allah resurrects them for truthful account.

The author reflects on what modern knowledge is beginning to confirm: the Qurʾānic statement "wa-in min shayʾin illā yusabbiḥu biḥamdih" — "there is nothing but glorifies His praise" — covers every created thing. Even plants are now showing signs of a form of awareness, consistent with the Qurʾānic principle. The body's testimony on the Day of Judgement is thus not a metaphor but a literal and real event.

يَوْمَئِذٍ يُوَفِّيهِمُ اللَّهُ دِينَهُمُ الْحَقَّ وَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ الْمُبِينُ

Yawmaʾidhin yuwaffīhimu'llāhu dīnahumu'l-ḥaqqa wa-yaʿlamūna anna'llāha huwa'l-ḥaqqu'l-mubīn

"On that Day Allah will pay them their due recompense in full, and they will know that Allah — He is the Manifest Truth." — al-Nūr 24:25

Translation: On that Day Allah will give them their full and just recompense, and they will realise with certainty that Allah is the Manifest, Absolute Truth.

Commentary: Dīn here carries its Qurʾānic sense of "recompense" and "reckoning." Every account will be settled in full — no more, no less. The realisation of divine truth (al-ḥaqq al-mubīn) will then be inescapable and overwhelming. All veils of doubt and denial will fall away.

الْخَبِيثَاتُ لِلْخَبِيثِينَ وَالْخَبِيثُونَ لِلْخَبِيثَاتِ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ لِلطَّيِّبِينَ وَالطَّيِّبُونَ لِلطَّيِّبَاتِ أُولَٰئِكَ مُبَرَّءُونَ مِمَّا يَقُولُونَ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ

Al-khabīthātu lil-khabīthīna wal-khabīthūna lil-khabīthāti wal-ṭayyibātu lil-ṭayyibīna wal-ṭayyibūna lil-ṭayyibāti ulāʾika mubarrāʾūna mimmā yaqūlūna lahum maghfiratun wa-rizqun karīm

"Vile women are for vile men, and vile men for vile women; and pure women are for pure men, and pure men for pure women. Those [the pure] are innocent of what they [the slanderers] say. For them is forgiveness and noble provision." — al-Nūr 24:26

Translation: Impure, wicked women are suited to wicked, impure men, and wicked men are suited to wicked women. And pure, chaste women are suited to pure men, and pure men to pure women. Those [pure ones] are absolutely acquitted and free of what the slanderers say of them. For them is forgiveness and a noble, honourable provision [from Allah].

Commentary: This verse is the divine exculpation of the pure from the allegations of the corrupt. There is a natural law of moral affinity: the wicked gravitate to the wicked and the pure to the pure. The notion that a prophet of Allahﷺcould be coupled with an immoral woman is itself a self-refuting absurdity — this verse thus constitutes a logical and theological proof of Sayyidatunā ʿĀʾisha's (may Allah be well pleased with her) innocence, over and above the explicit divine declaration. The promise of forgiveness and generous, honourable sustenance (rizq karīm) for the pure is both a worldly comfort and an eschatological assurance.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَدْخُلُوا بُيُوتًا غَيْرَ بُيُوتِكُمْ حَتَّىٰ تَسْتَأْنِسُوا وَتُسَلِّمُوا عَلَىٰ أَهْلِهَا ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ

Yā ayyuhā'l-ladhīna āmanū lā tadkhulū buyūtan ghayra buyūtikum ḥattā tastaʾnisū wa-tusallimū ʿalā ahlihā dhālikum khayrun lakum laʿallakum tadhakkarūn

"O you who believe! Do not enter houses other than your own until you have sought permission and greeted their occupants. That is better for you, that you may be reminded." — al-Nūr 24:27

Translation: O believers! Do not enter houses other than your own until you have sought familiarity and permission (tastaʾnisū) and greeted the people of the house with salutation (salām). This is better for you — that you may take heed.

Commentary: This verse establishes one of the foundational ādāb (proprieties) of Islamic social life: the protocol of isti'dhān (seeking permission to enter). The word tastaʾnisū — from uns (familiarity, ease) — implies that one should make one's presence gently known before entering, causing no surprise or unease. The salām upon the household is both a greeting and a prayer of peace upon them.

The author (may Allah have mercy on him) observes with sadness: in his era, these Islamic principles have been largely abandoned. When women do not observe proper covering (parda), strangers enter freely without seeking permission. The salām — which is a supplication and a greeting — has been replaced by mere worldly pleasantries and bowing, which is an act of servility amounting to sin when performed as a form of worship. The corruption of manners is a sign of spiritual decline. Entering another's home without permission, loitering at doorways without announcement, and sauntering in uninvited — all these violate the Islamic norms of honour and privacy.

فَإِن لَّمْ تَجِدُوا فِيهَا أَحَدًا فَلَا تَدْخُلُوهَا حَتَّىٰ يُؤْذَنَ لَكُمْ وَإِن قِيلَ لَكُمُ ارْجِعُوا فَارْجِعُوا هُوَ أَزْكَىٰ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ

Fa-in lam tajidū fīhā aḥadan fa-lā tadkhulūhā ḥattā yuʾdhana lakum wa-in qīla lakumu'rjiʿū farjiʿū huwa azkā lakum wa'llāhu bi-mā taʿmalūna ʿalīm

"And if you do not find anyone in it, do not enter until permission is given to you; and if you are told 'Go back,' then go back — that is purer for you; and Allah is All-Knowing of what you do." — al-Nūr 24:28

Translation: If you find no one in the house, do not enter until you are granted permission. And if it is said to you "Return," then return — that is purer and more wholesome for you. And Allah knows well all that you do.

Commentary: Even when no one appears to be home, entry is not permitted without explicit invitation. And if the occupant declines to admit you and asks you to return, do so with graciousness — this is the adab (propriety) of the believer. There is no room for ego or offense when the master of a household exercises his lawful right to privacy. The verse emphasises the spiritual purity (zakāt) that comes from restraining one's impulses and respecting others' boundaries.

The ādāb of isti'dhān carry a deeper wisdom: they protect the privacy and dignity of households, especially women who may be uncovered or unready to receive guests, and they cultivate a culture of mutual respect. Persons of public duty — officials, dignitaries — should not be burdened with lengthy, unnecessary visits. The door should be knocked, permission sought, and if declined, departure made without offence.

لَّيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَدْخُلُوا بُيُوتًا غَيْرَ مَسْكُونَةٍ فِيهَا مَتَاعٌ لَّكُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تُبْدُونَ وَمَا تَكْتُمُونَ

Laysa ʿalaykum junāḥun an tadkhulū buyūtan ghayra maskūnatin fīhā matāʿun lakum wa'llāhu yaʿlamu mā tubdūna wa-mā taktumūn

"There is no sin upon you in entering uninhabited houses in which there is some benefit for you. And Allah knows what you reveal and what you conceal." — al-Nūr 24:29

Translation: There is no sin upon you in entering uninhabited houses that contain some goods or benefit for you [such as inns, warehouses, shops, or public structures]. And Allah knows what you make manifest and what you conceal.

Commentary: This verse provides a practical dispensation: the rule of isti'dhān applies specifically to inhabited private residences. Uninhabited premises entered for lawful purposes — commercial spaces, public facilities, desolate structures one must use for shelter or commerce — do not require the same protocol. The closing reminder — "Allah knows what you reveal and what you conceal" — ensures that this dispensation cannot be exploited as a pretext; one's internal motivations remain fully known to Allah.

قُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا فُرُوجَهُمْ ذَٰلِكَ أَزْكَىٰ لَهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ

Qul lil-muʾminīna yaghuḍḍū min abṣārihim wa-yaḥfaẓū furūjahum dhālika azkā lahum inna'llāha khabīrun bi-mā yaṣnaʿūn

"Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their private parts — that is purer for them; indeed, Allah is Well-Acquainted with what they do." — al-Nūr 24:30

Translation: Tell the believing men to restrain their gaze and guard their chastity — that is more wholesome and pure for them. Indeed, Allah is fully aware of all that they do.

Commentary: The injunction yaghuḍḍū min abṣārihim — "to lower from their gazes" — is precise: the preposition min (from, some of) indicates measured, partial restraint rather than absolute prohibition of all sight. Classical Ḥanafī jurisprudence teaches that the first glance is unintentional and therefore not sinful, but the second deliberate glance is ḥarām. Guarding the private parts (ḥifẓ al-furūj) encompasses both chastity from zinā and modest deportment in all bodily matters.

The author (may Allah have mercy on him) observes: the gaze is the arrow of Satan. Virtually every moral catastrophe begins with the eye. The protection of the gaze — especially in an age of unveiled mixing — is an absolute necessity for spiritual integrity. Those who guard their gazes find that their inner vision (baṣīra) is purified; dangerous thoughts cease; the full spectrum of temptation is closed off at its source. In this era of widespread unveiling, such vigilance is doubly necessary.

وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىٰ جُيُوبِهِنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَائِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَاءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَائِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَاءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ إِخْوَانِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِي إِخْوَانِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِي أَخَوَاتِهِنَّ أَوْ نِسَائِهِنَّ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُنَّ أَوِ التَّابِعِينَ غَيْرِ أُولِي الْإِرْبَةِ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ أَوِ الطِّفْلِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يَظْهَرُوا عَلَىٰ عَوْرَاتِ النِّسَاءِ وَلَا يَضْرِبْنَ بِأَرْجُلِهِنَّ لِيُعْلَمَ مَا يُخْفِينَ مِن زِينَتِهِنَّ وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

Wa-qul lil-muʾmināti yagħuḍḍna min abṣārihinna wa-yaḥfaẓna furūjahunna wa-lā yubdīna zīnatahunna illā mā ẓahara minhā wal-yaḍribna bi-khumurihinna ʿalā juyūbihinna wa-lā yubdīna zīnatahunna illā li-buʿūlatihinna aw ābāʾihinna aw ābāʾi buʿūlatihinna aw abnāʾihinna aw abnāʾi buʿūlatihinna aw ikhwānihinna aw banī ikhwānihinna aw banī akhawātihinna aw nisāʾihinna aw mā malakat aymānuhunna awi'l-tābiʿīna ghayri ulī'l-irbati mina'l-rijāli awi'l-ṭifli'l-ladhīna lam yaẓharū ʿalā ʿawrāti'l-nisāʾi wa-lā yaḍribna bi-arjulihinna li-yuʿlama mā yukhfīna min zīnatihinna wa-tūbū ilā'llāhi jamīʿan ayyuha'l-muʾminūna laʿallakum tufliḥūn

"And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their private parts, and not to display their adornment except what ordinarily appears thereof; and to draw their head-coverings over their bosoms; and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husbands' fathers, or their sons, or their husbands' sons, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their [Muslim] women, or what their right hands possess, or male attendants free of desire, or children who are unaware of women's intimate matters; and not to stamp their feet so that what they conceal of their adornment becomes known. And turn to Allah altogether, O believers — that you may succeed." — al-Nūr 24:31

Translation: And command the believing women to restrain their gazes and guard their chastity. They should not display their adornment and beauty except that which ordinarily appears [such as the face and hands, which emerge unavoidably in daily life]. They should draw their head-coverings (khumur, sing. khimār) down over their necklines and bosoms. They may reveal their adornment only to: their husbands; their fathers; their fathers-in-law; their sons; their stepsons; their brothers; their nephews (brothers' sons); their nephews (sisters' sons); their [Muslim] women companions; their female slaves; male domestic servants who are devoid of sexual desire; and children who have not yet become aware of women's private matters. They should not strike their feet on the ground in a way that makes their concealed ornaments known [through the sound of anklets]. And turn all together to Allah in repentance, O believers — that you may attain felicity.

Commentary: This comprehensive verse lays down the foundational code of Islamic modesty for women in Ḥanafī fiqh:

1. Lowering of the gaze applies equally to women. 2. Concealment of adornment (zīna): the zīna ẓāhira (adornment that ordinarily appears — hands, face in necessity, outer garments) is permitted to be visible; the zīna bāṭina (inner adornment — hair, neck, bosom, ornaments) is to be concealed from non-maḥram (non-mahram) men. 3. The khimār (head-covering) must be drawn over the neck and chest, not merely worn on the head. The Ḥanafī position is that the face and hands are not technically part of the ʿawra (those areas that must be covered), though their exposure is subject to the condition that it cause no fitna (temptation or social disorder). 4. Permissible companions (maḥārim): The fourteen categories of persons before whom a woman may reveal her adornment are enumerated: her husband first, then her agnate and affinal male relatives of specific degrees, Muslim women, female slaves, male servants without carnal desire, and prepubescent children. 5. The auditory dimension: Even the sound of anklets (khalkhāl) that reveals concealed beauty is prohibited — demonstrating that the injunction of modesty extends beyond visual display to all sensory cues.

The author (may Allah have mercy on him) concludes with a lament: Muslim women in his era have largely abandoned proper covering, and this abandonment is presented by some — in imitation of European and non-Islamic cultures — as a mark of civilisation. The reality is the opposite: ḥayāʾ (modesty and shame) is an innate human quality, and its erasure is a departure from human nature (fiṭra), not an advance within it.

Commentary (continued): The word khimār itself is derived from the root meaning "to cover" — the garment of covering. In pre-Islamic Arab custom, the khimār was sometimes worn but left trailing at the back, leaving the front of the neck and chest bare. The Qurʾān commands that it be brought forward and draped over the chest. This is the Qurʾānic redress of that custom.

The categories of permissible viewing include ghayru ulī'l-irba — men who are entirely free of sexual desire and inclination towards women, whether through age, infirmity, or natural constitution. The author and classical Ḥanafī jurists identify such men as those who have no worldly need for women and are fully devoid of carnal drives. Modern jurists have debated whether hired male servants who interact with women fall in this category; the general rule of caution prevails.

Regarding al-ṭifl al-ladhīna lam yaẓharū ʿalā ʿawrāti'l-nisāʾ: these are pre-pubescent children who have not yet reached the age of understanding regarding the intimate matters of women. Once a boy reaches an age of awareness and curiosity regarding the female body, the same rules of covering apply before him as before any non-maḥram male.

وَأَنكِحُوا الْأَيَامَىٰ مِنكُمْ وَالصَّالِحِينَ مِنْ عِبَادِكُمْ وَإِمَائِكُمْ إِن يَكُونُوا فُقَرَاءَ يُغْنِهِمُ اللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ

Wa-ankiḥū'l-ayāmā minkum wal-ṣāliḥīna min ʿibādikum wa-imāʾikum in yakūnū fuqarāʾa yughnihi'mullah min faḍlihi wa'llāhu wāsiʿun ʿalīm

"And marry the unmarried among you and the righteous among your male and female slaves. If they be poor, Allah will enrich them from His bounty. Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing." — al-Nūr 24:32

Translation: Arrange the marriages of the unmarried persons among you — men and women — and of the righteous among your male slaves and female slaves. If they are poor, Allah will enrich them through His bounty. Allah is All-Encompassing [in His provision], All-Knowing.

Commentary: The verse employs the root nikāḥ (marriage contract) and gives a positive command to facilitate lawful marriage. Unmarried persons — whether free or enslaved — are to be helped towards marriage as a religious and social obligation. The word ʿibād (male slaves) is noted by the author: its use does not constitute shirk (association with Allah) when applied to human beings, for it is a proper Arabic word meaning "those who are owned." Shirk arises only when a created being is attributed divine qualities or divine sovereignty. The claim that calling someone "ʿabd al-Nabī" or "ʿabd al-Rasūl" constitutes shirk is rejected by the author as an excessive and incorrect conclusion.

The promise of divine enrichment after marriage is a statement of trust in Providence: those who fulfil the divine command of nikāḥ despite poverty will find Allah's provision flowing to them. The attributes wāsiʿ (all-encompassing) and ʿalīm (all-knowing) assure us that Allah's provision is limitless and perfectly calibrated to each person's need and situation.

وَلْيَسْتَعْفِفِ الَّذِينَ لَا يَجِدُونَ نِكَاحًا حَتَّىٰ يُغْنِيَهُمُ اللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَالَّذِينَ يَبْتَغُونَ الْكِتَابَ مِمَّا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ فَكَاتِبُوهُمْ إِنْ عَلِمْتُمْ فِيهِمْ خَيْرًا وَآتُوهُم مِّن مَّالِ اللَّهِ الَّذِي آتَاكُمْ وَلَا تُكْرِهُوا فَتَيَاتِكُمْ عَلَى الْبِغَاءِ إِنْ أَرَدْنَ تَحَصُّنًا لِّتَبْتَغُوا عَرَضَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَمَن يُكْرِهْهُنَّ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ مِن بَعْدِ إِكْرَاهِهِنَّ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

Wal-yastaʿfifi'l-ladhīna lā yajidūna nikāḥan ḥattā yughniahumu'llāhu min faḍlihi wal-ladhīna yabtaghūna'l-kitāba mimmā malakat aymānukum fa-kātibūhum in ʿalimtum fīhim khayran wa-ātūhum min māli'llāhi'l-ladhī ātākum wa-lā tukrihū fatayātikum ʿalā'l-bighāʾi in aradna taḥaṣṣunan li-tabtaghū ʿaraḍa'l-ḥayāti'l-dunyā wa-man yukrihhunna fa-inna'llāha min baʿdi ikrāhihinna ghafūrun raḥīm

"And let those who do not find [the means for] marriage remain chaste until Allah enriches them from His bounty. And as for those of your slaves who desire a contract for emancipation (mukātaba) — write it for them if you know goodness in them, and give them from the wealth of Allah that He has given you. And do not compel your slave-girls to prostitution if they desire chastity, seeking the fleeting goods of this worldly life. And if anyone compels them, then surely Allah — after their compulsion — is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful [to those compelled]." — al-Nūr 24:33

Translation: Those who do not have the means to marry should remain chaste and abstain from all illicit conduct until Allah enriches them through His favour. And those of your slaves who seek a contract of manumission (mukātaba) — grant it to them if you discern righteousness in them, and give them from the wealth that Allah has bestowed upon you [to help them fulfil the contract]. And do not compel your young slave-women into prostitution (bighāʾ) when they themselves wish to remain chaste, merely to seek the paltry material gain of this passing world. And if anyone compels them, then after such compulsion, Allah is indeed All-Forgiving, Most Merciful [to the women thus wronged].

Commentary: Three separate injunctions are combined in this verse:

1. Restraint (istiʿfāf) for the financially unable: Those who cannot yet afford marriage must not seek illicit fulfilment but must practise patient chastity (ʿiffa) until Allah provides. This is a divine command to the individual, paired with the social command in the previous verse to assist others towards marriage.

2. The mukātaba (contract of emancipation): A slave who desired his freedom could negotiate a contract (kitāba) with his master, agreeing to pay a fixed sum. Upon fulfilling it, he became free. The Qurʾān here commands masters to facilitate this arrangement when the slave shows moral and practical soundness (khayr), and further commands that they give him from the zakāt and public funds allocated to freeing slaves (fī'l-riqāb). This is Islam's structured and systematic approach to the gradual abolition of slavery.

3. The prohibition of forced prostitution: The specific context of revelation (sabab al-nuzūl) involves ʿAbdullāh ibn Ubayy, who reportedly forced his slave-women into prostitution for economic gain — a practice this verse categorically forbids. Even if such women were slaves, if they desired to maintain their honour and chastity, no master had the right to compel them to immorality. The divine mercy (ghafūrun raḥīm) at the end of the verse is directed towards those women who were forced, absolving them of sin, not towards the perpetrators of coercion.

The author (may Allah have mercy on him) reflects on the Islamic programme of emancipation: slavery is a product of conquest and social destitution. Islam found it and methodically dismantled it: by obligating masters to feed and clothe slaves as they clothe themselves; by requiring the freeing of slaves as expiation (kaffāra) for numerous sins; by enacting umm al-walad (automatic emancipation of the slave who bears her master's child); by instituting mukātaba; and by compelling the freeing of a slave if any limb was injured. All these together constitute a systemic and Islamic abolition, far more thoroughgoing in its human dignity than the brutal regimes of slavery practised by other civilisations.

Commentary (continued): The history of Muslim emancipated slaves is a testimony to the elevated status Islam conferred upon them. Sayyidunā Bilāl ibn Rabāḥ (may Allah be pleased with him) — a freed slave — became the first muʾadhdhin of Islam. Many of the greatest scholars of the Tābiʿūn generation — the successors of the Companions — were freed slaves. The teacher of Imām Mālik (may Allah have mercy on him) was the freed slave Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī. The great muḥaddith Nāfiʿ, from whom the Qirāʾat of Imām Mālik's chain derives, was the freed slave of Sayyidunā Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with both of them). Their names are preserved in the highest chains of transmission in Islamic scholarship — this is the true elevation that Islam offered. The degraded caste systems of non-Islamic South Asian societies — wherein a person of certain birth could never rise, regardless of personal merit — stand in stark contrast to the Islamic ideal of equality rooted in taqwā (God-consciousness) alone.

Slaves under Islamic law had full legal rights: they could bring complaints to the judge (qāḍī); masters were obligated to provide for them; if a master harmed them, the judge could intervene; if mistreatment persisted, the slave was to be sold to another master. Mothers of children by their masters (umm al-walad) became automatically free upon the master's death. The institution of kafāla fī'l-dīn (religious guardianship) applied even to non-Muslim slaves.

وَلَقَدْ أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ آيَاتٍ مُّبَيِّنَاتٍ وَمَثَلًا مِّنَ الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِن قَبْلِكُمْ وَمَوْعِظَةً لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ

Wa-laqad anzalnā ilaykum āyātin mubayyinātin wa-mathalan mina'l-ladhīna khalaw min qablikum wa-mawʿiẓatan lil-muttaqīn

"And We have certainly sent down to you verses that make things clear, and an example from those who passed before you, and an admonition for the God-fearing." — al-Nūr 24:34

Translation: And We have indeed sent down to you plain, clarifying verses, and examples from the nations that passed before you, and admonition for those who fear Allah (muttaqīn).

Commentary: The entire body of divine guidance in this sūra — the rulings on zinā, qadhf, liʿān, modesty, isti'dhān — constitutes āyāt mubayyināt: clear, illuminating signs. The histories of prior communities serve as living examples and warnings. For those who cultivate taqwā, all of this is a penetrating admonition (mawʿiẓa).

The author (may Allah have mercy on him) reflects on the institution of prostitution as it existed in various pre-Islamic civilisations — among Arabs, Romans, and others — and how Islam eradicated it with precision. Rather than simply banning it externally while leaving its social roots intact, Islam addressed every condition that produces such exploitation: poverty, captivity, social coercion. The Islamic solution was comprehensive: providing for all members of society, dignifying the enslaved, and offering legal remedies for exploitation.

اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ مَثَلُ نُورِهِ كَمِشْكَاةٍ فِيهَا مِصْبَاحٌ الْمِصْبَاحُ فِي زُجَاجَةٍ الزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّهَا كَوْكَبٌ دُرِّيٌّ يُوقَدُ مِن شَجَرَةٍ مُّبَارَكَةٍ زَيْتُونَةٍ لَّا شَرْقِيَّةٍ وَلَا غَرْبِيَّةٍ يَكَادُ زَيْتُهَا يُضِيءُ وَلَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌ نُّورٌ عَلَىٰ نُورٍ يَهْدِي اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَن يَشَاءُ وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

Allāhu nūru's-samāwāti wal-arḍi mathalu nūrihi ka-mishkātin fīhā miṣbāḥun al-miṣbāḥu fī zujājatin al-zujājatu ka-annahā kawkabun durriyyun yūqadu min shajaratin mubārakatin zaytūnatin lā sharqiyyatin wa-lā gharbiyyatin yakādu zaytuhā yuḍīʾu wa-law lam tamsashu nārun nūrun ʿalā nūrin yahdī'llāhu li-nūrihi man yashāʾu wa-yaḍribu'llāhu'l-amthāla lin-nāsi wa'llāhu bi-kulli shayʾin ʿalīm

"Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is as a niche within which is a lamp — the lamp is in a glass, the glass as it were a brilliant star — lit from a blessed olive tree, neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Light upon light. Allah guides to His Light whom He wills. And Allah strikes parables for the people, and Allah is Knowing of all things." — al-Nūr 24:35

Translation: Allah is the Light (Nūr) of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is like a niche (mishkāt) within which is a lamp (miṣbāḥ). The lamp is inside a glass vessel. The glass vessel is like a radiant, lustrous star — lit from a blessed olive tree that is neither of the East nor of the West — whose oil would nearly shine of itself even if no fire touched it. Light upon Light (nūrun ʿalā nūr). Allah guides to His Light whomever He wills. And Allah sets forth parables for people, and Allah is Knower of all things.

Commentary: This is the Āyat al-Nūr — the Light Verse — one of the most celebrated and exegetically rich verses in the entire Qurʾān. Its interpretation has engaged every dimension of Islamic scholarship: the mufassirūn (exegetes), the mutakallimūn (theologians), and above all the ʿārifūn (mystic knowers).

The fundamental theological point: "Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth" is not a statement that Allah is identical with created light (nūr ḥissī). In Maturīdī-Sunnī kalām, this means that Allah is the source, sustainer, and illuminator of all existence — He is al-Nūr as one of His Most Beautiful Names (al-Asmāʾ al-Ḥusnā), signifying His self-subsisting being and His role as the one who makes all things known, manifest, and guided.

The parable then unfolds in layers:

• The niche (mishkāt) — a hollow in a wall designed to hold and project a lamp's light efficiently: the commentators identify this with the heart of the believer (qalb al-muʾmin), which holds the divine light of guidance.
• The lamp (miṣbāḥ) within it: the light of īmān (faith) and maʿrifa (gnosis) burning within that heart.
• The glass vessel (zujāja): transparent, reflective, and brilliant — the heart of the perfected ʿārif that has become clear as crystal, like "a brilliant star" (kawkab durrī).
• The blessed olive tree neither Eastern nor Western: symbolising the universal, non-partisan, primordial reality of divine guidance — not bound by geographic or cultural limitation, transcending all particularity.
• The oil that nearly glows without fire: the istiʿdād (innate divine readiness) of the perfected soul, which requires only the slightest divine touch to blaze in full illumination.
• Light upon Light (nūrun ʿalā nūr): the layered and cumulative reality of divine guidance — each stage of maʿrifa opens onto a deeper stage.

The author (may Allah have mercy on him) approaches this verse from the perspective of Junaydī taṣawwuf: existence, knowledge (ʿilm), and being (wujūd) are all modalities of the divine Essence. Everything other than Allah has knowledge, existence, and power only as derivative reflections of the divine. Nothing in creation possesses these attributes independently — they are all manifestations (aṭwār) of the divine Essence, and their ultimate referent is Allah Himself.

Allah guides to His Light whom He wills — this is the Maturīdī theological principle: guidance (hidāya) is ultimately in Allah's hands, and it is given to those whom He elects through His infinite wisdom. The believer's effort (kasb) and opening of the heart are preconditions, not causes.

فِي بُيُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللَّهُ أَن تُرْفَعَ وَيُذْكَرَ فِيهَا اسْمُهُ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ فِيهَا بِالْغُدُوِّ وَالْآصَالِ

Fī buyūtin adhina'llāhu an turfaʿa wa-yudhkara fīha'smuhu yusabbiḥu lahu fīhā bil-ghuduwwi wal-āṣāl

"In houses that Allah has permitted to be raised and His name be mentioned therein — therein glorifying Him, morning and evening." — al-Nūr 24:36

Translation: [That Light shines] in houses that Allah has commanded to be elevated and in which His name is remembered — where men glorify Him morning and evening.

Commentary: These houses are the mosques (masājid), the preeminent abodes of divine light on earth. Allah has commanded that they be raised up (turfaʿa) — built, maintained, and honoured — and that His name be constantly invoked within them. The glorification (tasbīḥ) of Allah takes place in them at the two sacred times: ghuduww (morning) and āṣāl (late afternoon and evening). The mosque is where divine light descends in its fullest earthly concentration.

رِجَالٌ لَّا تُلْهِيهِمْ تِجَارَةٌ وَلَا بَيْعٌ عَن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَإِقَامِ الْصَّلَاةِ وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ يَخَافُونَ يَوْمًا تَتَقَلَّبُ فِيهِ الْقُلُوبُ وَالْأَبْصَارُ

Rijālun lā tulhīhim tijāratun wa-lā bayʿun ʿan dhikri'llāhi wa-iqāmi'ṣ-ṣalāti wa-ītāʾi'z-zakāti yakhāfūna yawman tataqallabu fīhi'l-qulūbu wal-abṣār

"Men whom neither commerce nor trade diverts from the remembrance of Allah and the establishment of prayer and the giving of zakāt — they fear a Day in which hearts and eyes will be overturned." — al-Nūr 24:37

Translation: Men whom neither commerce nor trade distracts from the remembrance of Allah, the establishment of ṣalāt (prayer), and the giving of zakāt — men who fear a Day on which hearts will be in turmoil and eyes will be confounded.

Commentary: The men who inhabit the divine houses of light are defined by three simultaneous qualities: unceasing dhikr (remembrance of Allah); steadfastness in ṣalāt (obligatory prayer, with all its conditions); and fulfilment of zakāt (obligatory almsgiving). Their worldly transactions — commerce, trade — do not eclipse their higher obligations. They remain inwardly anchored to Allah even while outwardly engaged with the world.

Their motivation is fear of that tremendous Day when "hearts will turn over and eyes will spin" — the Day of Judgement, whose terror is beyond ordinary imagining. This fear (khawf) is a spiritual engine: it keeps the believer morally alert and spiritually wakeful.

لِيَجْزِيَهُمُ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنَ مَا عَمِلُوا وَيَزِيدَهُم مِّن فَضْلِهِ وَاللَّهُ يَرْزُقُ مَن يَشَاءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ

Li-yajziyahumu'llāhu aḥsana mā ʿamilū wa-yazīdahum min faḍlihi wa'llāhu yarzuqu man yashāʾu bi-ghayri ḥisāb

"That Allah may reward them for the best of what they did and increase them from His bounty; Allah provides for whom He wills without limit." — al-Nūr 24:38

Translation: So that Allah shall reward them for the best of their deeds and increase them from His special bounty (faḍl). And Allah provides for whom He wills without measure or limit.

Commentary: The divine reward principle here is established: Allah rewards deeds at the level of their best quality, not their average — and then adds bounty (faḍl) from beyond what was merited. This is the generosity of Allah: justice already surpasses expectation; then pure gift surpasses justice. Bi-ghayri ḥisāb — "without reckoning" — expresses the boundlessness of divine provision. The rızq (provision) of Allah is not constrained by arithmetic or proportionality.

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَعْمَالُهُمْ كَسَرَابٍ بِقِيعَةٍ يَحْسَبُهُ الظَّمْآنُ مَاءً حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءَهُ لَمْ يَجِدْهُ شَيْئًا وَوَجَدَ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ فَوَفَّاهُ حِسَابَهُ وَاللَّهُ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ

Wal-ladhīna kafarū aʿmāluhum ka-sarābin bi-qīʿatin yaḥsabuhu'ẓ-ẓamʾānu māʾan ḥattā idhā jāʾahu lam yajidhu shayʾan wa-wajada'llāha ʿindahu fa-waffāhu ḥisābahu wa'llāhu sarīʿu'l-ḥisāb

"And those who disbelieve — their deeds are like a mirage in a barren plain, which a thirsty man thinks to be water, until when he comes to it he finds it nothing, but finds Allah there; and He settles his account in full. Allah is swift in reckoning." — al-Nūr 24:39

Translation: And those who have rejected faith — their deeds are like a mirage (sarāb) on a flat expanse of desert. The thirsty traveller takes it for water; but when he approaches it, he finds nothing — and finds instead that Allah is there, and settles his reckoning with him in full. Allah is swift in settling accounts.

Commentary: The first of two extended parables for the ultimate futility of the deeds of the disbelievers. The mirage is a perfect metaphor: from a distance, in a state of spiritual thirst and desperate need, the disbeliever invests faith and effort in actions that appear to carry substance and worth — but which, at the moment of final truth, vanish like an illusion. The phrase "he finds Allah there" is grave in its implication: instead of water — instead of the reward hoped for — the traveller finds Divine Reckoning awaiting him.

أَوْ كَظُلُمَاتٍ فِي بَحْرٍ لُّجِّيٍّ يَغْشَاهُ مَوْجٌ مِّن فَوْقِهِ مَوْجٌ مِّن فَوْقِهِ سَحَابٌ ظُلُمَاتٌ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ إِذَا أَخْرَجَ يَدَهُ لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَاهَا وَمَن لَّمْ يَجْعَلِ اللَّهُ لَهُ نُورًا فَمَا لَهُ مِن نُّورٍ

Aw ka-ẓulumātin fī baḥrin lujjiyyin yaghshāhu mawjun min fawqihi mawjun min fawqihi saḥābun ẓulumātun baʿḍuhā fawqa baʿḍin idhā akhraja yadahu lam yakad yarāhā wa-man lam yajʿali'llāhu lahu nūran fa-mā lahu min nūr

"Or [their deeds are] like layers of darkness in a deep sea, overwhelmed by a wave upon which rides a wave, above which is a cloud — darknesses, one upon another; when he extends his hand, he can barely see it. And he for whom Allah has not made light — for him there is no light." — al-Nūr 24:40

Translation: Or [their deeds are] like layered darknesses in a fathomlessly deep sea: wave upon wave engulfs it, and above the waves lie heavy clouds — darkness upon darkness piled one over the other. When a person extends his hand, he can scarcely see it. And for whom Allah has not made light — there is no light for him whatsoever.

Commentary: The second parable deepens the first. The mirage deluded with hope; this image conveys absolute and total deprivation of light. Three layers of darkness: the abyss of the deep sea, the wave upon wave crashing upon it, and the clouds blotting out the sky above. In such a condition, even one's own hand is invisible. This is the spiritual condition of the one who has rejected faith: no inner illumination, no guidance, no orientation — a total and layered absence of the divine light.

The closing statement is one of the most decisive in the Qurʾān: "Wa-man lam yajʿali'llāhu lahu nūran fa-mā lahu min nūr" — "And he for whom Allah has not made light — there is no light for him." This is the Maturīdī affirmation: all light, guidance, and illumination originate solely from Allah. Without His gift, there is nothing.

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَالطَّيْرُ صَافَّاتٍ كُلٌّ قَدْ عَلِمَ صَلَاتَهُ وَتَسْبِيحَهُ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا يَفْعَلُونَ

Alam tara anna'llāha yusabbiḥu lahu man fī's-samāwāti wal-arḍi waṭ-ṭayru ṣāffātin kullun qad ʿalima ṣalātahu wa-tasbīḥahu wa'llāhu ʿalīmun bi-mā yafʿalūn

"Do you not see that all who are in the heavens and the earth glorify Allah, as do the birds with wings outspread? Each knows his prayer and his glorification, and Allah is All-Knowing of what they do." — al-Nūr 24:41

Translation: Do you not see that all who are in the heavens and the earth glorify Allah — and the birds, with their wings outspread in ranks? Each one knows its own prayer and its own glorification. And Allah is All-Knowing of all that they do.

Commentary: This verse extends the horizon of tasbīḥ (glorification of Allah) to encompass the entire cosmos: every being in the heavens, every being on earth, and every bird gliding with outstretched wings in the sky — all are in a perpetual state of praise. Each creature knows its own appointed mode of prayer and glorification. This is not metaphorical or merely a statement of harmony with natural law — it is a real, ontological statement about the spiritual condition of all created existence.

The author (may Allah have mercy on him) reflects: this is why the Qurʾān says there is nothing that does not glorify His praise. Inanimate creation (jamādāt) has its mode of tasbīḥ, which is real though imperceptible to ordinary human senses; plants (nabātāt) have a form of awareness increasingly confirmed by observation; animals (ḥaywānāt) have their own cognitive and spiritual modes; and human beings — the crown of creation — bear the highest degree of consciousness and accountability. All are in tasbīḥ.

وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَإِلَى اللَّهِ الْمَصِيرُ

Wa-lillāhi mulku's-samāwāti wal-arḍi wa-ilā'llāhi'l-maṣīr

"And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and to Allah is the final return." — al-Nūr 24:42

Translation: And to Allah belongs the kingdom and sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. And to Allah is the ultimate return of all.

Commentary: The Āyat al-Nūr and its cosmic sequel culminate in this declaration of absolute divine sovereignty: the heavens and earth, with all their inhabitants and all their processes of glorification, belong entirely to Allah. Every return (maṣīr) — the final destination of all that exists — is to Him.

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُزْجِي سَحَابًا ثُمَّ يُؤَلِّفُ بَيْنَهُ ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُ رُكَامًا فَتَرَى الْوَدْقَ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ خِلَالِهِ وَيُنَزِّلُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مِن جِبَالٍ فِيهَا مِن بَرَدٍ فَيُصِيبُ بِهِ مَن يَشَاءُ وَيَصْرِفُهُ عَن مَّن يَشَاءُ يَكَادُ سَنَا بَرْقِهِ يَذْهَبُ بِالْأَبْصَارِ

Alam tara anna'llāha yuzjī saḥāban thumma yuʾallifu baynahu thumma yajʿaluhu rukāman fa-tarā'l-wadqa yakhruju min khilālihi wa-yunazzilu mina's-samāʾi min jibālin fīhā min baradin fa-yuṣību bihi man yashāʾu wa-yaṣrifuhu ʿamman yashāʾu yakādu sanā barqihi yadhhabu bil-abṣār

"Do you not see that Allah drives clouds, then gathers them together, then piles them into masses, and you see the rain issuing from within them? And He sends down from the sky, from mountains [of clouds] therein, hail — and He strikes with it whom He wills and averts it from whom He wills. The flash of its lightning nearly takes away the sight." — al-Nūr 24:43

Translation: Do you not observe that Allah drives clouds along, then gathers them together, then piles them in heaps — and you see the rain coming forth from between them? And He sends down from the sky, from the cloud-mountains within it, hail — striking with it whom He wills and diverting it from whom He wills. The brilliance of His lightning nearly blinds the eyes.

Commentary: Having spoken of divine light in the form of spiritual illumination, the sūra now speaks of divine light in its most dramatic natural manifestation: lightning, the companion of storm. The same Allah who is the Light of the heavens and the earth is the one who orchestrates the clouds, builds them into towering formations, and then sends rain and hail with absolute precision — striking some, sparing others. The flash of lightning that can momentarily blind the human eye is a small and humbling token of divine power.

The verse is also an invitation to tafakkur (contemplation): the meteorological cycle — the movement of clouds, their gathering, the rain emerging from their folds, the descent of hail — is not random but orchestrated by the divine will with perfect intentionality. Every raindrop lands where Allah wills it to land.

وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَ كُلَّ دَابَّةٍ مِّن مَّاءٍ فَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِي عَلَىٰ بَطْنِهِ وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِي عَلَىٰ رِجْلَيْنِ وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِي عَلَىٰ أَرْبَعٍ يَخْلُقُ اللَّهُ مَا يَشَاءُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

Wa'llāhu khalaqa kulla dābbatin min māʾin fa-minhum man yamshī ʿalā baṭnihi wa-minhum man yamshī ʿalā rijlayni wa-minhum man yamshī ʿalā arbaʿin yakhluqu'llāhu mā yashāʾu inna'llāha ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr

"And Allah created every creature from water; among them are those that crawl on their bellies, those that walk on two legs, and those that walk on four. Allah creates what He wills; indeed, Allah is over all things Powerful." — al-Nūr 24:45

Translation: And Allah created every living, moving creature from water. Among them are those that move on their bellies, those that walk on two legs, and those that walk on four legs. Allah creates what He wills, and Allah has power over all things.

Commentary: The primal element of all organic life is water (māʾ). This Qurʾānic statement — made fourteen centuries before modern biology confirmed the centrality of water to all life — encompasses the entire spectrum of living motion: the serpent on its belly, the human being on two feet, the quadruped on four. Life's diversity is the signature of divine creative power (qudra), which admits no limitation and no constraint.

لَّقَدْ أَنزَلْنَا آيَاتٍ مُّبَيِّنَاتٍ وَاللَّهُ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

La-qad anzalnā āyātin mubayyinātin wa'llāhu yahdī man yashāʾu ilā ṣirāṭin mustaqīm

"We have certainly sent down clarifying signs; and Allah guides whom He wills to the straight path." — al-Nūr 24:46

Translation: We have certainly sent down clear, illuminating signs — and Allah guides whom He wills to the straight path (ṣirāṭ mustaqīm).

Commentary: The repeated emphasis on āyāt mubayyināt (clarifying signs) throughout this sūra is deliberate: the divine communication is not obscure. The signs are clear. But the capacity to receive and follow them — to be guided to the ṣirāṭ mustaqīm — is a divine gift (tawfīq), given to those upon whom Allah bestows it. The human duty is to open oneself with sincerity; the divine gift of guidance then comes.

وَيَقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَبِالرَّسُولِ وَأَطَعْنَا ثُمَّ يَتَوَلَّىٰ فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُم مِّن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ وَمَا أُولَٰئِكَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ

Wa-yaqūlūna āmannā billāhi wa-bir-rasūli wa-aṭaʿnā thumma yatawallā farīqun minhum min baʿdi dhālika wa-mā ulāʾika bil-muʾminīn

"And they say: 'We believe in Allah and in the Messenger, and we obey' — then a party of them turns away after that; those are not [true] believers." — al-Nūr 24:47

Translation: And they say — with their tongues — "We believe in Allah and the Messenger, and we obey." Then a faction among them turns away after that [declaration]. Those are not true believers.

Commentary: This verse exposes the reality of nifāq (hypocrisy) in its most characteristic manifestation: verbal declaration of faith and obedience, followed by practical reversal when obedience becomes costly or inconvenient. Verbal shahāda (testimony) unaccompanied by sincere, sustained obedience does not constitute genuine īmān. The divine judgment is plain: "those are not believers."

وَإِذَا دُعُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَهُمْ إِذَا فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ

Wa-idhā duʿū ilā'llāhi wa-rasūlihi li-yaḥkuma baynahum idhā farīqun minhum muʿriḍūn

"And when they are called to Allah and His Messenger that he [the Messenger] may judge between them — behold, a party of them turns away." — al-Nūr 24:48

Translation: And when they are summoned before Allah and His Messenger for judgement to be rendered between them — immediately a faction of them refuses and turns away.

Commentary: The hypocrisy is confirmed in the domain of legal adjudication (qaḍāʾ). When a dispute arises and they are called to the Prophetﷺfor judgement — the ultimate recourse of Islamic justice — the hypocrites refuse, knowing that divine justice will not favour them. Their willingness to invoke "Allah and the Messenger" lasts only so long as the outcome appears to benefit them.

وَإِن يَكُن لَّهُمُ الْحَقُّ يَأْتُوا إِلَيْهِ مُذْعِنِينَ

Wa-in yakun lahumu'l-ḥaqqu yaʾtū ilayhi mudhʿinīn

"But if the right is on their side, they come to him willingly and in full submission." — al-Nūr 24:49

Translation: But if the judgement happens to be in their favour, they come to the Messenger willingly and in full compliance.

Commentary: The character of the hypocrite is laid bare with precision: they accept the authority of divine law only when it serves their worldly interests. This selective submission is the very antithesis of islām — unconditional surrender to Allah. True faith entails accepting divine judgement even when it goes against one's personal interest.

أَفِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ أَمِ ارْتَابُوا أَمْ يَخَافُونَ أَن يَحِيفَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَرَسُولُهُ بَلْ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ

Afī qulūbihim maraḍun ami'rtābū am yakhāfūna an yaḥīfa'llāhu ʿalayhim wa-rasūluhu bal ulāʾika humu'ẓ-ẓālimūn

"Is there sickness in their hearts, or have they doubted, or do they fear that Allah and His Messenger will wrong them? Rather, those are themselves the wrongdoers." — al-Nūr 24:50

Translation: Is there a spiritual disease in their hearts? Or have they been overcome by doubt? Or do they fear that Allah and His Messenger will be unjust to them? Nay — those very persons are themselves the wrongdoers (ẓālimūn).

Commentary: Three possibilities are raised and all three are implicitly affirmed as forms of moral failure. The Qurʾān settles the question definitively: the refusal to submit to divine judgement is ẓulm — oppression, injustice, and wrongdoing — directed ultimately against their own souls. Allah and His Messengerﷺare not unjust; the accusation implicit in their refusal is itself the crime.

إِنَّمَا كَانَ قَوْلَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذَا دُعُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَهُمْ أَن يَقُولُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

Innamā kāna qawla'l-muʾminīna idhā duʿū ilā'llāhi wa-rasūlihi li-yaḥkuma baynahum an yaqūlū samiʿnā wa-aṭaʿnā wa-ulāʾika humu'l-mufliḥūn

"Verily the only word of the believers, when called to Allah and His Messenger that he may judge between them, is that they say: 'We hear and we obey.' Those are the ones who will succeed." — al-Nūr 24:51

Translation: The [one and only] response of the true believers, when they are called to Allah and His Messenger for judgement between them, is to say: "We have heard and we obey (samiʿnā wa-aṭaʿnā)." Those are the ones who will truly succeed (muflihūn).

Commentary: In contrast to the hypocrite's selective compliance, the believer's response is immediate, unconditional, and joyful: samiʿnā wa-aṭaʿnā — the great declaration of Islamic discipleship. This phrase echoes the pledge of allegiance (bayʿa) and the spirit of surrender that defines islām. The muflihūn — the successful, the felicitous — are those who internalise this disposition completely.

وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَيَخْشَ اللَّهَ وَيَتَّقْهِ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَائِزُونَ

Wa-man yuṭiʿi'llāha wa-rasūlahu wa-yakhsha'llāha wa-yattaqhi fa-ulāʾika humu'l-fāʾizūn

"And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger and fears Allah and is in awe of Him — those are the ones who will triumph." — al-Nūr 24:52

Translation: And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, and fears Allah with reverential awe (khashya), and maintains constant taqwā — those are the ones who will triumph and attain their goal (fāʾizūn).

Commentary: Two levels of divine awareness are distinguished: khashya (reverential fear rooted in knowledge of divine greatness) and taqwā (vigilant God-consciousness that governs all conduct). Together they constitute the interior and exterior of the perfected believer's relationship with Allah. The fāʾizūn — those who truly win — are those in whom obedience, reverence, and vigilance are unified.

وَأَقْسَمُوا بِاللَّهِ جَهْدَ أَيْمَانِهِمْ لَئِن أَمَرْتَهُمْ لَيَخْرُجُنَّ قُل لَّا تُقْسِمُوا طَاعَةٌ مَّعْرُوفَةٌ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ

Wa-aqsamū billāhi jahda aymānihim laʾin amartahum la-yakhrujunna qul lā tuqsimū ṭāʿatun maʿrūfatun inna'llāha khabīrun bi-mā taʿmalūn

"And they swear by Allah their most solemn oaths that if you command them they will surely go out. Say: 'Do not swear. Obedience that is recognised [as sincere] is what is required. Indeed, Allah is Well-Acquainted with what you do.'" — al-Nūr 24:53

Translation: They swear by Allah with their most emphatic oaths that if you command them they will absolutely go out [in the way of Allah]. Say to them: "Do not take oaths. What is needed is obedience that is already known and recognised [i.e., lived, habitual, sincere]. Indeed, Allah is fully informed of all that you do."

Commentary: The hypocrites swear extravagant oaths of loyalty and readiness to serve — precisely the gesture of someone who lacks actual loyalty. The Prophetﷺis instructed to cut through the pageantry: no oaths are needed. What is required is ṭāʿa maʿrūfa — obedience that is plainly evident to all, rooted in sincere commitment, habitually demonstrated. Every person's actions are known to Allah; sworn declarations are no substitute for lived conduct.

قُلْ أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْهِ مَا حُمِّلَ وَعَلَيْكُم مَّا حُمِّلْتُمْ وَإِن تُطِيعُوهُ تَهْتَدُوا وَمَا عَلَى الرَّسُولِ إِلَّا الْبَلَاغُ الْمُبِينُ

Qul aṭīʿū'llāha wa-aṭīʿū'r-rasūla fa-in tawallaw fa-innamā ʿalayhi mā ḥummila wa-ʿalaykum mā ḥummiltum wa-in tuṭīʿūhu tahtadū wa-mā ʿalā'r-rasūli illā'l-balāghu'l-mubīn

"Say: 'Obey Allah and obey the Messenger. But if you turn away — upon him rests only what is placed upon him [the duty of conveying], and upon you rests what is placed upon you [the duty of obedience]. And if you obey him, you will be guided. The Messenger's duty is only clear conveyance.'" — al-Nūr 24:54

Translation: Say: "Obey Allah and obey the Messenger. But if you turn away — upon the Messenger lies only the burden placed upon him [conveying the message faithfully], and upon you lies the burden placed upon you [of obedience and accountability]. And if you obey him, you will find guidance. The duty of the Messenger is nothing but the clear and complete delivery of the message."

Commentary: The division of responsibility is clear: the Messengerﷺis not accountable for people's choices — his duty is balāgh mubīn (clear, complete conveyance). The believers are accountable for their response. Those who obey find guidance; those who turn away bear the consequences of their own choice alone. The Prophetﷺis absolved of any blame for their disbelief.

وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَىٰ لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا يَعْبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئًا وَمَن كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ

Wa-ʿada'llāhu'l-ladhīna āmanū minkum wa-ʿamilū'ṣ-ṣāliḥāti la-yastakhlifannahum fī'l-arḍi kamā'stakhlafa'l-ladhīna min qablihim wa-la-yumakkinanna lahum dīnahumu'l-ladhī'rtaḍā lahum wa-la-yubaddilannahum min baʿdi khawfihim amnan yaʿbudūnanī lā yushrikūna bī shayʾan wa-man kafara baʿda dhālika fa-ulāʾika humu'l-fāsiqūn

"Allah has promised those among you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession in the earth as He granted succession to those before them, and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has approved for them, and that He will surely change their fear to security — provided that they worship Me, associating nothing with Me. But whoever disbelieves after that — those are the transgressors." — al-Nūr 24:55

Translation: Allah has made a promise to those among you who have believed and performed righteous deeds: He will certainly make them successors (khalīfa) in the earth, as He made those before them successors; He will certainly consolidate and strengthen for them their religion — the religion He has chosen and approved for them; and He will certainly transform their state of fear into security and peace. [But this promise is conditional:] they must worship Me, associating nothing with Me (lā yushrikūna bī shayʾan). And whoever rejects faith after this — those are the corrupt transgressors (fāsiqūn).

Commentary: This is one of the great divine promises in the Qurʾān — a promise of istikhilāf (vicegerency and political-spiritual succession) for the believing community. The verse establishes a conditional covenant: if the believers fulfil the conditions — sincere worship and absolute rejection of shirk (association with Allah) — Allah will fulfil His side of the covenant with three blessings: dominion in the earth, consolidation of the religion, and transformation from fear to security.

The history of the early Muslim community is the first fulfilment of this promise — from a persecuted minority in Makkah to the holders of political authority over vast lands within decades. The condition is always present: lā yushrikūna bī shayʾan — pure tawḥīd (divine oneness) and sincere worship. Where these are absent, the promise no longer applies. Whoever turns away after the promise has been made — they are the fāsiqūn.

The author (may Allah have mercy on him) reflects with poignancy: when Muslims abandoned their covenant with Allah — when they turned away from His commands and followed their desires — they lost His protection and favour. The doors of honour were shut before them. Repentance and return to Allah, he insists, are the only path to the restoration of dignity, governance, and security for the Muslim community.

وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ

Wa-aqīmū'ṣ-ṣalāta wa-ātū'z-zakāta wa-aṭīʿū'r-rasūla laʿallakum turḥamūn

"And establish prayer, give zakāt, and obey the Messenger — that you may be shown mercy." — al-Nūr 24:56

Translation: Establish the prayer, give the zakāt, and obey the Messenger — so that mercy may be shown to you.

Commentary: The three pillars that sustain the divine covenant are restated: ṣalāt (prayer — the vertical bond with Allah), zakāt (obligatory alms — the horizontal bond with the community), and ṭāʿat al-rasūl (obedience to the Messengerﷺ— the bond of prophetic guidance). Together they are the practical fulfilment of the covenant. The motivation and hope: laʿallakum turḥamūn — that the divine mercy (raḥma) may envelop you.

لَا تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مُعْجِزِينَ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَأْوَاهُمُ النَّارُ وَلَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ

Lā taḥsabanna'l-ladhīna kafarū muʿjizīna fī'l-arḍi wa-maʾwāhumu'n-nāru wa-la-biʾsa'l-maṣīr

"Do not think that the disbelievers are weakening [Allah] in the earth — their abode is the Fire, and wretched is that destination." — al-Nūr 24:57

Translation: Do not imagine that those who reject faith will be able to frustrate or weaken [the will of Allah] anywhere in the earth. Their abode and final station is the Fire — and what a terrible final destination it is.

Commentary: A word of consolation and assurance to the Prophetﷺand the believers: appearances can be deceptive. The disbelievers may seem powerful and victorious in the short term, but they cannot escape divine control. Their apparent dominance is temporary; their ultimate fate is fixed. The word muʿjizīna (from the root ʿajaza — to be incapable) is used here in the causative sense: they cannot cause Allah to be incapable or frustrated. The divine plan is invulnerable.

The author (may Allah have mercy on him) draws a spiritual lesson: when Muslims see themselves humiliated and enemies triumphant, they should not despair. The disbelievers' worldly success is not evidence of divine favour — their maʾwā (abode) is the Fire. The obligation of the believer is to return to genuine faith, practice, and obedience — and then trust in the divine promise.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لِيَسْتَأْذِنكُمُ الَّذِينَ مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ لَمْ يَبْلُغُوا الْحُلُمَ مِنكُمْ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ مِّن قَبْلِ صَلَاةِ الْفَجْرِ وَحِينَ تَضَعُونَ ثِيَابَكُم مِّنَ الظَّهِيرَةِ وَمِن بَعْدِ صَلَاةِ الْعِشَاءِ ثَلَاثُ عَوْرَاتٍ لَّكُمْ

Yā ayyuhā'l-ladhīna āmanū li-yastaʾdhinkumu'l-ladhīna malakat aymānukum wal-ladhīna lam yablughū'l-ḥuluma minkum thalātha marrātin min qabli ṣalāti'l-fajri wa-ḥīna taḍaʿūna thiyābakum mina'ẓ-ẓahīrati wa-min baʿdi ṣalāti'l-ʿishāʾi thalāthu ʿawrātin lakum

"O you who believe! Let those whom your right hands possess and those among you who have not yet reached puberty ask permission from you at three times: before the dawn prayer, and when you put off your garments at noon, and after the night prayer. These are three times of privacy for you." — al-Nūr 24:58

Translation: O believers! Your slaves and those among you who have not yet reached maturity (ḥulm) must seek your permission at three specific times: before the Fajr (dawn) prayer, at midday when you undress and rest, and after the ʿIshāʾ (night) prayer. These are three times of private exposure (ʿawra) for you.

Commentary: The verse extends the ādāb of isti'dhān specifically to those within the household — slaves and pre-pubescent children — and specifies the three times when household privacy is most essential: the early morning (before Fajr, when people are in their sleeping clothes or in the process of rising), midday rest (when outer garments are removed), and after the evening prayer (when people retire for the night). These are called ʿawrāt — literally "times of exposure" or "times of vulnerability" — three intervals of privacy in the domestic cycle.

Commentary (continued): The verse addresses the household staff and children: they must not enter without knocking and receiving permission during these three times. This rule teaches children the principles of ḥurma (respect for privacy) and adab from an early age, and it ensures domestic dignity for all.

بَعْدَهُنَّ طَوَّافُونَ عَلَيْكُم بَعْضُكُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ

Baʿdahunna ṭawwāfūna ʿalaykum baʿḍukum ʿalā baʿḍin kadhālika yubayyinu'llāhu lakumu'l-āyāti wa'llāhu ʿalīmun ḥakīm

"Other than at these times, there is no sin upon you or them — they move about, attending to each other. Thus Allah makes the signs clear to you, and Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise." — al-Nūr 24:58

Translation: At times other than those three, there is no sin upon you or them — for they circulate freely among you, some to others, attending to household needs. In this manner Allah clarifies His signs for you; and Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

Commentary: Outside the three sensitive times, household members — servants and children — circulate freely and there is no restriction. The rule is practical, not burdensome. Allah, being ʿalīm (all-knowing of human nature, needs, and circumstances) and ḥakīm (all-wise in legislation), has calibrated the rule precisely.

وَإِذَا بَلَغَ الْأَطْفَالُ مِنكُمُ الْحُلُمَ فَلْيَسْتَأْذِنُوا كَمَا اسْتَأْذَنَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ

Wa-idhā balagha'l-aṭfālu minkumu'l-ḥuluma fal-yastaʾdhinū kamā'staʾdhana'l-ladhīna min qablihim kadhālika yubayyinu'llāhu lakum āyātihi wa'llāhu ʿalīmun ḥakīm

"And when the children among you reach puberty, let them ask permission as those before them asked. Thus does Allah make clear to you His signs; and Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise." — al-Nūr 24:59

Translation: And when children among you reach the age of puberty (ḥulm), they must seek permission at all times — just as those who reached it before them did. This is how Allah makes His signs clear to you. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

Commentary: Upon reaching puberty, the partial rule of three-time permission is replaced by the full adult rule of isti'dhān at all times, just as required of all adult non-maḥram persons. The continuity of Islamic adab across generations is emphasised: the rules for adults applied to the Companions apply equally to every generation. The wisdom (ḥikma) of this rule is transparent — it protects the dignity and privacy of the household permanently.

وَالْقَوَاعِدُ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ اللَّاتِي لَا يَرْجُونَ نِكَاحًا فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْهِنَّ جُنَاحٌ أَن يَضَعْنَ ثِيَابَهُنَّ غَيْرَ مُتَبَرِّجَاتٍ بِزِينَةٍ وَأَن يَسْتَعْفِفْنَ خَيْرٌ لَّهُنَّ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

Wal-qawāʿidu mina'n-nisāʾi'l-lātī lā yarjūna nikāḥan fa-laysa ʿalayhinna junāḥun an yaḍaʿna thiyābahunna ghayra mutabarrijātin bi-zīnatin wa-an yastaʿfifna khayrun lahunna wa'llāhu samīʿun ʿalīm

"And women past the age of marriage who do not hope for marriage — there is no blame on them if they lay aside their outer garments, provided they do not display their adornment; but to remain modest is better for them. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing." — al-Nūr 24:60

Translation: And women who are past the age of marriage and who no longer have any desire or prospect of marriage — there is no sin upon them if they lay aside their outer covering garments, provided they do so without displaying their adornments (zīna) ostentatiously. But if they continue to maintain full modesty, that is better for them. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

Commentary: A specific dispensation for elderly women (qawāʿid — literally "those who have settled," i.e., women past the age of marital prospect and sexual desire): they may relax the outer layer of covering (jilbāb) in public, though the condition ghayra mutabarrijātin bi-zīnatin — "without flaunting adornment" — is maintained. They may not remove inner garments or present themselves in a sexually provocative manner. And if they maintain full covering nonetheless, that is superior and more meritorious.

The author (may Allah have mercy on him) observes with sorrow: the current age has turned modesty on its head. Young Muslim women appear unveiled and uncovered in imitation of non-Islamic norms, while older women who remember proper Islamic conduct maintain their covering. The dispensation was given to elderly women; it has been appropriated by the young for entirely different reasons. The root principle stands: ḥayāʾ (modesty) is from the fiṭra (primordial human nature) — its abandonment is not civilisational progress but a departure from humanity itself. Those who compare women's covering to the absence of covering among animals misunderstand the very thing that distinguishes the human being: the human fiṭra innately possesses ḥayāʾ, intelligence, and moral consciousness. Wearing clothing is in accordance with nature; shedding it on philosophical grounds is against it.

لَّيْسَ عَلَى الْأَعْمَىٰ حَرَجٌ وَلَا عَلَى الْأَعْرَجِ حَرَجٌ وَلَا عَلَى الْمَرِيضِ حَرَجٌ وَلَا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَن تَأْكُلُوا مِن بُيُوتِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ آبَائِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ إِخْوَانِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ أَخَوَاتِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ أَعْمَامِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ عَمَّاتِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ أَخْوَالِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ خَالَاتِكُمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكْتُم مَّفَاتِحَهُ أَوْ صَدِيقِكُمْ لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَأْكُلُوا جَمِيعًا أَوْ أَشْتَاتًا فَإِذَا دَخَلْتُمْ بُيُوتًا فَسَلِّمُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِكُمْ تَحِيَّةً مِّنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ مُبَارَكَةً طَيِّبَةً

Laysa ʿalā'l-aʿmā ḥarajun wa-lā ʿalā'l-aʿraji ḥarajun wa-lā ʿalā'l-marīḍi ḥarajun wa-lā ʿalā anfusikum an taʾkulū min buyūtikum aw buyūti ābāʾikum aw buyūti ummahātikum aw buyūti ikhwānikum aw buyūti akhawātikum aw buyūti aʿmāmikum aw buyūti ʿammātikum aw buyūti akhwālikum aw buyūti khālātikum aw mā malaktum mafātiḥahu aw ṣadīqikum laysa ʿalaykum junāḥun an taʾkulū jamīʿan aw ashtātan fa-idhā dakḥaltum buyūtan fa-sallimū ʿalā anfusikum taḥiyyatan min ʿindi'llāhi mubārakatan ṭayyibah

"There is no blame upon the blind, nor blame upon the lame, nor blame upon the sick, nor upon yourselves, for eating from your own houses, or your fathers' houses, or your mothers' houses, or your brothers' houses, or your sisters' houses, or your paternal uncles' houses, or your paternal aunts' houses, or your maternal uncles' houses, or your maternal aunts' houses, or [houses] whose keys you hold, or your friend's. There is no blame on you whether you eat together or separately. And when you enter houses, greet yourselves with a salutation from Allah — blessed, pure." — al-Nūr 24:61

Translation: There is no sin upon the blind man, nor upon the lame man, nor upon the sick person, nor upon yourselves, in eating from your own houses, your fathers' houses, your mothers' houses, your brothers' houses, your sisters' houses, your paternal uncles' houses, your paternal aunts' houses, your maternal uncles' houses, or your maternal aunts' houses — or from houses whose keys you hold in trust, or your close friend's home. There is no sin in eating together in a group or separately as individuals. And when you enter houses, greet one another — upon yourselves — with a salutation that is from Allah, a blessed and pure greeting.

Commentary: The verse addresses an apparent earlier concern among some Muslims that it was inappropriate to eat from relatives' homes without explicit invitation in each instance, or for persons with physical disabilities to eat alongside others. The Qurʾān removes this scruple: among close family and trusted friends, eating and sharing food is an expression of solidarity and love, not an intrusion. The categories listed are the natural circles of intimacy in Islamic social life.

The profound adab at the end of the verse: upon entering any house — even one's own — one should greet with al-salāmu ʿalaykum. The greeting of salām is described as taḥiyyatun min ʿindi'llāh — a salutation originating from Allah, bestowed upon His community — and it is mubāraka ṭayyiba — blessed and pure. It is not merely a social pleasantry but an act of worship, a prayer of peace and blessing upon one's household, and a connection to the divine source of all peace (al-Salām).

The author (may Allah have mercy on him) urges: when entering a home, announce oneself with al-salāmu ʿalaykum, ask if one may enter, and say: "May I come in?" or "Are you present?" before entering. This adab of isti'dhān — practised within one's own home and the homes of relatives — fills the home with baraka (divine blessing). It also protects women in the household from being surprised in a state of undress or privacy. The abandonment of this practice is a loss of the baraka that comes with it.

إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَإِذَا كَانُوا مَعَهُ عَلَىٰ أَمْرٍ جَامِعٍ لَّمْ يَذْهَبُوا حَتَّىٰ يَسْتَأْذِنُوهُ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَأْذِنُونَكَ أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ فَإِذَا اسْتَأْذَنُوكَ لِبَعْضِ شَأْنِهِمْ فَأْذَن لِّمَن شِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمُ اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

Innamā'l-muʾminūna'l-ladhīna āmanū billāhi wa-rasūlihi wa-idhā kānū maʿahu ʿalā amrin jāmiʿin lam yadhhabū ḥattā yastaʾdinūhu inna'l-ladhīna yastaʾdinūnaka ulāʾika'l-ladhīna yuʾminūna billāhi wa-rasūlihi fa-idhā'staʾdhanūka li-baʿḍi shaʾnihim faʾdhan li-man shiʾta minhum wa'staghfir lahumu'llāha inna'llāha ghafūrun raḥīm

"The true believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Messenger and, when they are with him on a collective matter, do not depart until they have sought his permission. Indeed, those who seek your permission — those are the ones who believe in Allah and His Messenger. So when they ask your permission for some of their affairs, give permission to whom you will of them and seek forgiveness for them from Allah. Indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful." — al-Nūr 24:62

Translation: The true believers are none other than those who have believed in Allah and His Messenger, and who, when they are with him on a matter of collective communal concern, do not depart without first seeking his permission. Those who seek your permission — they are the ones who truly believe in Allah and His Messenger. So when they request permission for some of their personal affairs, grant permission to whom you will of them, and seek forgiveness for them from Allah. Indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Commentary: The principle of isti'dhān is here applied to the highest level of Islamic social organisation: the collective gathering under the leadership of the Prophetﷺ. When the community assembles for a matter of public importance (amr jāmiʿ) — a consultation, a military campaign, a communal decision — no individual may depart without the Prophet's leave. This is a mark of genuine faith: the hypocrites abandon communal duties for private convenience; the true believers subordinate personal preference to communal responsibility and the Prophet's leadership.

The Prophetﷺis given discretion: he may grant permission to depart to those who request it for genuine reasons. And significantly, he is instructed to seek forgiveness for those who seek permission to leave — an act of prophetic intercession (istighrār) on behalf of the believers, affirming the tender care of the Prophetﷺfor his community.

لَّا تَجْعَلُوا دُعَاءَ الرَّسُولِ بَيْنَكُمْ كَدُعَاءِ بَعْضِكُم بَعْضًا قَدْ يَعْلَمُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ يَتَسَلَّلُونَ مِنكُمْ لِوَاذًا فَلْيَحْذَرِ الَّذِينَ يُخَالِفُونَ عَنْ أَمْرِهِ أَن تُصِيبَهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ أَوْ يُصِيبَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

Lā tajʿalū duʿāʾa'r-rasūli baynakum ka-duʿāʾi baʿḍikum baʿḍan qad yaʿlamu'llāhu'l-ladhīna yatasallalūna minkum liwādhan fal-yaḥdhara'l-ladhīna yukhālifūna ʿan amrihi an tuṣībahum fitnatun aw yuṣībahum ʿadhābun alīm

"Do not make the calling of the Messenger among you like your calling of one another. Allah already knows those of you who slip away covertly. Let those who oppose his command beware lest a trial befall them or a painful punishment befall them." — al-Nūr 24:63

Translation: Do not treat the summons of the Messengerﷺamong you as though it were merely the call of one of you to another [i.e., treat it with full honour and urgency]. Allah knows well those among you who slip away under cover of others. Let those who contravene his command beware — lest a fitna (tribulation) befall them, or a painful punishment descend upon them.

Commentary: The Prophetﷺ's summons carries an authority categorically different from the summons of any ordinary person. To treat it casually — to slip away when he calls, hiding behind others — is an act of hypocrisy. Allah sees those who skulk out of assemblies under pretence. The warning is solemn: fitna (a worldly tribulation or spiritual confusion) or an outright painful punishment. The adab towards the Prophetﷺand his commands is an extension of adab towards Allah — they are inseparable.

أَلَا إِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ قَدْ يَعْلَمُ مَا أَنتُمْ عَلَيْهِ وَيَوْمَ يُرْجَعُونَ إِلَيْهِ فَيُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا عَمِلُوا وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

Alā inna lillāhi mā fī's-samāwāti wal-arḍi qad yaʿlamu mā antum ʿalayhi wa-yawma yurjaʿūna ilayhi fa-yunabbiʾuhum bi-mā ʿamilū wa'llāhu bi-kulli shayʾin ʿalīm

"Indeed, to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. He knows what you are engaged in. And the Day they are returned to Him, He will inform them of what they did — and Allah is Knowing of all things." — al-Nūr 24:64

Translation: Behold — to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. He already knows what condition you are in and what you are engaged in. And the Day when they shall be returned to Him, He will inform them fully of what they did. Allah is Knower of all things.

Commentary: The sūra closes with a declaration of total divine ownership and omniscience. Every secret of every soul — every covert departure from the assembly, every hidden sin and concealed virtue — is fully known to Allah. On the Day of Return, He will present each soul with a complete and precise account of its deeds. There will be no surprises for the one who has lived in consciousness of Allah — only the confirmation of what was already known. For those who deceived themselves, the disclosure will be devastating.

Wa'llāhu bi-kulli shayʾin ʿalīm — "Allah is Knowing of all things" — is the seal of Sūrat al-Nūr: a sūra that opened with the binding obligation of divine law, proceeded through the most intimate recesses of human conduct and social life, illuminated the cosmos with the Āyat al-Nūr, and now closes with the absolute, all-encompassing knowledge of Allah. Light and knowledge are one: where divine light is present, nothing is hidden.

Sūrat al-Furqān