The Light of the Holy Qur'an Interpretation of (sura An-nur)
Commentary : Verse 57
لاَ تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مُعْجِزِينَ فِي الاَرْضِ وَمَأْوَاهُمُ النَّارُ وَلَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ
"Think not that the disbelievers can frustrate (Allah's plan) in the earth, their abode is the Fire and an evil destination it is!" Commentary:
Even if pagans are super powerful, they will be defeated against Allah's religion.
In other words, if you think that powerful stubborn foes may throw a spanner in the works and may prevent the fulfilment of Allah's promise, this is impossible, because their power is nothing comparing with Allan's power. Therefore, the verse says:
"Think not that the disbelievers can frustrate (Allah's plan) in the earth,..."
Not only they will not be in security from the punishment of Allah in this world but also, in the Hereafter, Fire is their abode. The verse continues saying:
"... their abode is the Fire and an evil destination it is!"
The Arabic word /mu'jizin/ is the plural form the word /mu'jiz/, meaning to make unable. Since sometime one is after someone and he escapes him and he goes out of pursuer's territory and this matter makes him (the pursuer) unable, this word /mu'jiz/ is sometimes used in the same meaning. The above verse refers to this very meaning and it implies that no one can go out of Allah's territory.
Section 8 : Respect for Domestic and Personal Privacy Commentary : Verse 58
Domestic and personal privacy - The controlled and regulated liberty for young and aged women - Control of Social and Domestic relationship
يَآ أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا لِيَسْتَأْذِنكُمُ الَّذِينَ مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ لَمْ يَبْلُغُوا الْحُلُمَ مِنْكُمْ ثَلاَثَ مَرّاتٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ صَلاةِ الفَجْرِ وَحِينَ تَضَعُونَ ثِيابَكُمْ مِن الظَّهِيرَةِ وَمِن بَعْدِ صَلاَةِ الْعِشَآءِ ثَلاَثُ عَوْرَاتٍ لَكُمْ لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلاَ عَلَيْهِمْ جُنَاحٌ بَعْدَهُنَّ طَوَّافُونَ عَلَيْكُم بَعْضُكُمْ عَلَي بَعْضٍ كَذَلِكَ يُبَيّـِنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الاَيَاتِ وَاللَّهُ عَليمٌ حَكِيمٌ
"O you who believe! Do let those whom your right hands possess, and those of you who have not reached to puberty, ask permission of you at three times (for coming into your room): before the morning prayer, and at midday when you put off your clothes, and after the night prayer. (These are) three times of privacy for you. It is no sin for you or for them (if) after those (three times), some of you go round attendant upon the others. Thus does Allah make clear the revelations for you; and Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise." Commentary:
Faithful parents are responsible for teaching Divine religious ordinances to their children. The place where parents habitually sleep must be separate and far from the sight of the children, otherwise, there was no need for taking permission, as man must allocate some hours for his wife during 24 hours and issues must not disturb them.
Islam is a religion for life and it is completely comprehensive. It has programs and plans for both common trivial issues such as entrance of children in parent's room (mentioned in this verse) and important matters such as the establishment of universal government.
Anyway, as we said before, the most important issue that is comprehensively discussed in this Sura is the matter of public chastity and righting against any sexual deviation. This verse also is about one of these affairs that relate this issue and it explains its characteristics; the matter is concerned to the mature and immature issues' taking permission when they want to enter the room which belongs to their parents. At first, it says:
"O you who believe! Do let those whom your right hands possess, and those of you who have not reached to puberty, ask permission of you at three times (for coming into your room): before the morning prayer, and at midday when you put off your clothes, and after the night prayer. ..."
As Raqib says in his book, Mufradat, and Firuz'abadi in Qamus, the Arabic word /zahirat/ means midday and about noontime when people take off their outer clothes and man and wife may be together privately.
"... (These are) three times of privacy for you...."
The Arabic word /'aurat/ originally is derived from the word /'ar/ meaning shame and fault. Since showing genital organs is the cause of fault and shame, in Arabic language it is called /'aurat/. Sometimes the word /'aurat/ is also used to mean an opening and cut in wall and dress and the like.
Sometimes it means absolutely fault. Anyway, using this word for these three times is for the matter that people do not compel themselves to be veiled fully as in other times they do and they consider these times their privacy.
It is obvious that this command only involves parents who must force their issues to do this, for children have not come of age yet so that they are not obligated to carry out divine duties, therefore parents are addressed here.
Moreover, the verse is applied to both girls and boys, and the word /'allaoina/ (those) that is a masculine pronoun is not against generality of the concept of the verse, because in many cases this word is used for all people, as we read in the verse that obligates all Muslims to fast, in which the word /'allaoina/ is used to address all Muslims. (Sura Al-Baqarah, No. 2, verse 83)
It is necessary to mention that the verse is about children who can discern and comprehend sexual issues and genital organs, etc, because the matter of taking permission itself indicates that they at least understand what taking permission means. Using the phrase 'Thalatha 'aurat' (Three times of privacy) is another evidence for this meaning, too.
Whether this verse covers male slaves only or it covers female slaves, too, there are various narrations. The verse apparently involves all, that is, it refers to both groups, so the narrations that are in harmony with the appearance of the verse can be preferred.
In the end of the verse, the Qur'an says:
"... It is no sin for you or for them (if) after those (three times), some of you go round attendant upon the others. Thus does Allah make clear the revelations for you; and Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise."
The Qur'anic word /tawwafun/ is originally derived from the word /tawaf/, meaning walking about or around something, and since it is used in the form of exaggeration, it means frequency of this matter. With regard to the Qur'anic phrase /ba'dukum 'ala ba'din/ (some of you ... upon others) that has come after it, the concept of the sentence is that you are allowed to do each other favour and to go and to come in other than these three times.
As Fazil Mighdad says in Kanz-ul-'Irfan, this sentence indicates that there is no need for taking permission in other times, because if they want to come and go frequently and they have to take permission, every time it will become a difficult job (Kanz-ul-'Irfan, Vol. 2, P. 225).[^1]
[^1] If we look one more time to this Sura from the beginning, we find that the policy of prevention from indecency is behind its verses. For example, adulterer and adulteress should be punished before others' eye (verse 1), their marriage is limited (verse 3), if without four witnesses false accusation is made, 80 stripes should be beaten (verse 4), those who falsely accuse the Prophet's wife will be severely chastised (verse 11), if you heard a false accusation, you must deal with it (verse 12), if one likes spreading indecency, he will be severely chastised in couple (verse 19),
do not follow the steps of satan (verse 21) those who accuse pure women falsely will be roughly punished (verse 23), the foul language is uttered by the wicked persons not you (verse 26), do not enter others' house without taking permission and if they say you must return, you must accept and go back (verses 27-28), men and women must not gaze at the one who is within forbidden degrees (verses 30-31), women must not show their ornaments and must not dance everywhere and you must try for the marriage of those who are celibate and you must not fear from poverty (verse 32), and in this verse, your children and slaves must not enter your private room at times when you are at your ease and alone with your wife. Yes, all these commands are for preventing immodesty and immature puberty and saving face and decency.
Commentary: Verse 59
وإِذَا بَلَغَ الاَطْفَالُ مِنكُمُ الْحُلُمَ فَلْيَسْتَأْذِنُوا كَمَا اسْتَأْذَنَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَذَلِكَ يُبَيّـِنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ءَايَاتِه وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ
"And when the children among you reach puberty then let them ask permission even as those before them used to ask it. Thus does Allah make clear His revelations for you. Allah is All-Knower, All-Wise."
Commentary:
Wet dream is a boundary of reaching the religious puberty.
The Arabic word /hulum/ and the word /'ihtilam/ means to see a wet dream when one is sleeping, and it is one of the signs of puberty. Of course, the signs of puberty for girls and boys are various and they are mentioned in detail in the treatises of authorities of imitation.
In this holy verse the ordinance of those who have reached puberty is mentioned. It says:
"And when the children among you reach puberty then let them ask permission even as those before them used to ask it. …"
The Arabic word /hulum/ means 'intellect' and implies puberty which is usually accompanied with an intellectual and mental mutation. It is sometimes said that the word /hulum/ means 'dream' and 'dreaming', and since, after puberty, the youth see some scenes in dream that cause them ejecting semen, this word has been used to mean puberty ironically.
Anyway,it is understood from this verse that the ordinance for those who have reached puberty is different from those who have not reached this status, because immature children are obligated to take permission only in three times, according to the previous verse, since their life is so mixed with their own parent's that if they want to take permission every time, it will cause them difficulty. Moreover, their sexual feelings are still undeveloped, but according to this verse, which has obliged them to take permission absolutely, matured youth in any condition must take permission every time they go to their parents.
This ordinance is for the place where parents are taking rest, otherwise, entering public room (if there is such a room), especially when others are there and there is nothing to cause problem, needs no permission.
It is also important to mention that the Qur'anic sentence "... even as those before them used to ask it ..." refers to the adults who were obligated to take permission whenever they wanted to enter their parents' room and, in this verse, those who have just reached puberty are like the adults who were enjoined to ask permission.
In order to emphasize and attract the attentions, at the end of the verse, it says:
"... Thus does Allah make clear His revelations for you. Allah is All-Knower, All-Wise."
This is just like the sentence that was at the end of the previous verse, but in that holy verse the word /al'ayat/ (the revelations) was used and in this verse the word /'ayatihi/ (His revelations) is used. However, there is not much difference in their meanings.
Some details about philosophy of taking permission:
Only giving heed to executing fixed punishments and flogging wrongdoers is not enough to eradicate a social mischief such as immodest unchaste actions. Such a treatment does not produce a good result in any one of social issues. In fact we must have a package which includes intellectual cultural teachings, which is along with ethical and sentimental rules and correct Islamic teachings, and we must also create a sound social environment and then punishment can be considered as a factor along with them.
Consequently, this holy Sura, which is the Sura of chastity, begins with the act of flogging and punishment of adulterer and adulteress, and covers the issues such as paving ground for a sound marriage, observing Islamic veiling, prohibiting ogling, banning the act of accusing people to unchaste pollution, and, finally, children's taking permission at the time of entering parents' room. This shows that no subtle thing about chastity is ignored in Islam.
Servants must take permission when they want to enter a room in which wife and husband exist. Matured children must take permission when they want to enter such a room, even immature children, who are always with parents, are also taught not to enter the parents' room without permission at least at three special times, (before morning ritual prayer, after night prayer, and at noon time when parents are taking rest).
This is a kind of Islamic politeness which is unfortunately observed less today. Although the holy Qur'an has mentioned it explicitly in the above holy verses, we see that this Islamic ordinance and its philosophy is less discussed in lectures and writings and it is not clear that why this decisive ordinance of the holy Qur'an has been ignored.
Although the verse apparently obligates people to observe this ordinance, even if we suppose that this ordinance is recommended, it must be talked about and its details must be discussed.
Contrary to what some simple-minded individuals, who think that children do make nothing of these issues and servants do not pay attention to them, it is proven that children (let alone adults) are extraordinarily sensitive to this matter and sometime parents' carelessness and children looking at scenes that they must not see, are the source of ethical deviations and even psychical maladies.
We have experimented the individuals who themselves confessed that as a result of the carelessness of their parents to this matter and that they observed them busy having a sexual intercourse those individuals had reached such a stage of sexual stimulation and psychical complex that they felt the enmity of their parents in them, nigh to kill them or perhaps, nigh to commit self-murder.
It is here that the value and magnificent of this Islamic ordinance appears that the issues and matter that scientists have found today, Islam foresighted in its ordinances fourteen centuries ago.
It is also necessary to recommend parents to take these matters earnest and to make their children accustomed to taking permission of entrance. They also must avoid actions, such as sleeping together in a room discerning children sleep, which may excite children as much as possible. You must know that these affairs have got extraordinarily educational effect on children's fate.
It is interesting that there is a tradition from the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) who said: "Be careful that you do not have sexual intercourse while a child is looking at you from cradle."[^1]
[^1] Bihar-ul-'Anwar, Vol. 103, p. 295