| | Shabbir Ahmed rendition of Surah The Light(an-Nur)
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| 24:1 | | This is a Surah that We have sent down with a decree of Law. Clear Commandments have been given in it for you to bear in mind |
| 24:2 | | The adulteress and the adulterer, flog each one of them with a hundred stripes. And let not compassion sway you in their case from carrying out Allah's Law, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day. And let a group of believers witness the penalty. |
| 24:3 | | The adulterer couples with none but an adulteress who worships her desire. And with the adulteress none couples but the adulterer who worships his desire. And it is forbidden to the believers. (24:26), (45:23) |
| 24:4 | | (Protecting the honor of a woman is extremely important.) Those who accuse chaste women and then fail to produce four witnesses (the court of law shall order) eighty lashes to such accusers (24:23). And, never in the future accept their testimony. They indeed have drifted away from morality. (Fasiq = One who drifts away from -from what? Will depend on the context) |
| 24:5 | | Except those who afterward repent and reform. For, verily Allah is Forgiving, Merciful |
| 24:6 | | As for those who accuse their wives, but have no witnesses except themselves, then let the accuser call Allah four times to Witness that he is indeed telling the truth |
| 24:7 | | And the fifth time, that Allah may reject him if he is telling a lie |
| 24:8 | | But punishment shall be averted from her if she calls Allah four times as Witness that he is indeed telling a lie |
| 24:9 | | And the fifth time, that Allah may reject her if he is telling the truth. (The court shall then punish neither the husband nor the wife and it infers that the same procedure applies if the wife accuses her husband) |
| 24:10 | | And were it not for Allah's Favor upon you and His Grace upon you, and that Allah is Clement, Wise |
| 24:11 | | Verily, there are numerous among you who would slander others. Deem not that this (Law of eighty lashes and calling Allah to Witness) is harsh for you. Nay, it is good for you since every slanderer will have to account for what he earns through this dragging violation of human dignity. In the Divine System an awesome punishment awaits anyone who magnifies the slander (trying to make it believable) |
| 24:12 | | Why do not the believing men and believing women, whenever such a rumor is heard, think the best of one another and say, "This is an obvious falsehood?" |
| 24:13 | | Why do they not (demand of the accusers that they) produce four witnesses? For, if they do not produce such witnesses, it is the accusers who are, in the Sight of Allah, liars indeed |
| 24:14 | | And were it not for the Favor and Grace of Allah upon you, in this world and in the Hereafter, an awful suffering would have afflicted you for the slanders you fall for |
| 24:15 | | When you welcome slander on your tongues and utter with your mouths something of which you have no knowledge, thinking it is a light matter, know that in the Sight of Allah it is an awful thing |
| 24:16 | | (And once again), why do you not say, whenever you hear such a rumor, "It is not befitting for us to talk about it. Glory to You (Our Lord), this is a monstrous calumny." |
| 24:17 | | Allah admonishes you that you repeat not the like thereof ever, if you are indeed believers |
| 24:18 | | And Allah clearly explains His Verses for you. Allah is the Knower, the Wise |
| 24:19 | | Verily, those who love to see immorality spread among the believers, shall be punished (by a court of law) in this world and in the life to come. For, Allah knows and you know not |
| 24:20 | | Had it not been for the Favor of Allah and His Mercy unto you, and that Allah is Compassionate, Merciful, (your social fabric would have been undone) |
| 24:21 | | O You who have chosen to be graced with belief! Follow not the steps of satanic people in the community. Anyone who follows Satan's steps, should know that he advocates evil and vice. Had it not been for the Favor of Allah, and His Grace unto you, none of you could have grown in goodness. Thus it is - but anyone can develop the "Self" (attain Self-actualization) by following Allah's Laws (given in the Qur'an). Allah is Hearer, Knower (Most Perceptive of your psychosocial needs) |
| 24:22 | | (Development of the personality takes place by respecting the Divine Moral Values and helping people with your wealth and person (2:232), (4:49), (9:103), (24:21), (24:30), (53:32), (91:9-10), (92:18)). Let not those among you who have been blessed with resources and ease of life ever stay behind in spending on: Their families, Relatives, Those who have lost their jobs, Whose running businesses have stalled, Whose hard earned income is insufficient to meet their needs, and Those who have forsaken the domain of evil or persecution in the Cause of Allah. Let them pardon and overlook the imperfections of the needy. Listen! Do you not love that Allah should forgive you, absolving your imperfections? Thus it is - Allah is Forgiving, Merciful |
| 24:23 | | But, verily, those who accuse chaste women, mentally preoccupied, believers in Divine Moral Values, shall be rejected from the Grace of Allah in this world and in the life to come. And awesome suffering awaits them. (For eighty lashes from the court see (24:4)) |
| 24:24 | | (Suffering) on the Day when their tongues and their hands and their feet will testify against them about all that they did. (And a time will come when methods of investigation will become far advanced) |
| 24:25 | | On that Day Allah will pay them their just due, and they will come to know that Allah! He is the Manifest Truth |
| 24:26 | | Evil women keep company with evil men, and evil men keep company with evil women. Likewise, men and women of good character are companions to one another (9:71), (9:112). The latter are innocent of whatever people might say about them. For them is the absolution of their imperfections and honorable provision |
| 24:27 | | O You who have chosen to be graced with belief! Enter not the houses other than your own until you have obtained permission and greeted their folk with peace. This is better for all of you if you bear in mind |
| 24:28 | | And if you find no one in the home, do not enter it until permission has been given to you. And if you are asked to go back, then go back. This will be most befitting for your "Self". Allah is Knower of the actions that strengthen or enfeeble your personality |
| 24:29 | | There is no blame on you if you enter vacant houses in which some of your property is placed. Allah knows what you do in public and in private |
| 24:30 | | Tell the believing men to lower their gaze, and guard their modesty. This helps them grow in character. Verily, Allah is Aware of what they do |
| 24:31 | | And tell the believing women to lower their gaze, and guard their modesty. That they should not display their beauty and ornament beyond what is decently and spontaneously apparent in daily lives. Hence, let them cover their bosoms with their sash (Dupatta). And let them not display their beauty in the presence of anyone other than their husbands or fathers or husbands' fathers, or their sons or their husbands' sons, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons or sisters' sons, or their womenfolk, or their close dependents and attendants free of sexual desires. Or children who know nothing of women's privacy; and they should not strike their feet so as to reveal their hidden beauty and ornaments. And, turn to Allah together, O Believers, in order that you may succeed (in establishing a benevolent society (33:59)) |
| 24:32 | | And marry the single among you, (whether they are widowed, divorced or bachelors). And those who are still being kept as slaves, male or female, such of them as are fit to marry. If they are poor, Allah will enrich them with His Bounty, for, Allah is of Infinite means, All-Knowing |
| 24:33 | | And those who cannot find a match must keep chaste until Allah grants them sufficiency out of His Bounty. And if any of the male and female slaves desires a deed of freedom, write it out for them if you ensure good for them by way of rehabilitation. (4:5-6). Give them from Allah's wealth that He has given you. Never hold your slave maidens for worldly gains from preserving their chastity by marrying if they so desire, lest they resort to lewdness. If anyone forces them, then after this compulsion Allah will be Forgiving, Merciful to them. (And He will hold the one who forces them, accountable) |
| 24:34 | | And indeed, We have revealed to you Messages clearly showing the Truth, and many a lesson from the generations before you. Herein is Enlightenment for those who wish to journey through life in blissful honor and security |
| 24:35 | | Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. (And the Qur'an is the Light of Allah (5:15), (42:52)). The example of His Light (the Qur'an) is that of a lamp that is placed inside a niche enclosed in glass that shines like a radiant star. This lamp is kindled from a blessed tree - olive - neither of the East nor of the West. Its Light issues forth in all directions. The oil glows by itself even though no fire has touched it. Light upon Light. Allah guides to His Light anyone who seeks guidance. And Allah sets forth allegories for mankind. And Allah does know all things (and how to make you understand that light needs no aid to show itself (20:51), (41:42)) |
| 24:36 | | This Light-giving Lamp glows in houses that Allah has caused to be exalted, that His Name be celebrated in them. In them He is glorified in the mornings and in the evenings. (The dwellers therein strive to raise His Name) |
| 24:37 | | (These are not the communities of monks but) they are such whom neither trade nor sale can divert from the remembrance of Allah. They keep striving to consolidate the Divine System and set up the Just Economic Order of Zakat in the society. They are people filled with awesome consciousness of the Day when hearts and eyes will be horrified. (50:20) |
| 24:38 | | That Allah may reward them for the best of what they did and increase for them His Bounty. For, Allah grants sustenance of mind and body according to His Laws, beyond count. (2:261) |
| 24:39 | | But as for those who reject the Message, their deeds are like a mirage in the desert. The thirsty one supposes it to be water till he comes unto it and finds nothing. However, he does meet Allah's Law of Requital to compensate for his deeds. And Allah is Swift at taking account |
| 24:40 | | Or total darkness in the midst of a deep ocean, with waves upon waves and a thick cloud above - darkness upon darkness. When he holds out his hand, he can barely see it. Allah's Law does not give light to him who disregards His Light |
| 24:41 | | Do you not realize that Allah, He it is Whom all beings in the heavens and the earth glorify, and the birds, with their wings outspread, as they fly in columns. All of them know their SALAT and TASBEEH (mission and strife). Allah is Aware of what they do to fulfill His Plan |
| 24:42 | | And unto Allah belongs the Dominion of the heavens and the earth, and unto Allah is marching everything |
| 24:43 | | Have you not seen how Allah drives the clouds, then gathers them, then makes them layers, and then you see the rain coming forth from them? He sends down, from the heights, hail and loads of snow to cover some ground and leave some uncovered, according to His Laws. The flashes of lightning and the brightness of the snow dazzle the sight, all but snatching it away. (2:19-20) |
| 24:44 | | Allah causes the revolution of the night and the day. Herein indeed is a lesson for men and women of vision and understanding. (Of straying and guidance, of death and life, of calculating time, of rest and work etc. |
| 24:45 | | And Allah has created every living creature from water. (Life began in water 21:30). Some of them crawl on their bellies, some walk on two legs, and some walk on four. Allah creates things with a Purpose and according to His Laws. He has Supreme control over all things and events and verily, Allah is the Appointer of due measure of all things |
| 24:46 | | Verily, We have sent down Messages clearly showing the Truth, but Allah guides onto a Straight Path him who wishes to be guided |
| 24:47 | | For, some people say, "We believe in Allah and the Messenger and we obey." Then after that a faction of them turns away. Such are not believers |
| 24:48 | | And so it is that whenever they are called to Allah and His Messenger to judge between them, some of them turn away |
| 24:49 | | However, if the truth is on their side, they come to him in full submission |
| 24:50 | | Is there disease in their hearts? Or do they bear any doubts? Or do they fear that Allah and His Messenger might deal unjustly with them? They (who wish to obviate justice) are themselves unjust |
| 24:51 | | Whenever invited to Allah and His Messenger to judge in their affairs, the true believers say, "We hear and we obey." They are the ones who will ultimately prosper |
| 24:52 | | Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, and fears violating Allah's Commands, and walks aright, such indeed are the triumphant |
| 24:53 | | Whereas there are some who swear by Allah solemnly that, if you order them, they will go forth to any mission. Say, "Swear not! Obedience is virtuous. Verily, Allah is Aware of all you do." |
| 24:54 | | Say, "Obey Allah and obey the Messenger - the Central Authority. But if you turn away, remember that he is only responsible for the duty placed on him, and you for the duty placed on you. If you obey him, you will go aright. The Messenger's duty is only to convey the Message clearly." |
| 24:55 | | Allah has promised that those of you peoples who will believe in the Divine Laws and strengthen human resources, He will surely make them rulers in the earth - Just as He granted rule to the previous nations (28:6), (33:27). He will surely establish for them the System of life that He has approved for them, and will replace their fear with peace and security. All this because they serve Me alone. They ascribe no partner to Me. But all who, after this, deny these Laws will drift out (of the community of living nations. The 'belief' in this verse does not pertain to any dogmas and tenets, but to the realization that the entire Universe is operating under the unchangeable Physical Laws of One Supreme Authority, thus providing the basis for all Science and Technology) |
| 24:56 | | Hence, (O Believers) establish and consolidate the Divine System, set up the Just Economic Order of Zakat, and obey the Messenger. (The eternal Messenger now is the Final Revelation of Allah). That is how you will flourish in the world as the fetus flourishes in the mother's womb. (Rahm = Womb) |
| 24:57 | | And think not that the rejecters of the Divine Laws can escape in the earth. Fire shall be their home (in both lives), and it is indeed a miserable abode |
| 24:58 | | (Your social mannerism begins at home.) O You who have chosen to be graced with belief! Let your servants and children who have not yet come of age ask your permission before coming in to see you on three occasions: Before you engage in your assignments at dawn, at noon when you are resting with light clothes, and after you have completed your assignments at night. These are your three times of privacy. At other times it is not wrong for you or for them to move about freely, attending to one another. In this way, Allah makes clear to you the revelations, for, Allah is All Knowing, Wise |
| 24:59 | | And when the children among you come of age, let them ask your permission every time just as those who have grown up before them (24:27). Thus Allah makes His revelations clear for you. Allah is Knower, Wise |
| 24:60 | | And the elderly women who have no interest in getting married, there is nothing wrong for them if they lay aside their outer garments in such a way as not to show adornment (24:31), (33:33). Even so, it is best for them to maintain modesty. Allah is Hearer, Knower |
| 24:61 | | (Feeding of the disabled must be a matter of priority in your society.) There is no blame on the blind, nor is there blame on the crippled, nor there is blame on the sick or handicapped, to eat from your houses. Just as there is no blame on you for eating at your own homes, or your fathers' homes, or your mothers' homes, or your brothers' homes, or your sisters' homes, or your paternal uncles' homes, or your paternal aunts' homes, or your maternal uncles' homes, or your maternal aunts' homes, or the homes you manage and hold the keys of, or the home of a friend. You do nothing wrong by dining together or apart. But whenever you enter houses, salute one another with a blessed, goodly greeting from Allah. Thus Allah makes clear the revelations for you, so that you may understand (the goodness in them) |
| 24:62 | | Only those are true believers in Allah and His Messenger who do not leave without permission when they are with him in a community meeting. Those who ask permission are the ones who believe in Allah and His Messenger. So when they ask your permission (O Prophet) in order to handle some of their affairs, grant them permission to whomever you can. Remember (their welfare during their absence) asking forgiveness for them, for Allah is Forgiving, Merciful |
| 24:63 | | Deem not the Messenger's summons among you as your calling one of another (62:9). Allah knows those of you who sneak away under shelter of flimsy excuses. And let those who conspire to evade his orders beware of a consequent tribulation or an awful retribution |
| 24:64 | | Absolutely, unto Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth (53:31). He knows your condition (capabilities, limitations, intentions and actions. He knows where you stand). The Day when all people return to Him, He will make them truly understand what they were doing in life. Allah is the Knower of all things and events |
