Surah 24. An-Nur, Ayah 31
| وَقُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا ۖ وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىٰ جُيُوبِهِنَّ ۖ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَائِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَاءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَائِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَاءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ إِخْوَانِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِي إِخْوَانِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِي أَخَوَاتِهِنَّ أَوْ نِسَائِهِنَّ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُنَّ أَوِ التَّابِعِينَ غَيْرِ أُولِي الْإِرْبَةِ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ أَوِ الطِّفْلِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يَظْهَرُوا عَلَىٰ عَوْرَاتِ النِّسَاءِ ۖ وَلَا يَضْرِبْنَ بِأَرْجُلِهِنَّ لِيُعْلَمَ مَا يُخْفِينَ مِنْ زِينَتِهِنَّ ۚ وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ |
| Transliteration | : | wa- qul li- al- mu'minaat yaghd.ud.na min abs.aar -hinna wa- yah.faz.na furoj -hunna wa- laa yubdena zenah -hunna 'illaa maa z.ahara min -haa wa- li- yad.ribna bi- khumur -hinna calaa juyob -hinna wa- laa yubdena zenah -hunna 'illaa li- bucolah -hinna 'aw 'aabaa' -hinna 'aw 'aabaa' bucolah -hinna 'aw abnaa' -hinna 'aw abnaa' bucolah -hinna 'aw 'ikhwaan -hinna 'aw bane 'ikhwaan -hinna 'aw bane 'akhawaat -hinna 'aw nisaa' -hinna 'aw maa malakat aymaan -hunna 'aw at- taabicen ghayr 'ole al- 'irbah min ar- rijaal 'aw at.- t.ifl 'alladhena lam yaz.haro calaa cawraat an- nisaa' wa- laa yad.ribna bi- arjul -hinna li- yuclam maa yukhfena min zenah -hinna wa- tobo 'ilaa 'allaah jamec(an) 'ayyuhaa al- mu'minon lacalla -kum tuflih.on |
| Pickthall | : | And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms, and not to reveal their adornment save to their own 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 women, or their slaves, or male attendants who lack vigor, or children who know naught of women's nakedness. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And turn unto Allah together, O believers, in order that ye may succeed. |
| Asad | : | And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and to be mindful of their chastity, and not to display their charms [in public] beyond what may [decently] be apparent thereof;37 hence, let them draw their head-coverings over their bosoms.38 And let them not display [more of] their charms to any but their husbands, or their fathers, or their husbands' fathers, or their sons, or their husbands' sons, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their womenfolk, or those whom they rightfully possess, or such male attendants as are beyond all sexual desire,39 or children that are as yet unaware of women's nakedness; and let them not swing their legs [in walking] so as to draw attention to their hidden charms.40 And [always], O you believers-all of you-turn unto God in repentance, so that you might attainto a happy state!41 |
| Malik | : | Likewise enjoin the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their modesty; not to display their beauty and ornaments except what normally appears thereof; let them draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their charms except to their husbands, their fathers, their fathers-in-law, their own sons, their stepsons, their own brothers, their nephews on either brothers' or sisters' sides, their own womenfolk, their own slaves, male attendants who lack sexual desires or small children who have no carnal knowledge of women. Also enjoin them not to strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden trinkets. And O believers! Turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, about your past mistakes, so that you may attain salvation. |
| Yusuf Ali | : | And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands their fathers their husbands' fathers their sons their husbands' sons their brothers or their brothers' sons or their sisters' sons or their women or the slaves whom their right hands possess or male servants free of physical needs or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers! turn ye all together towards Allah that ye may attain Bliss. 2984 2985 2986 2987 |
Note - 37My interpolation of the word "decently" reflects the
interpretation of the phrase illa ma zahara minha by
several of the earliest Islamic scholars, and
particularly by Al-Qiffal (quoted by Razi), as "that
which a human being may openly show in accordance with
prevailing custom (al-'adah al-jariyah)". Although the
traditional exponents of Islamic Law have for centuries
been inclined to restrict the definition of "what may
[decently] be apparent" to a woman's face, hands and
feet- and sometimes even less than that - we may safely
assume that the meaning of illa ma zahara minha is much
wider, and that the deliberate vagueness of this phrase
is meant to allow for all the time-bound changes that are
necessary for man's moral and social growth. The pivotal
clause in the above injunction is the demand, addressed
in identical terms to men as well as to women, to "lower
their gaze and be mindful of their chastity": and this
determines the extent of what, at any given time, may
legitimately - i.e., in consonance with the Qur'anic
principles of social morality - be considered "decent" or
"indecent" in a person's outward appearance.
|
Note - 38The noun khimar (of which khumur is the plural) denotes
the head-covering customarily used by Arabian women
before and after the advent of Islam. According to most
of the classical commentators, it was worn in pre-Islamic
times more or less as an ornament and was let down
loosely over the wearer's back; and since, in accordance
with the fashion prevalent at the time, the upper part of
a woman's tunic had a wide opening in the front, her
breasts were left bare. Hence, the injunction to cover
the bosom by means of a khimar (a term so familiar to the
contemporaries of the Prophet) does not necessarily
relate to the use of khimar as such but is, rather, meant
to make it clear that a woman's breasts are not included
in the concept of "what may decently be apparent" of her
body and should not, therefore, be displayed.
|
Note - 39I.e., very old men. The preceding phrase "those whom they
rightfully possess" (lit., "whom their right hands
possess") denotes slaves; but see also note [78].
|
Note - 40Lit., "so that those of their charms which they keep
hidden may become known". The phrase yadribna
bi-arfulihinna is idiomatically similar to the phrase
daraba bi-yadayhi mishyatihi, "he swung his arms in
walking" (quoted in this context in Taj al-'Arus). and
alludes to a deliberately provocative gait.
|
Note - 41The implication of this general call to repentance is
that since "man has been created weak" (4:28), no one
is ever free of faults and temptations - so much so that
even the Prophet used to say, "Verily, I turn unto Him in
repentance a hundred times every day" (Ibn Hanbal,
Bukhari and Bayhaqi, all of them on the authority of 'Abd
Allah ibn'Umar).
|
Note - 2984The need for modesty is the same in both men and women.
But on account of the differentiation of the sexes in
nature, temperaments, and social life, a greater amount
of privacy is required for women than for men, especially
in the matter of dress and the uncovering of the bosom.
|
Note - 2985Zinat means both natural beauty and artificial ornaments.
I think both are implied here, but chiefly the former.
The woman is asked not to make a display of her figure
except to the following classes of people: (1) her
husband, (2) her near relatives whom a certain amount of
neglige is permissible; (3) her women, (4) slaves, male
and female, as they would be in constant attendance; but
this item would now be blank, with the abolition of
slavery; (5) men who are free from sexual desire and who
usually frequent the houses; and (6) infants or small
children before they get a sense of sex. Cf. also xxxiii.
59.
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Note - 2986It is one of the tricks of showy or unchaste women to
tinkle their ankle ornaments, to draw attention to
themselves,
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Note - 2987While all these details of the purity and good form of
domestic life are being brought to our attention, we are
clearly reminded that the chief object we should hold in
view is our spiritual welfare. All our brief life on this
earth is a probation, and we must make our individual,
domestic, and social life all contribute to our holiness,
so that we can get the real success and bliss which is
the aim of our spiritual endeavor.
|
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My interpolation of the word "decently" reflects the interpretation of the phrase illa ma zahara minha by several of the earliest Islamic scholars, and particularly by Al-Qiffal (quoted by Razi), as "that which a human being may openly show in accordance with prevailing custom (al-'adah al-jariyah)". Although the traditional exponents of Islamic Law have for centuries been inclined to restrict the definition of "what may [decently] be apparent" to a woman's face, hands and feet- and sometimes even less than that - we may safely assume that the meaning of illa ma zahara minha is much wider, and that the deliberate vagueness of this phrase is meant to allow for all the time-bound changes that are necessary for man's moral and social growth. The pivotal clause in the above injunction is the demand, addressed in identical terms to men as well as to women, to "lower their gaze and be mindful of their chastity": and this determines the extent of what, at any given time, may legitimately - i.e., in consonance with the Qur'anic principles of social morality - be considered "decent" or "indecent" in a person's outward appearance. |
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The noun khimar (of which khumur is the plural) denotes the head-covering customarily used by Arabian women before and after the advent of Islam. According to most of the classical commentators, it was worn in pre-Islamic times more or less as an ornament and was let down loosely over the wearer's back; and since, in accordance with the fashion prevalent at the time, the upper part of a woman's tunic had a wide opening in the front, her breasts were left bare. Hence, the injunction to cover the bosom by means of a khimar (a term so familiar to the contemporaries of the Prophet) does not necessarily relate to the use of khimar as such but is, rather, meant to make it clear that a woman's breasts are not included in the concept of "what may decently be apparent" of her body and should not, therefore, be displayed. |
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I.e., very old men. The preceding phrase "those whom they rightfully possess" (lit., "whom their right hands possess") denotes slaves; but see also note [78]. |
| |
Lit., "so that those of their charms which they keep hidden may become known". The phrase yadribna bi-arfulihinna is idiomatically similar to the phrase daraba bi-yadayhi mishyatihi, "he swung his arms in walking" (quoted in this context in Taj al-'Arus). and alludes to a deliberately provocative gait. |
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The implication of this general call to repentance is that since "man has been created weak" (4:28), no one is ever free of faults and temptations - so much so that even the Prophet used to say, "Verily, I turn unto Him in repentance a hundred times every day" (Ibn Hanbal, Bukhari and Bayhaqi, all of them on the authority of 'Abd Allah ibn'Umar). |
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The need for modesty is the same in both men and women. But on account of the differentiation of the sexes in nature, temperaments, and social life, a greater amount of privacy is required for women than for men, especially in the matter of dress and the uncovering of the bosom. |
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Zinat means both natural beauty and artificial ornaments. I think both are implied here, but chiefly the former. The woman is asked not to make a display of her figure except to the following classes of people: (1) her husband, (2) her near relatives whom a certain amount of neglige is permissible; (3) her women, (4) slaves, male and female, as they would be in constant attendance; but this item would now be blank, with the abolition of slavery; (5) men who are free from sexual desire and who usually frequent the houses; and (6) infants or small children before they get a sense of sex. Cf. also xxxiii. 59. |
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It is one of the tricks of showy or unchaste women to tinkle their ankle ornaments, to draw attention to themselves, |
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While all these details of the purity and good form of domestic life are being brought to our attention, we are clearly reminded that the chief object we should hold in view is our spiritual welfare. All our brief life on this earth is a probation, and we must make our individual, domestic, and social life all contribute to our holiness, so that we can get the real success and bliss which is the aim of our spiritual endeavor. |
