quraninplainenglish

24 Sūrat an Nūr ~ the Light

In the name of God the Compassionate the Merciful 0

A chapter We sent down and prescribed it, 1

And We have revealed in it clear verses, so that you may remember.

The adultress and the adulterer, 2

So flog each one of them a hundred lashes.

And do not have pity for them in the religion of God,

If you believe in God and the last day.

And let a group of the faithful witness their punishment.

The fornicator does not marry except a fornicatress or a polytheist, 3

And the fornicatress does not marry except a fornicator or a polytheist.

And that is forbidden to the faithful ones.

And those who accuse chaste women, 4

Then do not bring four witnesses,

Then flog them with eighty lashes,

And do not ever accept their testimony.

And those, they are the iniquitous,

Except those who repent after that and make amends.

Then indeed, God is forgiving, merciful. 5

And those who accuse their spouses, 6

And there are no witnesses for them except themselves,

Then the testimony of one of them is four swearings by God

That he is surely of the truthful,

And the fifth is that the curse of God is upon him if he is of the liars. 7

But it averts punishment from her that she bears witness 8

Four swearings by God that he is surely of the liars,

And the fifth that the wrath of God is upon her if he is of the truthful. 9

And were it not for the grace of God upon you and His mercy, 10

And that God is returning, wise, [there go you].

Indeed, those who brought the lie are a group among you. 11

Do not think it bad for you. No, it is good for you.

For every person among them is what he has taken on of sin,

And the one who turns toward more of it among them,

For him is a great punishment.

Why, when you heard it, did the faithful men

And the faithful women not think good of themselves, and say: 12

This is a clear lie?

Why did they not bring for it four witnesses? 13

Then, when they did not bring the witnesses,

Then those, before God, they are the liars.

And were it not for the grace of God upon you, 14

And His mercy in the world and the hereafter,

For what you exaggerated extensively of it,

A great punishment would surely have touched you,

When you accepted it with your tongues, 15

And you spoke with your mouths that of which you had no knowledge.

And you thought it insignificant, while it was great before God.

And why, when you heard it, did you not say: 16

It is not for us that we speak of this, Glory to You,

This is a great slander?

God cautions you that you never return to the like of it, 17

If you are faithful ones.

And God makes clear to you the verses. 18

And God is knowing, wise.

Indeed, those who want to spread indecency 19

Among those who are faithful,

For them is a painful punishment in the world and the hereafter.

And God knows, and you do not know.

And were it not for the grace of God and His mercy upon you, 20

And that God is most kind, most merciful [there go you].

O you who believe, do not follow the footsteps of the perverter. 21

And whoever follows the footsteps of the perverter,

Then indeed, he commands by means of atrocity and alienation.

And were it not for the grace of God and His mercy upon you,

Not anyone among you would have been pure, ever.

But God purifies whom He wills, and God is hearing, knowing.

And let not possessors of bounty and expansive means among you 22

Neglect to give to the near of kin, and the poor,

And the immigrants in the way of Allāh.

And let them pardon and forgive.

Do you not want Allāh to forgive you?

And Allāh is forgiving, merciful.

Indeed, those who accuse the chaste women, 23

The unaware women, the faithful women,

Are cursed in the world and the hereafter.

And for them is a great punishment.

A day their tongues and their hands and feet 24

Will bear witness against them for what they have done,

That day Allāh will pay them their due recompence 25

And they will know that Allāh is the Manifest Truth.

Malicious women are for malicious men, 26

And malicious men are for malicious women.

And good women are for good men, and good men are for good women.

Those are innocent of what they say.

For them is forgiveness and a noble provision.

O you who believe, do not enter houses other than your houses, 27

Until you ask permission and give greetings of peace to its inhabitants.

That is better for you so that you may be mindful.

But if you do not find anyone in it, 28

Then do not enter it until permission is given to you.

And if it is said to you: Go back,

Then go back. It is purer for you.

And God is knowing of what you do.

There is no blame upon you that you enter uninhabited houses 29

In which there is a provision for you.

And God knows what you reveal and what you conceal.

Say to the faithful men they should lower their gaze, 30

And preserve their modesty.

That is purer for them.

Surely God is aware of what they do.

And say to the faithful women they should lower their gaze, 31

And preserve their modesty, and not display their adornment,

Except what is obvious of it.

And let them draw their coverings over their breasts,

And not display their adornment except to their husbands,

Or their fathers, or the fathers of their husbands,

Or their sons, or the sons of their husbands,

Or their brothers, or the sons of their brothers,

Or the sons of their sisters, or their women,

Or what their right hands possess,

Or the attendants without physical desire among the men,

Or children who do not know about the private aspects of women.

And let them not stamp with their feet to make known what they conceal

Of their adornment.

And turn to God altogether O you faithful, so that you may succeed.

And marry the single among you, 32

And the virtuous among your male servants and female servants.

If they are poor, God will enrich them from His bounty.

And God is encompassing, knowing.

And let those who do not find marriage be chaste, 33

Until God enriches them from His bounty.

And those who seek a writ [of manumission]

From among those whom your right hands possess,

Then give them a contract if you know there is goodness in them,

And give them from the wealth of God which He has given you.

And do not compel your slave girls to prostitution if they want to be chaste,

For you to seek the gain of worldly life.

And [if] anyone compels them, then indeed God is, after their compulsion,

Forgiving, merciful.

And certainly We have sent down to you clear verses, 34

And an example of those who passed away before you,

And an exhortation for those who are conscious of God.

God is the light of the heavens and the earth. 35

A likeness of His light is as a lamp in a niche.

The lamp is within glass,

The glass as though it were a gleaming star,

Ignited from a blessed tree, an olive.

Not eastern and not western,

Its oil almost glows even if fire has not touched it.

Light upon light,

God guides to His light whom He wills,

And God sets forth parables for humanity.

And God of everything is knowing.

In houses God ordered to be elevated and His name mentioned in them, 36

Glorify Him in them in the mornings and the evenings.

Men who are not diverted by trade nor selling fom remembrance of God 37

And establishing the prayer and giving zakāh,

They fear a day in which hearts and eyes are inverted,

That God may recompense them the best of what they did, 38

And increase them from His bounty.

And God provides whom He wills without measure.

But those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage in a lowland. 39

The thirsty one thinks it is water, until when he comes to it,

He finds it is nothing.

But he finds God before him,

Who will repay him his full measure.

And God is the Swiftest of Reckoning.

Or like the darknesses in a deep sea, 40

A wave covers it, on it is a wave, above it a cloud,

Darknesses, some of them upon others.

When one puts out his hand he can hardly see it.

And for whom God has not made a light,

Then for him there is no light

Do you not see that whoever is in the heavens and the earth, 41

And the birds lined up in a row, glorify God?

Each one certainly knows its prayer and its glorification,

And God is knowing of what they do.

And to God belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, 42

And to God is the destination.

Do you not see that God drives the clouds, 43

Then attracts between them,

Then makes them accumulate,

Then you see rain emerge from within them?

Then He sends down from the sky from mountains within it of hail,

And he strikes with it whom He wills, and averts it from whom He wills.

The flash of its lightning almost takes away sight.

God alternates the night and the day. 44

Indeed, in that is surely a lesson for those who have vision.

And God created every moving creature from water. 45

And of them is one who walks on its belly,

And of them who walks on two legs,

And of them who walks on four.

God creates what He wills.

And indeed, God is powerful over everything.

Certainly, We have sent down clear signs. 46

And God guides whom He wills to a straight path.

And they say: We believe in God and in the messenger and we obey. 47

Then a part of them turns away after that.

And those are not of the faithful.

And when they are called to God and His messenger 48

To judge between them,

Suddenly a portion of them is avoidant.

But if the truth is with them, they come to him obediently. 49

Is there in their hearts an illness or do they doubt? 50

Or fear that God will be unjust to them and His messenger?

No, those are the wrongdoers.

The only speech of the faithful, when they are called to God 51

And His messenger to judge between them, is that they say:

We hear and we obey.

And those are the successful ones.

And whoever obeys God and his messsenger, 52

And fears God and is conscious of Him,

Then those are the successful ones.

And they swear by God their strong oaths, 53

That if you commanded them, then surely they would go forth.

Say: Do not swear. Obedience is known.

Indeed, God is aware of what you do.

Say: Obey God and obey the messenger, 54

But if you turn away, then upon him is only what is placed on him,

And on you is what is placed upon you.

And if you obey him you will be guided.

And on the messenger is not but the clear conveyance.

God promised those who believe among you and do virtuous deeds, 55

Surely He will grant them succession in the land,

As He gave succession to those who were before them,

And that He will surely establish their religion for them,

Which He has approved for them,

And that He will surely exchange for them after their fear, security, as

They serve Me and do not associate anything with Me.

But whoever disbelieved after that, then those are the transgressors.

And establish the prayer and give charity and obey the messenger, 56

So that you may receive mercy.

Do not think that those who disbelieve escape in the earth. 57

And their abode is the fire and wretched is the destination.

O you who believe, 58

Let those whom your right hands possess,

And those who have not reached puberty among you,

Ask permission at three times,

Before the dawn prayer,

And when you set down your garments at noon,

And after the night prayer,

Three privacies for you.

There is not on you and not on them any blame after that

Walking about among you, some of you among others.

Thus God makes clear for you the verses,

And God is knowing, wise.

And when the children among you reach puberty, 59

Then let them ask permission,

As those who were before them asked permission.

Thus God makes clear for you His verses.

And God is knowing, wise.

And the menopausal among the women who do not hope for marriage, 60

Then there is no blame on them that they put aside their outer robes,

Not displaying their adornment.

And that they are modest is better for them.

And God is hearing, knowing.

There is no fault on the blind, 61

And no fault on the lame,

And no fault on the sick,

And not on yourselves,

That you eat from your houses,

Or the houses of your fathers,

Or the houses of your mothers,

Or the houses of your brothers,

Or the houses of your sisters,

Or the houses of your father’s brothers,

Or the houses of your father’s sisters,

Or the houses of your mother’s brothers,

Or the houses of your mother’s sisters,

Or [a house of which] you possess its keys or [the house of] your friend.

There is no fault on you that you eat together or separately.

But when you enter houses, then submit upon yourselves

A greeting from God, blessed and good.

Thus God makes clear for you the verses, so that you may understand.

The faithful are only those who believe in God and His messenger. 62

And when they are with him for a matter of joint action,

They do not leave until they ask his permission.

Indeed, those who ask your permission,

Those are the ones who believe in God and His messenger.

So when they ask your permission for some matter of theirs,

Then give permission to whom you will among them,

And ask forgiveness of God for them.

Indeed, God is forgiving, merciful

Do not make the calling of the messenger among you 63

Like the call of some of you to others.

Certainly, God knows those who slip away among you seeking refuge.

So beware, those who oppose his command,

Lest a trial befall them or a painful punishment.

Certainly, to God belongs what is in the heaven and the earth. 64

Truly, He knows what you are on it.

And the day they are returned to Him,

Then He shall inform them of what they did.

And God is knowing of everything.