Surah An-Nur

This Surah and v. 28-73 of Surah 33: al-Ahzab (The Confederates), of which this is the sequel, were sent down to strengthen the moral front, which at that time was the main target of the attack. v. 28-73 of al-Ahzab were sent down concerning the Prophet’s ﷺmarriage with Zaynab, and on the occasion of the second attack (the ‘Slander’ about A’isha) this Surah was sent down to repair the cracks that had appeared in the unity of the Muslim Community. If we keep this in view during the study of the two Surahs, we can understand the wisdom that underlies the commandments about the veil.

In Surah al-Ahzab, Allah sent the following instructions to strengthen and safeguard the moral front, and to counteract the storm of propaganda that was raised on the occasion of the marriage of Zaynab:

1. The wives of the Prophet ﷺwere enjoined to remain within their private quarters, to avoid the display of adornments and to be cautious in their talk with other persons (v. 32, 33).
2. The other Muslims were forbidden to enter the private rooms of the Prophet ﷺand instructed to make their requests from behind a curtain (v.
3. A line of demarcation was drawn between the mahram (unmarriageable kin) and the non-mahram relatives. Only the former were allowed to enter the private rooms of those wives of the Prophet ﷺwith whom they were closely related (v. 55).
4. The Muslims were told that the wives of the Prophet ﷺwere prohibited for them just like their own mothers; therefore, every Muslim should regard them in the highest esteem and with the purest of intentions (v. 53 - 54).
5. The Muslims were warned that they would invite the curse and punishment of Allah if they offended the Prophet ﷺ. Likewise it was a heinous sin to attack the honour of or slander any Muslim man or woman (v. 57 – 58).
6. All the Muslim women were enjoined to cover themselves with their outer garments, when they had to go out of their houses (v. 59, al-Ahzab).

On the occasion of the second attack, Surah an-Nur was sent down to keep pure and strengthen the moral fibre of the Muslim society, which had been shaken by the enormity of the slander. Below is a summary of the commandments and instructions in their chronological order so that one may understand how the Qur’an makes use of the event to reform the community through legal, moral and social measures.

1. Fornication which had already been declared to be a social crime (Surah 4: an-Nisa’ (The Women) v. 15–16,) was now made a criminal offence and was to be punished with a hundred lashes.
2. It was enjoined to boycott the adulterous men and women and the Muslims were forbidden to have any marriage relations with them.
3. The one who accused another of adultery but failed to produce four witnesses, was to be punished with eighty lashes.
4. The law of ‘lian’ was prescribed to decide the charge of adultery by a husband against his own wife.
5. The Muslims were enjoined to learn a lesson from the incident of the ‘slander’ about A’isha. People should be very cautious in regard to charges of adultery against righteous people and should not spread lies. Rather they should refute and suppress such ideas immediately. A general principle was also expressed that the proper spouse for a pure man is a pure woman, and vice versa. Also, reflecting upon the incident, the people knew that the Prophet ﷺwas a pure man chosen by Allah, the purest of all human beings.

So how could they believe that Allah would allow him to marry a wicked woman and exalt her as the most beloved of his wives? It was obvious that an adulterous woman could not have been able to deceive a pure man like the Prophet ﷺ. They also ought to have considered the fact that the accuser was an evil person, with vested interests, while the accused was always known as a pure chaste woman. This should have been enough to convince them that the accusation was not worth their consideration and not even conceivable.

1. Those who spread news and evil rumours and propagate wickedness in the Muslim community deserve punishment and not encouragement.

A general principle was laid down that relations in the Muslim community should be based on good faith and not on suspicion: everyone should be treated as innocent unless he is proven to be guilty.

1. The people were forbidden to enter the houses of others unceremoniously and were instructed to take permission for this.
2. Both men and women were instructed to lower their gaze and forbidden to cast unnecessary glances at each other.
3. Women were enjoined to cover their heads and cover themselves up even inside their houses, when in the presence of non-mahram men.
4. Women were forbidden to appear beautified before other men, except their servants or such male-relatives (mahram) with whom marriage is prohibited.
5. They were enjoined not to dress up or beautify such that would be visible to non-mahram men when they went out of their houses, and even forbidden to put on jingling ornaments that would also attract attention when outside.
6. Marriage was encouraged and enjoined even for slaves and slave-girls, since marriage prevents indecency.
7. The institution of slavery was discouraged and the owners and other people were enjoined to give financial help to slaves to help earn their freedom under the law of Mukatabat.
8. Prostitution by slave girls was forbidden, for prostitution in Arabia was confined to this class alone. This, in fact, implied the legal prohibition of prostitution altogether.
9. The sanctity of privacy in the home was enjoined even for servants and under-age children, including one’s own. They were enjoined not to enter the private rooms of any man or woman without permission; especially in the morning, at noon and at night.
10. Old women were given the concession that they could set aside their head covers within their houses but should refrain from the displaying their adornments. They were even told that it was better for them to continue keeping themselves covered.
11. The blind, lame, crippled and sick persons were allowed to take any article of food from the houses of other people without permission, since it is the responsibility of the community to feed such people. This act was not to be treated like theft and cheating, which are clear offences.
12. On the other hand, the Muslims were encouraged to develop mutual relationships by taking their meals together. Near relatives and intimate friends were allowed to take their meals in each other’s house without any formal invitation. This was to produce mutual affection and develop sincere relationships between them to counteract any future mischief. Side by side with these instructions, clear signs of the Believers and the hypocrites were stated to enable every Muslim to discriminate between the two. At the same time, the community was bound together by adopting disciplinary measures in order to make it stronger and firmer and to discourage the enemies from continuously creating mischief.

Above all, the most striking thing about this discourse is that it is free from the unpleasantness which inevitably follows such shameful and vicious attacks. Instead of showing any bitterness at this provocation, the discourse prescribes laws and regulations and enjoins reformative commandments and wise instructions that were required at the time for the education and training of the community. Incidentally, this teaches us how to deal with such provocative mischief - calmly, wisely and generously. At the same time, it is a clear proof that this is not the word of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺbut of a Being who is observing all human conditions and affairs from the highest level, and guiding mankind without any personal prejudices, feelings and leanings. Had this been the word of the Prophet ﷺthere would have been at least some tinge of natural bitterness in spite of his great generosity and forbearance, for it is but human that a noble man naturally becomes enraged when his own honour is attacked in this mean manner.44