Surah An-Nur 24:58-61 - Towards Understanding the Quran - Quran Translation Commentary

Translation

(24:58) Believers!⁸⁵ At three times let those whom your right hands possess and those of your children⁸⁶ who have not yet reached puberty⁸⁷ ask leave of you before entering your quarters: before the Morning Prayer and when you take off your clothes at noon, and after the Night Prayer. These are the three times of privacy for you.⁸⁸ If they come to you at other times then there is no sin for them⁸⁹ nor for you, for you have to visit one another frequently.⁹⁰ Thus does Allah clearly explain His directives to you. Allah is All- Knowing, All-Wise.

(24:59) And when your children attain puberty⁹¹ let them ask leave to come to you like their elders used to ask leave. Thus does Allah clearly explain to you His Signs. He is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

(24:60) The women who are past their youth (and can no longer bear children) and do not look forward to marriage⁹² will incur no sin if they cast off their outer garments⁹³ without displaying their adornment.⁹⁴ But if they remain modest, that is still better for them. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

(24:61) There is no blame on the blind nor any blame on the lame nor any blame on the sick nor on yourselves that you eat in your own houses, or your fathers' houses, or your mothers' houses, or your brothers' houses, or the houses of your sisters, or the houses of your fathers' brothers or the houses of your fathers' sisters, or in the houses of your mothers' brothers, or in the houses of your mothers' sisters or in the houses whose keys you possess, or the house of a friend.⁹⁵ There is no blame if you eat together or separately.⁹⁶ But when you enter such houses, greet each other with a salutation appointed by Allah, a salutation that is blessed and good. Thus, does Allah expound His signs to you in order that you will act with understanding.

Commentary

85. Beginning with the present verse, the enunciation of injunctions pertaining to social life is resumed. It is not improbable that this part of the Surah might have been revealed some time after the revelation of the discourse above.

86. In the opinion of the majority of Qur'anic commentators and jurists, the expression al-ladhina malakat aymanukum stands for one's slaves, regardless of whether they are male or female. However, 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar and Mujahid interpret the expression to mean male slaves thereby excluding female slaves. In view of the Qur'anic injunction that follows there is no ground whatsoever to exclude slave-girls. The point that is being brought home here is that in the same way that it is improper for one's minor children to invade one's privacy, it is also improper for one's slaves to do so. Jurists are, however, agreed that the injunction pertains to both adult and minor slaves.

87. Alternatively, it might be translated as 'those who have reached the age to dream that which adults dream'. Jurists, therefore, are of the opinion that the criterion to establish the puberty of a boy is whether he has had wet dreams or not. Although this is an undisputed view, the translation preferred by us is one that is based on the assumption that the injunction applies to both boys and girls. If one interprets the word hulm to strictly mean wet dream, the above injunction would only pertain to boys. For the criterion of a girl's puberty is her menstruation. In our opinion, the intent of the injunction is that until the children of the household reach puberty, they should follow this command. Once they become adults, they should abide by the injunctions which follow in the next

88. The verse says that there are 'three times of 'awrat for you'. In Arabic, 'awrah (pl. 'awrat) means the place that is vulnerable or insecure. The word also means an object whose exposure is embarrassing or disagreeable. The word also denotes something that is unprotected. All these nuances are interrelated and are variously intended in the verse to one extent or another.

The purpose of the statement is to emphasize that even minor children and slaves should not enter the private chambers of their parents/masters for there are certain times when people are either all alone or are with their spouses. It is inappropriate even for children or servants to enter someone's private chambers unannounced because they might observe them in an embarrassing state. Hence, it was laid down that at the three times of privacy mentioned in the verse even children and servants should seek permission before entering.

89. Except for these times of privacy, minor children and slaves may freely enter the private chambers of both men and women without seeking their prior permission. But if they enter their rooms during hours other than those mentioned above and find them improperly dressed, it is not fair to rebuke them. For in such a case the fault lies with the person who is not properly dressed. If anyone intrudes during the hours that are mentioned, it is he who is responsible, provided the person concerned properly instructed them. If they had failed to instruct their children and slaves on how to behave, this should be reckoned a serious failure on their part, a failure which amounts to a sin.

90. This explains the reason behind granting permission to the children and slaves of the family to enter freely at all other times than the ones declared as 'times of privacy'. It also brings into sharp relief the point that there is some rationale underlying every injunction of the Shari'ah regardless of whether it is clearly indicated in the relevant texts or not.

91. That is, when they become adults. As stated earlier (see n. 87 above) having wet dreams and menstruation signify the puberty of boys and girls respectively. There is some disagreement among jurists, however, with regard to the question of how we determine the puberty of those boys and girls who, for one reason or another do not go through these biological changes. Shafi'i, Abu Yusuf. Malik and Ahmad ibn Hanbal are of the opinion that a 15-year-old boy and girl will be regarded as having attained puberty. There is also a statement from Abu Hanifah in support of this opinion. The more popular ruling of Abu Hanifah. however, is that in such a case a boy and a girl will be assumed to have attained puberty at the age of 18 and 17 years respectively.

It is pertinent to point out that these opinions do not have any definite textual basis. They, rather, represent jurists' opinions based on their ijtihad. It is, therefore, not binding on Muslims the world over to accept a 17-year-old girl and an 18-year-old boy as adults when they do not show any physical signs of adulthood. As things stand physical growth has varied in different regions and at different times.

In our opinion, what can be done to solve the problem is to consider, in a given space-time context, the average age when boys start having wet dreams and girls begin menstruating. The puberty of those boys and girls who do not experience these physical changes, should be determined in light of the average age at which boys and girls in a particular country do so. Hence, if boys in a country show physical signs of puberty between 12 and 15, the average age will be 13 and a half. As for boys who have late growth, they may be assumed to have reached puberty at 16 and a half. The same formula can be used by legal experts in different countries, taking local conditions into account.

A hadith is cited in support of the opinion that 15 years of age may be considered the age of puberty. The tradition, narrated by 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar, is as follows: 'When I was 14 years old, I presented myself before the Prophet (peace be on him) so that I might obtain permission to take part in the Battle of Uhud. However, the Prophet (peace be on him) refused to grant me such permission. Then at the time of the Battle of Khandaq when I was 15 years old, I was presented before the Prophet once again and he granted me permission to take part.' (See Bukhari, K. al-Maghazi, 'Bab Ghazwat al-Khandaq wa huwa al-Ahzab'-Ed.)

This tradition is not, however, a decisive argument in support of the opinion, and this on two counts. First, the Battle of Uhud took place in Shawwal 3 A.H. and the Battle of Khandaq, as reported by Muhammad ibn Ishaq, was fought in Shawwal 5 A.H., and according to Ibn Sa'd, in Dhu al-Qa'dah 5 A.H. In other words, there is a time lapse of two years or a little more between the two battles. Thus, had 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar been 14 years old at the time of the Battle of Uhud, he would not have been 15 at the time of the Battle of Khandaq. Perhaps 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar rounded off the figure.

Moreover, to be eligible to take part in a battle and to be considered adult in the legal sense, i.e. with regard to social matters, are two entirely different matters. There is no correspondence whatsoever between the two. Hence, this particular tradition does not establish the legal point for which it was adduced. The more plausible opinion seems to be that fixing of the age of 15 years for a boy, who otherwise does not show any signs of puberty, is, at best, an opinion based on qiyas (analogy) and ijtihad (juristic opinion) rather than an injunction rooted in clear religious text.

92. The words that are used are qawa 'id min al-nisa' (literally 'women who have taken to sitting'). These words signify women who have passed the age of child-bearing; women who have themselves become bereft of desire and do not arouse any sexual passion in men. This significance is borne out by the statement that follows.

93. If one translates the words yada'na thiyabahunna literally to mean women 'who cast off their garments', this would be incorrect. Hence, jurists and commentators on the Qur'an are agreed that what is meant by thiyab is that they cast off their outer garments which were required to be worn in observance of hijab. (See, for this, al-Ahzab 33: 59.)

94. The actual words are ghayra mutabarrijat bi zinatin ('those who do not display their adornment'). The word barij denotes a boat or ship without a roof. When this word is used with regard to a woman, it means a woman who makes full display of her beauty before men. The import of the verse, therefore, is that the permission to cast off outer garments is granted to older women who are no longer interested in displaying their beauty or whose sexual passions have subsided. If it is felt, however, that if some spark of sexual passion continues to smolder in a woman despite her age, it is inappropriate for her to avail herself of this permission.

95. For a better appreciation of this verse one should grasp three points. First, that it is composed of two parts. The first part applies to the sick, the lame, the blind and other handicapped persons, while the other part pertains to normal people. Second, that as a result of the revelation of verse 29 of Surah al-Nisa' prohibiting the eating of someone's property unlawfully, the Muslims had become quite sensitive about this matter. As narrated by 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas, when God directed that Muslims may not eat one another's property, they began to exercise utmost caution in eating at one another's place. Unless the host of the house granted permission in very clear and explicit terms, Muslims thought that it was unlawful for them to partake of food even in the houses of their relatives and friends. (See Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, comments on Surah al-Nur 24: 61 - Ed.) Third, that the present verse not only grants permission, it even emphasizes that taking food at the houses of one's relatives and friends is as good as having it at one's own place. Furthermore, it is quite obvious that one does not need permission to take food in one's own home.

Once we have grasped these three points it is easier to understand the verse, for insofar as a physically handicapped person is concerned, he may take food anywhere. The physical disability of such people entitles them to enjoy this right in society. Therefore, it is perfectly lawful for them to have food wherever they happen to get it. As for others, i.e. those who are normal, their homes and those of their relatives and friends are equal and they may eat wherever they wish. No preconditions are required for taking food at the homes of friends. Nor is it required that they have to seek prior permission from their friends and relatives to eat at their places, or that if they fail to do so this amounts to dishonesty or a breach of trust. If one visits someone and food is being served by members of the family, even if the head of the family is not present, one may freely partake of it.

Although mention is made of relatives, no reference is made to one's own children. This because the home of one's children is no different from one's own. As for friends, the verse refers to those very close friends who, far from feeling upset, are in fact happy to find that their friends feel free to eat at their homes.

96. For some time some Arab tribes had followed the practice of eating separately. They did not approve of eating together, even as some Hindus do in our own time. By contrast, there were certain tribes which disapproved of so eating separately. They would rather starve than eat alone. The present verse does away with all such undue restrictions.