24. Al-Nur/The Light

I/We begin by the Blessed Name of Allah

The Immensely Merciful to all, The Infinitely Compassionate to everyone.

24:01
This is a Surah that WE have sent down, and made its Injunctions mandatory to be applied in matters of ethics, mannerism, and morality,
and WE have sent down Clear Messages in it so that you may contemplate and enact.

24:02
The adulterous and fornicator female and the adulterous and fornicator male, where both are equally guilty of engaging in an extramarital relationship, flog each one of them a hundred lashes.
And let no compassion, pity, or sympathy for both of them keep you away from executing the command of Allah’s Religion, if you truly believe in Allah – the One and Only God of everyone, and the Last Hour.
And ensure that a group of believers witness their punishment.

24:03
After the punishment has been executed the adulterous or fornicator male will not marry anyone but an adulterous or fornicator female, or a polytheist female.
And the adulterous or fornicator female will only marry an adulterous or fornicator male, or a polytheist male.
But marrying someone guilty of adultery or fornication is forbidden for the believers.

24:04
And those who falsely accuse a chaste/respectable lady of an extramarital affair on circumstantial evidence but then do not bring four eye witnesses in support of their accusation,
then flog them eighty lashes,
and never accept their testimony ever again.
And those - they are the ones who have overstepped the limits.

24:05
Exceptions are those who later repent and reform themselves,
for sure, Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate.

24:06
And as for those who accuse their wives of adultery, but have no eyewitnesses to substantiate this except themselves,

the testimony of each one of them will be to swear four times by Allah that he is of the truthful,

24:07
a. and, the fifth time, the oath is to say that Allah’s Curse be upon him if he be of the liars.

24:08
a. And, punishment is averted from her by her act of swearing four times by Allah that he is of the liars,

24:09
a. and, the fifth time, the oath is to say, that Allah’s Wrath be on her if he be of the truthful.

24:10
And if it were not for Allah’s Mercy upon you and HIS Favor to open a way to repentance then you would have been more perturbed under such circumstances,
and Allah is Acceptor of repentance, All-Wise.

24:11
Indeed, those who brought the slanderous charge were a group among you.
Do not consider it to be a bad thing for you;
instead, it will ultimately be a good thing for you.
Each one of them will bear the burden of sin he has earned.
As for the one who was the mastermind of this slanderous campaign and who was most involved among them - for him is going to be a terrible punishment.

24:12
When you first heard of it - the slanderous charge - why did the believing males and the believing females not think well of their own people, and say:
‘This is absolutely a clear fabricated lie!’

24:13
Why did they not bring four eye witnesses to testify to it?
But since they did not bring the eye witnesses, then, it is they who are proven liars in the Sight of Allah, and thus punishable.

24:14
And were it not for Allah’s Favor upon you, and HIS Mercy, in this world and the Hereafter,
you would have suffered a terrible punishment for your indulgence in such a slanderous campaign.

24:15
When hearing this matter from one another you were gossiping with your tongues, and uttering with your mouths what you had no knowledge of whether it was even true,
and you considered the propagation of this matter as simple,
whereas in Allah’s Sight it was most heinous accusation.

24:16
And, when you first heard of this heinous slander, why did you not say:
‘It is not right for us to talk about this!

Glory be to YOU – O Allah!
This is a monstrous slander!’

24:17
a. Allah is warning you never to repeat the like of this vicious rumor mongering if you are
true believers.

24:18
And Allah makes clear to you HIS Messages.
And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

24:19
As for those who love spreading obscenities/scandalous allegations against those who believe -
for them is going to be an agonizing punishment both in this world and in the Hereafter.
And Allah Knows the exact truth as well as the intentions of such people, whereas you do not know whether such indecency ever took place among them.

24:20
And were it not for Allah’s Favor upon you and HIS Mercy,
you would have been destroyed like the communities before you -
and for the fact that Allah is All-Gracious, All-Merciful.

24:21
O The Faithful!
Do not follow the footprints of Satan,
for whoever would follow the footprints of Satan should know that he advocates obscenity and immorality.
And were it not for Allah’s Favor upon you and HIS Mercy, then not one of you would have
ever been purified of the sinful crime of slander.
But Allah purifies whoever HE wants by accepting his repentance.
And Allah is All- Listening to what you have said, All-Knowing of your intentions.

24:22
And let not those among you - virtuous and affluent - swear against giving support to the near relatives, and the needy, and the migrants in the Cause of Allah.
But let them forgive their misconduct, and overlook their misbehavior in spreading the sinful slander.
Would you not like for Allah to forgive you -
as Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful?!

24:23
Surely those who slander chaste/respectable ladies – unaware of devious ways of moral corruption but are truly believing - are cursed in this world and the Hereafter.
And for them will be an awful punishment.

24:24
The Time when their tongues and their hands and their feet will testify against them about what they used to do in terms of spreading sinful slander against respectable ladies.

24:25
At that Time, Allah will make them live with the consequences of their unfounded rumor-mongering and pay their just due in full.
And they will finally realize that Allah – HE is the Manifest Truth.

24:26
In this particular instance and in general, the unchaste females will be for the unchaste males, and the unchaste males will be for the unchaste females,
just as the chaste females will be for the chaste males, and the chaste males will be for the chaste females.
They will be absolved of what they used to say to them.
For them will be forgiveness and generous provision in Paradise.

24:27
O The Faithful!
Do not enter or peep in houses other than your own houses, until you obtain permission of their residents, and,
once permission to enter is granted then greet their residents.
This is a better practice for you to follow, so you may remain mindful of good manners and respect the privacy of others.

24:28
But if you find no one therein to give you permission or no one responds, then do not enter it unless explicit permission is given to you.
And if you are told: ‘Go away.’
Then just go away without feeling offended and making a fuss.
This would be more decent and conducive to your purity and piety.
And Allah is Well-Aware of what you do and the intention behind it.

24:29
However, it will not be wrong for you to enter premises without permission if that is
uninhabited or in which you find some useful service.
But always bear in mind that Allah Knows whatever you reveal and whatever you conceal.

24:30
Tell/direct the believing males that they should always lower their gaze or turn it away from looking at the females, whom it is lawful for them to marry,
and guard their chastity.
This would be more conducive to their purity and piety.
Surely, Allah is All-Aware of what they do with their gaze and private parts, and HE will requite them for it.

24:31
Likewise, tell/direct the believing females also that they should always lower down their gaze or turn the eyes away from looking at men, whom it is lawful for them to marry,
and guard their chastity and private parts so as to prohibit all illicit acts for fulfilling
unlawful passions.
and not to expose their attractions in public except for what normally appears of them.
And they should also draw their head-coverings or shawls over their bosoms, and

not expose their attractions to anyone except:
their husbands, or
their fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers, or
their husbands’ fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers, or
their sons, step-sons, and grandsons, or
their husbands’ sons, step-sons, or
their brothers and foster/step-brothers, or
their brothers’ sons and step-sons, or
their sisters’ sons and step-sons, or
their womenfolk, or
those females whom they rightfully acquire during the course of qital/battle, or
such male attendants who are biologically free of carnal desire, and/or deranged persons and/or of a third gender, or
boys who are as yet unaware of femininity/women’s attractiveness.
And also they should not stamp their feet to draw attention to their hidden attractions.
If you have erred in following the foregoing injunctions then turn to Allah, all of you, in repentance and ask for forgiveness – O the believers,
so that you can be successful in the Sight of Allah.

24:32
And get married the unmarried amongst you, and
also the virtuous among your male and female servants, or whom you rightfully acquire in qital/battle should get married.
If they are too poor to support a family, let this not deter you for Allah will enrich them out of HIS Bounty.
And Allah is All-Encompassing in HIS Mercy, All-Knowing.

04:33
As for those who do not find the financial means to marry should wait until Allah enriches them out of HIS Bounty.
And as for those of your male or female captives whom you rightfully acquired in qital/ battle, negotiate with them,
and write down a deed of freedom if you find them promising.
And give them something of the wealth Allah has given you.
And do not force your female youth whom you rightfully acquired in qital/battle into engaging in immoral activity if they wish to live in chastity, in order to gain the temporary pleasure of the worldly life.
And whoever will force them to it against their will,
yet when they submit in their helplessness, Allah will be All-Forgiving and All-Merciful to them after their being forced.

24:34
And so WE have sent down to you the Messages/Injunctions that make things clear,
and some exemplary description of those who came before you,
and an advice for those who are pious because it is they will benefit from it.

24:35
The example of belief in Allah is like the example of the Light of the celestial realm and the terrestrial world.
The example of HIS Light is as if there were a niche in which is a lamp.
The lamp is in glass.

And the glass is shining like a radiant star -
whose flame is kindled from the oil of a blessed tree – an olive tree from neither of the East nor of the West.
Its oil is glowing by itself even when untouched by fire.
Thus, it is Light upon light!
Allah guides towards HIS Light of enlightenment whoever HE wants.
And this is how Allah emphasizes these examples and comparisons for the guidance of people,
for Allah alone is All-Knowledgeable about everything.

24:36
The Light of belief in Allah illumines such houses as Allah has allowed to be built and
sanctified,
and in which HIS Blessed Name is to be remembered and invoked,
and HIS Glory is extolled - by the morning and by the evening by ….

24:37
… by the people who draw benefit from this blessed light are those who are not distracted either by profits of business or turnover of trade or anything else that may bring them worldly gain -
from the Remembrance of Allah, and
from establishing the Salat/Prayer, and
from paying out the Zakat/annual charity.
They only fear the Time when the hearts and the eyes will be overturned with the anguish of the Time.

24:38
The fate of such people is such that Allah will reward them for the best of what they have done,
and HE is going to give them even more out of HIS Bounty.
And Allah provides for whoever HE wants without measure and without limit.

24:39
As for those who disbelieve – even their good deeds are like a mirage in a desert,
that the thirsty traveler imagines to be water, until, when he gets there, he finds it to be
nothing but a mirage.
However, at the Time of Judgment, he realizes that all his good deeds have been rendered worthless by his deliberate refusal to listen to the Voice of Truth, and finds that, in fact, Allah has always been beside him in the worldly life, and that HE is going to award him his due in full,
for Allah is Quick at settling accounts.

24:40
Or the state of a disbeliever is like the darkness over a vast stormy ocean,
covered by waves upon waves, and overcast with dark clouds:
darkness - one darkness above the other.
If he stretches out his hand, he can hardly see it.
And the one to whom Allah has not granted any Light of Guidance, there can be no light for him from anywhere.

24:41
Do you not see how all that is within the celestial realm, and the terrestrial world Glorifies
Allah even as do the birds spreading out their wings in flight?

Every one creature knows its prayer to HIM and its own way of praise.
And Allah is All-Aware of what they do.

24:42
And for Allah is the Sovereignty of the celestial realm and the terrestrial world.
and to Allah is the ultimate return of everyone: starting from the advent of one’s death to the Resurrection.

24:43
Do you not see that it is Allah WHO
moves the clouds gently, then
gathers them together, then
turns them into billowing masses, and then
you see the rain drops emerging from their midst?
And it is also HE WHO sends down mountains of clouds from the sky, in which there is hail, and
HE strikes with it whoever HE Wills, and averts it from whoever HE Wills.
The flash of its lightning can almost take away the sight.

24:44
And Allah alternates the nighttime and the daytime.
Indeed, in this too is a lesson for those who have insight.

24:45
And Allah has created every living creature out of its own fluid,
Among them are:
some that move on their bellies, and
some of them walk upon two legs, and
yet some others walk upon four.
Allah creates whatever HE wants.
Indeed Allah Manifests Sovereignty over all existence.

24:46
Indeed, WE have sent down Messages in this Qur’an that make things clear,
and through these Allah guides whoever HE wants towards a Straight Path.

24:47
Some – hypocrites - say:
‘We believe in Allah and the Messenger Muhammad, and we obey.’
Yet after this, a group of them turns away.
Such people are not really believers – because their hearts do not agree with their words.

24:48
And whenever they are called to Allah and HIS Messenger in order to judge between them,
a group of them will suddenly turn away.

24:49
a. However, if they were sure that judgment may happen to be to their liking, they come to him readily.

24:50
Is it because there a sickness of doubt and hypocrisy in their hearts?
Or are they just doubtful,

or do they fear that Allah may be unfair to them in ruling and so will be HIS Messenger?
No!
Instead, those – it is they who are in the wrong!

24:51
On the contrary, when the believers are called to appear before Allah and HIS Messenger so that he can judge between them, they are to say:
‘We hear and we obey.’
Those – it is they who are the ones to be successful.

24:52
And whoever:
obeys Allah and HIS Messenger, and
is overwhelmed by awe of Allah, and
is conscious of HIM in reverence and piety
those – it is they who are the ones to be successful.

24:53
And they - the hypocrites - swear by Allah most emphatically, saying if you – O The Prophet, ordered them to participate in the Cause of Allah, they would certainly leave their homes and march out in times of war.
Tell them:
‘Do not swear - there is no need for it.
What is expected is your actual obedience – the only way to prove your sincerity.
Allah is certainly Well-Aware of whatever you do’ - when you say you will obey but act otherwise.

24:54
Tell them:
‘Obey Allah!
And obey The Messenger!
But if you turn away, then beware that
upon him - Messenger Muhammad – is only that with which he has been charged with
– the duty to provide the guidance, and
upon you is that with which you have been charged with - the duty to respond positively and obey.
And if you obey him, you will be guided aright.
For the Messenger’s duty is only to convey the Divine Message fully and clearly to you to follow.

24:55
Allah has promised those of you who believe and practice righteousness,
that HE will certainly make them empower the land just as HE did for those who were before them;
and that HE will, for sure, establish their religion for them – the Religion of Islam – which HE has chosen for them,
and that HE will definitely instill peace of mind following their fear -
provided they will continue submitting to ME in worship – and never ascribing anything to ME.
And whoever chooses to disbelieve after this Message, those - they are the defiantly
disobedient.

24:56
And
establish the Salat/Prayers, and
pay out the Zakat/annual charity, and
obey the Messenger Muhammad,
so that you may receive Allah’s Mercy.

24:57
Do not think that those who disbelieve can ever escape Allah’s Power on the earth.
Their refuge is going to be the Fire.
And, it is indeed an awful destination.

24:58
O The Faithful!
Let those males and females whom you rightfully take through qital/battle,
and those minors, both boys and girls, whether related or not, who have not yet attained puberty, ask for your permission to enter their parents/elders’ bedrooms,
at the following three times:
before the Morning Salat/Prayers, and
when you put aside your garments at noon time for siesta, and
after the Night Salat/Prayer, or when it may be bedtime.
These are three timings of privacy for you when you may like to maintain privacy.
Other than these three timings, there is no harm for you or for them in going about freely among each other without permission.
Thus does Allah explain to you the Divine advice -
for Allah is All-Knowing of your needs, and All-Wise to extend behavioral advice.

24:59
And when the minor children among you reach the puberty, they must always ask for permission before entering your bedrooms and/or private places at all times, as those before them asked permission.
In this way Allah explains to you the Divine advice -
for Allah is All-Knowing of your needs, and All-Wise to extend behavioral advice.

24:60
While a dress code has been mandated, it may be noted that your elderly women who are past the child-bearing age - menopausal - and do not expect any prospects of marriage, there is no harm for them if they put aside their additional outer garments,
provided they do not show off their beauty to provoke others.
But even so, it is better for them to refrain from putting aside their additional outer garments.
And Allah is All-Listening to what you say, All-Knowing of what is in your hearts.

24:61
You are all brethren among yourselves, hence
there is neither any restriction nor blame on the blind,
nor there is any restriction or blame on the disabled,
nor there is any restriction or blame on the sick,
nor any restriction or blame on yourselves that you eat 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 of which the keys are in your possession, or
houses of your close friends.
You will incur no sin whether you all eat together or in separate groups.
But whenever you enter any of these houses, greet your people with salutations as enjoined by Allah, full of blessings and goodwill.
This is how Allah explains the divine instructions to you so that you may understand
manners of life and a sense of brotherhood among believers.

24:62
The true believers are those who:
believe in Allah and HIS Messenger,
and whenever they are with him on a matter of common interest requiring collective action, they do not leave unless they have requested for his permission.
Indeed, those who request for your permission to leave have a valid reason and are indeed the ones who believe in Allah and HIS Messenger.
Hence, whenever they request for your permission to attend to some of their affairs, give permission to whoever of them you wish,
and seek Allah’s forgiveness for them.
Indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.

24:63
O The Faithful!
Do not take the call of the Messenger among you as an ordinary call of one of you to another.
Allah certainly Knows those of you who slip away quietly using flimsy excuses.
So those who go against his orders should beware of the consequences of their attitude and behavior, lest some ordeal should befall them in this life, or a painful suffering afflict them in the Hereafter.

24:64
Indeed to Allah belongs whatever is within the celestial realm and the terrestrial world.
HE certainly Knows your condition and state of mind.
And HE Knows the Time when they will be brought back to HIM,
and, then, HE is going to apprise them all about they ever did of good and evil in the worldly life.
And Allah is All-Knowing of everything.