Surah An-Noor (24) — Ayah 36

(Ayah 36) ➊ In {فِيْ بُيُوْتٍ اَذِنَ اللّٰهُ اَنْ تُرْفَعَ : ’’ بُيُوْتٍ ‘‘}, the tanween is for magnification, therefore the translation is "in those great houses." The word {’’ اَذِنَ ‘‘} comes in the meaning of permission and command, here the meaning is command, as He said: «{ وَ مَاۤ اَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ رَّسُوْلٍ اِلَّا لِيُطَاعَ بِاِذْنِ اللّٰهِ }» [ النساء : ۶۴ ] "And We did not send any messenger except that he should be obeyed by Allah's command."

➋ To whom does the jar majroor {’’ فِيْ بُيُوْتٍ ‘‘} relate? In reality, in the previous verse there are several words, any of which it can be related to and the meaning would be correct, for example {’’ نُوْرٌ ، كَمِشْكٰوةٍ ، مِصْبَاحٌ ، اَلزُّجَاجَةُ ‘‘} and {’’ يُوْقَدُ ‘‘}, meaning that the light of guidance is found in such great houses about which Allah has given a command. Ibn Kathir says: "When Allah gave the example of the believer's heart and the knowledge and guidance present in it with such a lamp that is in a clear glass and is being lit with the finest oil, then He described its place, that among all the pieces of land, the most beloved piece to Allah is Allah's mosques, in which His worship is done and His oneness is proclaimed."

➌ The literal meaning of {’’ اَنْ تُرْفَعَ ‘‘} is "that they (the houses) be raised," but here raising does not mean that their buildings should be made as high as possible, because if that were the meaning, then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) would not have built them from palm trunks and branches, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) would not have said: [ مَا أُمِرْتُ بِتَشْيِيْدِ الْمَسَاجِدِ ] [ أبوداوٗد، الصلاۃ، باب في بناء المساجد : ۴۴۸، قال الألباني صحیح، عن ابن عباس رضی اللہ عنھما ] "I have not been commanded to raise the mosques or to plaster them." By this is meant their honor and respect. Tabari has narrated with an authentic chain from Ali bin Abi Talhah from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) the tafsir: {’’ « فِيْ بُيُوْتٍ اَذِنَ اللّٰهُ اَنْ تُرْفَعَ » وَهِيَ الْمَسَاجِدُ تُكْرَمُ وَ نُهِيَ عَنِ اللَّغْوِ فِيْهَا ‘‘} [ طبري : ۲۶۳۳۶ ] "In this verse, by {’’ بُيُوْتٍ ‘‘ } is meant the mosques, that they should be honored and respected, and vain acts are forbidden in them." From this statement of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) it is known that by {’’ بُيُوْتٍ ‘‘} is meant the mosques, and by raising them is meant their honor and avoiding vain acts in them. "Raising the mosques" includes building them in every neighborhood, sweeping them, keeping them clean from filth and impurity, keeping them fragrant, not sitting in them without praying Tahiyyat al-Masjid, avoiding spitting in them, reciting wrong or polytheistic poetry, avoiding idle talk and noise, not announcing lost items in them, and not buying and selling in them. In addition, prohibiting menstruating women and those in a state of major impurity from entering the mosque, prohibiting entering the mosque after eating something with a bad smell, prohibiting using the mosque as a thoroughfare, and prohibiting establishing the hudud of Allah in the mosques are all due to their cleanliness and honor. Entering with the right foot and exiting with the left foot is part of their honor. Similarly, requesting Allah's mercy and seeking refuge from the accursed devil when entering, and requesting Allah's bounty when leaving, is a clear sign that a person is not entering or leaving an ordinary place, but is entering or leaving a place of great honor. The details of all these matters are present in the verses and hadiths and can be easily seen with a little attention. A considerable portion of this is mentioned in Tafsir Ibn Kathir.

➍ In { وَ يُذْكَرَ فِيْهَا اسْمُهٗ :}, remembering Allah's name in the mosques includes all obligatory and voluntary prayers, as well as recitation of the Qur'an, Allah's tasbih, His praise, La ilaha illallah, and all other adhkar. Learning and teaching knowledge, mutual discussion of it, i'tikaf, and all other acts of worship performed in the mosques are included.

➎ For {يُسَبِّحُ لَهٗ فِيْهَا بِالْغُدُوِّ وَ الْاٰصَالِ : ’’ بِالْغُدُوِّ وَ الْاٰصَالِ ‘‘}, see Surah Al-A'raf, Ayah (205), meaning that in those mosques, men of great status glorify Allah with sincerity morning and evening. Although all adhkar are included in tasbih and generally adhkar are done morning and evening, the interpreter of the Qur'an, Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them), has explained this as referring to obligatory prayer. Thus, Tabari has narrated with an authentic chain from Ali bin Abi Talhah from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) the tafsir, he said: The meaning of {’’ يُسَبِّحُ لَهٗ فِيْهَا بِالْغُدُوِّ وَ الْاٰصَالِ ‘‘} is that men of great status pray in them for Allah in the early and late parts of the day. {’’غُدُوٌّ‘‘} refers to the morning prayer and {’’آصَالٌ‘‘} refers to the Asr prayer. These two prayers were the first to be made obligatory by Allah, so He preferred to mention these prayers and to mention His worship with them." [ طبري : ۲۶۳۵۱ ]

In other places in the Qur'an, prayer is also meant by saying tasbih, see Surah Taha (130), Surah Qaf (39, 40), and Surah At-Tur (49). Some commentators have taken {’’ الْاٰصَالِ ‘‘} to mean all four prayers. Al-Baghawi said: "Because {’’ الْاٰصَالِ ‘‘} includes all four." The word {’’صَيْلٌ‘‘ } is also used for the time from the decline of the sun until before Fajr. Although this interpretation is correct in terms of wording, if we consider the context of revelation, then the tafsir of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) is preferred.

36-1. When Allah Almighty likened the heart of the believer, and the faith, guidance, and knowledge within it, to a lamp placed in a glass lantern and illuminated by pure and clear oil, now its place is being described: these lanterns are in such houses regarding which it has been commanded that they be raised high and that Allah's name be mentioned therein. The meaning is mosques, which are the most beloved places to Allah on earth. By elevation is not meant the elevation of stone and brick, but it also includes keeping mosques free from filth, vain talk, and inappropriate words and actions. Otherwise, merely making the buildings of mosques grand and sky-high is not the objective; rather, in hadiths, it is forbidden to excessively adorn and embellish mosques with gold and decoration. And in one hadith, this has even been mentioned as one of the signs of the nearness of the Hour.

36-2. By tasbih is meant prayer, that is, the people of faith, whose hearts are illuminated with the light of faith and guidance, perform prayers in the mosques morning and evening for the pleasure of Allah and worship Him.

36. (This light shines) in houses (mosques, etc.) which Allah has commanded to be raised and that His name be mentioned therein [62]; in them He is glorified morning and evening by men.

[62] Some scholars have taken "houses" here to mean mosques, and "to raise" to mean to build them, and the meaning is that such people whom Allah has granted the light of insight and who are always in search of the truth, and when Allah's verses are recited to them, they are already prepared to accept them—such people are found in mosques. If you want to see them, look in Allah's mosques where Allah's remembrance is always being raised. And morning and evening, such people are engaged in prayers and in tasbih and tahlil. Although this interpretation is also correct, there is no indication here on the basis of which the word "houses" should be limited only to mosques. Therefore, according to most scholars, "houses" refers to all the homes of the believers. And in every home, Allah's remembrance should continue, as well as tasbih and tahlil. Even the remaining parts of prayer (i.e., the sunnah or nafl prayers, apart from the obligatory prayers which must be performed in congregation, which in our language we call the obligatory rak‘ahs of each prayer) are better performed in one's own homes. Even if a person is unable to go to the mosque, he can perform the obligatory prayers at home (alone or in congregation). As is made clear by the following hadiths:
1. Hazrat Aisha ؓ says: Since I gained consciousness, I found my parents to be Muslims. And not a day would pass without the Prophet ﷺ coming to our house. Morning and evening, you ﷺ would come at both times. Then Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ thought to build a mosque in his courtyard; he would pray there and recite the Quran. The women of the polytheists would stand and listen, their children would also listen and be amazed, and they would keep watching Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ. Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ was a man who wept much, so he could not hold back his tears. Seeing this situation, the polytheists of Quraysh became perturbed. [بخاری۔ کتاب الصلوۃ۔ باب الاستلقاء فی المسجد و مد الرجل]
2.
Performing Nawafil in Homes:

Mahmood bin Rabee‘ al-Ansari says that ‘Itban bin Malik was among the companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and participated in the Battle of Badr. He came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! My eyesight has deteriorated and I used to lead my people in prayer. When it rains, a stream flows between me and them, so I cannot go to their mosque to lead them in prayer. I wish that you ﷺ would come to my house and pray in it so that I may make that place a mosque." The Prophet ﷺ said: "Alright, I will do this, insha’Allah." So (the next day) in the morning, the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ came to my house after sunrise. The Prophet ﷺ asked for permission to enter, and I gave permission. The Prophet ﷺ entered and, before sitting, asked: "Which part of your house do you prefer for me to pray in?" ‘Itban showed him a corner of the house. The Prophet ﷺ stood there and said Allahu Akbar, and we also stood and formed a row. The Prophet ﷺ prayed two rak‘ahs (nafl) and then made salam. Then we prepared some food and detained the Prophet ﷺ. Other people from the neighborhood also gathered in the house. One of them said: "Where is Malik bin Dukhayshin or Dukhshan?" Someone said (to ‘Itban): "He is a hypocrite; he does not love Allah and His Messenger ﷺ." The Prophet ﷺ said: "Do not say that. Do you not see that he sincerely says ﴿لا اله الا الله﴾ for the sake of Allah's pleasure?" ‘Itban said: "Allah and His Messenger know best. Outwardly, we see his attention and sympathy towards the hypocrites." The Prophet ﷺ said: "Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has made the Fire forbidden for the person who sincerely says ﴿لا اله الا الله﴾ for the sake of Allah's pleasure." [بخاري۔ كتاب الصلوٰة۔ باب المساجد فى البيوت]