Surah An-Nur

Surah An-Nur is the 24th surah of the Quran, a Madani surah of 64 ayat and 9 rukus. It is the surah of social and moral reform: it closes the doors of immorality, protects the honour of believing men and women, lays down the manners of family life, and then points to Allah's light, the source of all guidance.

Why is it called An-Nur?

The surah is named after the word «النُّور» (the light) which comes in the famous ayah 24:35: Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The same ayah speaks of light again and again («نُورٌ عَلىٰ نُورٍ»), and 24:40 says that he to whom Allah gives no light has no light at all.

Period and occasion of revelation

• After the campaign against Banu al-Mustaliq (also called al-Muraysi'), in about 5 AH, the hypocrites led by Abdullah bin Ubayy spread a false charge against Hazrat Aishah (RA), the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ). This is the Ifk incident (24:11 to 20).
• The surah therefore begins with the law about zina, the false accusation (qadhf) and li'an, and then gives the rules that protect society: lowering the gaze, covering, asking permission before entering houses and easy marriage.
• Some of the ayat were revealed on separate occasions: for example the ayat of li'an (24:6 to 9) after the case of Hilal bin Umayyah (RA) (Sahih Bukhari).

Central theme

The central theme (مرکزی مضمون) is the purification of the family and society: guarding chastity, punishing the spread of immorality and slander, and teaching the manners of life at home, and under all of it the light of Allah's guidance and obedience to Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ).

Main topics

• Punishment of zina (24:2 to 3), qadhf (24:4 to 5, 23) and li'an (24:6 to 9).
• The Ifk incident and the innocence of Hazrat Aishah (RA) (24:11 to 26).
• Isti'dhan: permission and greeting before entering houses (24:27 to 29, 58 to 59, 61).
• Lowering the gaze and the rules of hijab (24:30 to 31, 60).
• Marriage of the unmarried and chastity (24:32 to 33).
• Ayat an-Nur, the mosques and the example of the disbelievers' deeds (24:35 to 40).
• Signs of Allah's power (24:41 to 46) and the conduct of the hypocrites and the believers towards the Messenger (24:47 to 54).
• The promise of khilafah to the believers (24:55) and obedience to the Messenger (24:56, 62 to 63).

No authentic hadith fixes a special reward for reciting the whole of Surah An-Nur, so do not attribute one to the Prophet (ﷺ). Its virtue is shown by what the Quran itself says and by the authentic reports linked to its ayat.

• Its opening ayah describes it as a surah that Allah sent down and made its rulings obligatory, with clear ayat so that people take heed (24:1).
• Hazrat Aishah's (RA) innocence was declared by Allah Himself from above the heavens in ayat 24:11 to 20 which are recited until the Day of Judgement (Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, the long hadith of the Ifk).
• Ayat an-Nur (24:35) tells that Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The Prophet (ﷺ) used to say in the night prayer (tahajjud) a dua beginning with praise of Allah as the Light of the heavens and the earth (Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, narration of Ibn Abbas (RA)).
• The Prophet (ﷺ) advised Hazrat Ali (RA) not to follow a first look with a second: the first is excused, the second is not (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi). This explains the command to lower the gaze in 24:30 to 31.
• The Prophet (ﷺ) said that asking permission was prescribed because of the eye (Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, narration of Sahl bin Sa'd (RA)). This is the wisdom of isti'dhan in 24:27.

1. Zina (24:2 to 3)

• The unmarried man or woman who commits zina gets a hundred lashes, each one (24:2).
• The believers must not be moved by pity in the matter of Allah's religion, if they believe in Allah and the Last Day.
• A group of believers must be present at the punishment, so that it is public and a warning for others.
• The married person (muhsan) who commits zina is stoned to death (rajm); this is proved by the Sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ) and the practice of the Khulafa, as in the cases of Hazrat Ma'iz (RA) and the Ghamidi woman (Sahih Muslim).
• Zina is proved only by the confession of the offender or by four eyewitnesses (24:4, and 4:15), which makes the punishment hard to apply without open shamelessness.
• 24:3: a known fornicator marries only a fornicator or a polytheist, and this marriage is made unlawful for the believers. It warns believers against marrying people who persist in zina.

2. Qadhf: the false accusation of zina (24:4 to 5)

• Whoever accuses chaste women of zina and does not bring four witnesses gets eighty lashes (24:4). The same applies to a man falsely accused, according to the scholars.
• Their testimony is not to be accepted ever.
• They are «فاسِقُون» (the disobedient).
• Exception: those who repent and put things right, for Allah is Forgiving and Merciful (24:5). Repentance removes the label of fisq; scholars differ on whether their testimony is accepted afterwards.
• In the Hereafter the slanderers of chaste believing women are cursed and have a great punishment (24:23).

3. Li'an: the husband accuses his wife (24:6 to 9)

• Meaning: «لعان» is the oath of mutual curse between a husband and wife when the husband accuses his wife of zina and has no witnesses except himself.
• The husband swears four times by Allah that he is truthful, and the fifth time that Allah's curse be on him if he is lying (24:6 to 7).
• The wife escapes the punishment if she swears four times by Allah that he is lying, and the fifth time that Allah's wrath be on her if he is truthful (24:8 to 9).
• After li'an the judge separates the couple for ever, as the Prophet (ﷺ) did in the case of Hilal bin Umayyah (RA) (Sahih Bukhari). The Prophet (ﷺ) also reminded them that the punishment of this world is easier than that of the Hereafter.
• Wisdom: the husband cannot prove such a charge, so the law gives him a way to protect his honour without slandering, and protects the wife from punishment unless the oaths go against her.

Meaning and background

«إِفْك» means a slander, a lie turned upside down. The Ifk is the false charge against Hazrat Aishah (RA), told in the long hadith in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, in her own words.

• The Prophet (ﷺ) went on the campaign against Banu al-Mustaliq (Muraysi') in about 5 AH. As he used to do, he drew lots among his wives, and Hazrat Aishah (RA) went with him.
• On the way back, near Madinah, the army was told to march at night. She had gone aside to relieve herself and lost her necklace, and went back to look for it.
• The men who carried her litter thought she was inside it, lifted it and marched. When she returned the camp was empty, so she sat down where she had been and waited, and sleep overtook her.
• Hazrat Safwan bin Mu'attal (RA), who had stayed behind to follow the army, found her at dawn. He said only «إِنَّا لِلّٰهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُوْنَ», made his camel kneel and led it by the rope until they reached the army at noon.
• The hypocrite leader Abdullah bin Ubayy spread the slander. Some Muslims, including Hazrat Mistah bin Uthathah (RA), Hazrat Hassan bin Thabit (RA) and Hazrat Hamnah bint Jahsh (RA), were drawn into repeating it.
• Hazrat Aishah (RA) fell ill and did not know of it for about a month, until she heard it. The Prophet (ﷺ) was troubled, and wahy did not come for a month. She wept for days, then he came to her and told her to repent if she had done wrong.
• Then the ayat 24:11 to 20 were revealed and she was declared innocent. The Prophet (ﷺ) told her the good news and she said she would thank Allah alone.

What the Quran said

• 24:11: those who brought the lie are a group among you; do not think it bad for you, it is good for you; each gets the sin he earned, and the one who took the greater part has a great punishment (the common view: Abdullah bin Ubayy).
• 24:12: the believers should have thought well of one another and said it is an obvious lie.
• 24:13: why did they not bring four witnesses? Without them they are liars in Allah's sight.
• 24:15 to 16: you passed it on with your tongues, called it light while it is tremendous with Allah; when you heard it you should have said it is not for us to speak of this, this is a great slander.
• 24:17: Allah warns you never to return to the like of it, if you are believers.
• 24:19: those who love to see immorality spread among the believers have a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter.
• 24:21: do not follow the footsteps of Satan, who orders immorality and evil.
• 24:22: the people of virtue and wealth must not swear to stop giving to relatives, the needy and the emigrants; let them pardon and overlook. This came about Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) and Mistah (RA).
• 24:26: evil words are for evil men and good words for good men; the good are cleared of what the slanderers say.

Lessons for us

• Think well of believers and do not pass on a rumour (24:12, 15 to 16).
• Ask for proof: four witnesses, otherwise the accuser is a liar (24:13).
• Spreading immorality, even by talk, is a great sin with a painful punishment (24:19).
• Do not follow Satan's footsteps (24:21).
• Pardon those who wronged you and keep doing good to them, as Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) did (24:22).
• A trial can be good: the Ifk brought out the hypocrites and gave the Ummah lasting laws (24:11).
• Leave the matter to Allah when a charge is false: He Himself defended Hazrat Aishah (RA).

For believing men (24:30)

• Lower the gaze: do not look at what is not lawful.
• Guard the private parts: from zina and from exposing them.
• Reason: that is purer for them («أَزْكىٰ لَهُمْ»), and Allah knows what they do.
• The Prophet (ﷺ) told Hazrat Ali (RA) not to follow a first glance with another (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi).

For believing women (24:31)

• The same two commands as for men: lower the gaze and guard the private parts.
• Do not show their adornment (زینت) except what appears of itself. Scholars differ on what this includes (the face and hands according to many; some say they must be covered too).
• Draw their head covers («خُمُر») over their chests («جُيُوب»).
• They may show their adornment only to: husbands, fathers, husbands' fathers, sons, husbands' sons, brothers, brothers' sons, sisters' sons, women (Muslim women), their slaves, male attendants without desire, and children who do not yet know the private parts of women.
• Do not stamp their feet so that a hidden ornament is known.
• Turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, that you may succeed.
• Hazrat Aishah (RA) said that when 24:31 came down the women of the Ansar tore their wrappers and covered themselves with them (Sahih Bukhari).

Old women (24:60)

• Women past the age of marriage may put aside their outer garment without showing adornment, though modesty is better for them (24:60).

Wisdom

These rules close the door of temptation before it opens: the eye is the first step to zina, so the gaze is controlled first. A pure society needs both the believing man and the believing woman to keep modesty.

«اِسْتِئْذَان» means asking permission. The surah gives the manners of entering houses so that the privacy of homes is protected.

• 24:27: do not enter other people's houses until you have asked permission and greeted their people with salam. This is better for you, that you may take heed.
• 24:28: if you find nobody in the house, do not enter until permission is given; if you are told to go back, go back, it is purer for you.
• The Prophet (ﷺ) taught asking permission three times, and if it is not given, go back (Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, the report of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (RA)).
• 24:29: no blame in entering uninhabited houses in which you have some benefit (such as inns, shops and public places).

Servants and children (24:58 to 59)

• Slaves, servants and children who have not reached puberty must ask permission at three times of privacy: before the Fajr prayer, at noon when clothes are put aside, and after the Isha prayer (24:58).
• At other times there is no blame, because they move among you often.
• When the children reach puberty they must ask permission at all times, like the adults before them (24:59).

Entering your own and relatives' houses (24:61)

• When you enter houses, greet one another with salam, a greeting from Allah, blessed and good (24:61).
• There is no blame in eating from the houses of one's relatives, friends and houses whose keys you hold, together or separately (24:61).

Wisdom

The Prophet (ﷺ) said that asking permission was prescribed because of the eye (Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim). Homes are a place of rest and privacy, so no one should see what the family does not want seen.

Marriage and chastity (24:32 to 33)

• The community must arrange the marriage of unmarried men and women, and of righteous slaves.
• Poverty should not stop marriage: Allah will enrich them from His bounty.
• Those who cannot marry should remain chaste until Allah enriches them (24:33).

The example

• Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth: He is the source of all light, and by His light things are visible and guided.
• The example is for His light of guidance in the heart of the believer, which is pure, protected and shines more with revelation.
• Allah guides to His light whom He wills, and gives examples to people (24:35).

After the example (24:36 to 40)

• 24:36 to 37: this light is found in houses (mosques) which Allah allowed to be raised and in which His name is remembered morning and evening, by men whom trade does not distract from remembering Allah, prayer and zakah, and who fear a Day when hearts and eyes will turn about.
• 24:39: the deeds of the disbelievers are like a mirage in a plain, which a thirsty man takes for water; when he reaches it he finds nothing, and finds Allah there, Who pays him his account.
• 24:40: or like darknesses in a deep sea, covered with wave upon wave and clouds above; if he puts out his hand he can hardly see it. He to whom Allah gives no light has no light.

What Allah promised

• Allah has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely make them successors («اِسْتِخْلَاف») on the earth, as He made those before them.
• He will surely establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them.
• He will change their fear into security.

The condition

• They worship Allah alone and associate nothing with Him.
• Whoever disbelieves after this is among the «فاسِقُوْن», the disobedient.

Context and fulfilment

• The ayah came when the believers were few and in constant fear, and the disbelievers of Arabia were against them (the tafsirs mention the hardship of the early Madinah years).
• According to the common view of the tafsirs, the promise was fulfilled in the time of the Prophet (ﷺ) and the Rightly Guided Caliphs, when Islam spread and the Muslims lived in peace.
• Next ayah (24:56) tells what to do: establish prayer, give zakah and obey the Messenger so that mercy is received.

Lessons

• Power and security come from faith and righteous deeds, not from numbers.
• Tawhid is the condition: no shirk.
• Ingratitude after the favour makes a person «فاسِق».

The hypocrites and the believers (24:47 to 52)

• The hypocrites say 'we believe and obey', then a party of them turns away; they are not believers (24:47).
• When called to the judgement of Allah and His Messenger, they turn aside, unless the right is theirs (24:48 to 49).
• Allah asks if it is a disease in their hearts, doubt, or fear of injustice; no, they are the wrongdoers (24:50).

• The answer of the true believers is 'we hear and we obey', and they are the successful (24:51).
• Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, fears Allah and is conscious of Him is among the winners (24:52).
• Obey Allah and the Messenger; the duty of the Messenger is only clear conveying (24:54). If you obey him you are guided.
• Establish the prayer, give zakah and obey the Messenger, that you may be shown mercy (24:56).

Manners with the Messenger (24:62 to 63)

• True believers do not leave a gathering held for a common matter with the Messenger (ﷺ) without his permission (24:62). Leaders today have the same right.
• When they ask permission for some need, the Messenger may permit whom he wills and ask forgiveness for them (24:62).
• Do not call the Messenger like one of you calls another (24:63): address him with respect, as the Messenger of Allah.
• Allah knows those who slip away; let those who oppose the Messenger's order beware of fitnah or a painful punishment (24:63).

The surah opens by saying that it is sent down and its rulings are made obligatory (24:1). Then it gives the punishments that protect honour: zina (24:2 to 3), false accusation (24:4 to 5) and li'an (24:6 to 9). Ruku 2 turns to the slander against Hazrat Aishah (RA), the response of the Quran, and the warning to the believers (24:11 to 20).

Teachings

• Zina is a crime against society and has a fixed punishment.
• Slandering a chaste person needs four witnesses, otherwise eighty lashes.
• Do not pass on rumours; think well of believers.
• Allah defends His chosen servants.

Rukus 3 and 4 continue with the lessons from the Ifk (24:21 to 26): do not follow Satan, pardon those who erred, and know that the slanderers of chaste women are cursed. Then the surah gives the rules of the household: asking permission to enter (24:27 to 29), lowering the gaze (24:30 to 31), and marriage of the unmarried with chastity for those who cannot marry (24:32 to 33). Ayat 24:34 reminds that clear ayat and examples have been sent.

Teachings

• Satan leads step by step to immorality (24:21).
• Pardon and overlook if you want Allah to forgive you (24:22).
• Homes have a right to privacy (24:27 to 28).
• Men and women must lower their gaze and guard chastity (24:30 to 31).
• Make marriage easy (24:32).

Ruku 5 gives Ayat an-Nur (24:35), the people of light in the mosques (24:36 to 38), and the examples of the disbelievers' deeds as a mirage and as darkness (24:39 to 40). Ruku 6 shows signs of Allah in the universe: all creation glorifies Him (24:41), clouds and rain (24:43), the alternation of night and day (24:44), and creatures made of water (24:45). Then it describes the hypocrites who turn away from the judgement of the Messenger (24:47 to 50).

Teachings

• Guidance is Allah's light and He gives it to whom He wills (24:35).
• Trade must not make us forget the remembrance of Allah, prayer and zakah (24:37).
• Deeds without faith are like a mirage (24:39).
• Everything in the heavens and the earth glorifies Allah (24:41).
• Hypocrites accept the judgement only when it suits them (24:48 to 49).

Ruku 7 begins with the believers' answer 'we hear and obey' (24:51 to 52), the command to obey the Messenger (24:54), the promise of khilafah to the believers (24:55) and the command to establish prayer and zakah (24:56). The disbelievers cannot defeat Allah (24:57). Ruku 8 gives the manners of the household: the three times of privacy (24:58 to 59), the rule for old women (24:60) and eating in homes of relatives and friends (24:61).

Teachings

• Faith and good deeds bring security and authority (24:55).
• Prayer, zakah and obedience to the Messenger bring mercy (24:56).
• Children and servants must follow the rules of privacy (24:58).
• Greet one another with salam (24:61).

The last ruku says that the true believers do not leave a gathering with the Messenger (ﷺ) without his permission (24:62). They must not call the Messenger like they call one another, and those who oppose his order are warned of fitnah or a painful punishment (24:63). The surah ends with Allah's ownership of the heavens and the earth and His knowledge of everything (24:64).

Teachings

• Discipline in a gathering: ask permission before leaving.
• Show respect to the Messenger (ﷺ) in speech and obedience.
• Fear opposing his order (24:63).
• Everything belongs to Allah and He will inform each person of his deeds (24:64).

• Surah An-Nur is the 24th surah, Madani, 64 ayat, 9 rukus, in Para 18.
• The name comes from «النور» in Ayat an-Nur, 24:35.
• It was revealed after the Ifk incident on the return from Banu al-Mustaliq, about 5 AH (some say 6 AH).
• Zina of the unmarried: 100 lashes (24:2).
• Qadhf: 80 lashes, never accept their testimony, fasiq (24:4).
• Four witnesses are needed to prove zina (24:4, 13).
• Li'an: four oaths and a fifth of curse (husband) or wrath (wife) (24:6 to 9).
• The Ifk concerned Hazrat Aishah (RA); the ayat of innocence are 24:11 to 20 (ten ayat).
• The leader of the slanderers was Abdullah bin Ubayy.
• Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) had stopped help to Mistah (RA) and 24:22 told him to pardon.
• Isti'dhan: permission and salam before entering houses (24:27); if told to go back, go back (24:28).
• Lowering the gaze: men 24:30, women 24:31.
• Marry the unmarried: 24:32.
• Ayat an-Nur: 24:35, light compared to a lamp in a niche, glass like a star, blessed olive tree, light upon light.
• The disbelievers' deeds are like a mirage (24:39) and darknesses in a deep sea (24:40).
• Promise of khilafah: 24:55; condition: worship Allah alone.
• The believers say 'we hear and we obey': 24:51.
• Three times of privacy (24:58): before Fajr, at noon, after Isha.
• Do not call the Messenger like one of you calls another: 24:63.

When an ayah is printed, look first for its key words. The table gives the key words, the subject, and what examiners ask about it.