Surat An-Nūr (The Light)
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Period of Revelation: The consensus of opinion among the commentators of the Qur’an is that this Surah was sent down after the campaign against Bani Al-Mustaliq which took place after the Battle of the Trench in 6 A. H., at the occasion of slander against the wife of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Sayyidah ‘Aisha (Allah be pleased with her), who accomplished him in this campaign.Major Issues, Divine Laws and Guidance:
- Laws relating to
- the punishment for rape, fornication and adultery.
- the punishment for bearing false witness relating to any of these crimes.
- Li’an (bearing witness against one’s own wife when there is no other witness in a case of adultery).
- Slander against the wife of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Allah’s declaration of her innocence, and admonition to those who were involved in that scandal.
- Regulations relating to entering houses other than your own.
- Regulations relating to mixed gatherings of males and females.
- Allah’s commandment for singles to get them married.
- Allah’s commandment to help slaves in getting their freedom.
- Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.
- Allah has created every living creature from water.
- True believers are those who, when called towards Allah and His Rasool, say: “We hear and we obey.”
- Regulations relating to:
- entering the room of a married couple.
- eating at houses other than one’s own.
- Allah’s commandment for attending meetings which are called for discussions and decisions about taking collective actions.
- Rape, adultery and fornication which had already been declared to be social crimes in Surah Al-Ahzab (vv. 15,16) are now made criminal offences and the one proven guilty is to be punished.
- Muslims are enjoined to boycott adulterous men and women and are forbidden to have any marriage relations with them.
- One who accuses another of adultery but fails to produce four witnesses, is to be punished with eighty lashes.
- The law of Li’an is enacted to provide the method for a husband to bear witness against his own wife in a case of adultery when there are no other witnesses, and also provides the wife a method to refute his testimony.
- The Muslims are enjoined to learn this lesson from the incident of the slander against Sayyidah ‘Aisha. The Muslims are advised that they should be very cautious about the charges of adultery against people of good reputation, and instead of spreading such a rumor, they should refute and suppress them immediately.” In this connection, a general principle is enunciated that the proper spouse for a pure man is a pure woman, for he cannot get along with a wicked woman for long, and the same is the case with a pure woman. The Muslims are admonished as follows: “When you know that the Prophet is the purest of all human beings, how could you believe that he could live with a wicked woman and exalt her as the most beloved of his wives? For it is obvious that an adulterous woman could not have been able to deceive a pure man like the Prophet. You should have considered the fact that the accuser is a mean person while the accused is a pure woman. This should have been enough to convince you that the accusation is not worth your attention.”
- Those who spread evil rumors and propagate wickedness in the Muslim community deserve punishment and not encouragement.
- Relations in the Muslim community should be based on good faith and not on suspicion: everyone is innocent unless he/she is proven guilty.
- People are forbidden to enter houses other than their own without seeking permission.
- Both men and women are instructed to lower their gaze when they come in contact with each other.
- Women are enjoined to cover their heads and breasts, not to display their beauty before other men except their servants or such relatives with whom their marriage is prohibited, hide their charms and not to put on jingling ornaments when they go out of their homes.
- Marriage is encouraged and enjoined even for slaves, because unmarried people are more prone to indecency.
- The institution of slavery is discouraged. Slave owners and other people are enjoined to give financial help to slaves to earn their freedom under the law of Mukatabat (contract).
- Prostitution by slave girls is forbidden, for prostitution in Arabia was confined to this class alone.
- Respect of privacy is enjoined even for servants and children, including one’s own. They are enjoined not to enter the private rooms of married couple without permission; especially in the early morning, at noon and at night.
- Elderly women are given the concession that they can set aside their head covers when they are inside their homes but should refrain from display of adornments.
- The Muslims are encouraged to develop close relationships by taking their meals together. Close relatives and intimate friends are allowed to take their meals in each other’s home without any formal invitation.
- Clear differences between believers and hypocrites are clarified to enable every Muslim to discriminate between the two. At the same time the community is strengthened through adopting the disciplinary measures in order to discourage the enemies from creating mischief in it.
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سُورَةٌ أَنزَلْنَاهَا وَفَرَضْنَاهَا وَأَنزَلْنَا فِيهَا آيَاتٍ بَيِّنَاتٍ لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ
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الزَّانِيَةُ وَالزَّانِي فَاجْلِدُوا كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ مِّنْهُمَا مِائَةَ جَلْدَةٍ ۖ وَلَا تَأْخُذْكُم بِهِمَا رَأْفَةٌ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ۖ وَلْيَشْهَدْ عَذَابَهُمَا طَائِفَةٌ مِّنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
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الزَّانِي لَا يَنكِحُ إِلَّا زَانِيَةً أَوْ مُشْرِكَةً وَالزَّانِيَةُ لَا يَنكِحُهَا إِلَّا زَانٍ أَوْ مُشْرِكٌ ۚ وَحُرِّمَ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
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وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَأْتُوا بِأَرْبَعَةِ شُهَدَاءَ فَاجْلِدُوهُمْ ثَمَانِينَ جَلْدَةً وَلَا تَقْبَلُوا لَهُمْ شَهَادَةً أَبَدًا ۚ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ
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إِلَّا الَّذِينَ تَابُوا مِن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ وَأَصْلَحُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
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وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ أَزْوَاجَهُمْ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُمْ شُهَدَاءُ إِلَّا أَنفُسُهُمْ فَشَهَادَةُ أَحَدِهِمْ أَرْبَعُ شَهَادَاتٍ بِاللَّهِ ۙ إِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ
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وَالْخَامِسَةُ أَنَّ لَعْنَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ إِن كَانَ مِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ
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وَيَدْرَأُ عَنْهَا الْعَذَابَ أَن تَشْهَدَ أَرْبَعَ شَهَادَاتٍ بِاللَّهِ ۙ إِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ
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وَالْخَامِسَةَ أَنَّ غَضَبَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا إِن كَانَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ