Surah An-Noor (24) — Ayah 58

(Ayah 58) ➊ { يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لِيَسْتَاْذِنْكُمُ الَّذِيْنَ مَلَكَتْ اَيْمَانُكُمْ … :} From here, the continuation of those same rulings begins again, which were being mentioned up to verse (34). In this verse, those people are mentioned for whom permission is not required to enter the house, and also that even they must seek permission during three times. These are two types of people: a man's slave women and slave men, and minor children. They do not need permission to enter, because their coming and going in the houses is frequent, and imposing the restriction of permission on them would cause difficulty and hardship. In {’’ طَوّٰفُوْنَ عَلَيْكُمْ ‘‘}, this very wisdom has been stated. From this, it is also understood that Allah Almighty has considered the ease of people in His commands, and there is wisdom in every one of His commands, whether we are able to understand it or not.

➋ By {’’ ثَلٰثَ مَرّٰتٍ ‘‘} are meant the three times, that is, during these three times they should seek permission, which are mentioned ahead, that is, before the Fajr prayer, at noon during rest time when usually clothes are taken off for rest, and after the Isha prayer. These three times are times of privacy; during these times, a person may be in such a state that it is not appropriate for anyone to see. One interpretation of {’’ ثَلٰثَ مَرّٰتٍ ‘‘} is that slaves and children should also seek permission three times during these three times; if permission is granted, they may enter, otherwise, they should go back. (Biqā‘ī) In this interpretation, from the word {’’ ثَلٰثَ مَرّٰتٍ ‘‘}, instead of merely indicating the number, an independent ruling is understood, which the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stated for all people regarding entering houses other than their own at all times: seeking permission is three times; if granted, good, otherwise one should return. [ دیکھیے بخاري : ۶۲۴۵۔ أبوداوٗد : ۵۱۸۰ ] In this verse, even slaves and children have been made bound to seek permission three times during these three times.

➌ { لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَ لَا عَلَيْهِمْ جُنَاحٌۢ بَعْدَهُنَّ :} That is, apart from these three times, slaves and children may come and go without permission. If at that time someone is in an inappropriate state, it is not the fault of the slaves and children, but his own negligence.

➍ {كَذٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللّٰهُ لَكُمُ الْاٰيٰتِ وَ اللّٰهُ عَلِيْمٌ حَكِيْمٌ :} Only He can clearly explain the verses who has complete knowledge and perfect wisdom; no one else, no matter how much he tries to clarify, due to the limitation of his knowledge and wisdom, his explanation will never be complete, let alone fully clear.

58-1 That is, except for these three times, the aforementioned servants of the house are allowed to enter the house without seeking permission.

58. O you who believe! Let your slaves and those boys among you who have not yet reached puberty ask your permission (before entering your rooms) at three times: before the dawn prayer, and at noon when you take off your clothes, and after the night prayer. These are three times of privacy [87] for you. At other times, there is no blame [88] on you or on them if they move about among you, for you have to come in and out with each other. Thus Allah makes clear to you His revelations, and Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

[87]
The Literal Meaning of "Aurat":

From this verse, once again, the social rulings begin which are the main subject of this surah. In this verse, the word "awraat" is the plural of "awrah." This word is among those which, when transferred to another language, acquire a completely different meaning. In our language, "aurat" is used in the sense of the feminine or female counterpart of man, whereas in the Arabic language (the language from which this word originates), "awrah" refers to anything whose exposure or being left uncovered is a cause of shame and disgrace for a person, and which a person considers necessary to conceal (Mufradat Imam Raghib). For the female counterpart of men, the word "nisa" is used. In verse number 31 of this very surah, both these words are used together. Thus, the command of Allah is: ﴿اَوِ الطِّفْلِ الَّذِيْنَ لَمْ يَظْهَرُوْا عَلٰي عَوْرٰتِ النِّسَاءِ﴾ [31:24]
Translation: Or those (immature) children who have not yet become aware of the private aspects of women.
In addition, the Quran has used this word for such an unprotected place which needs to be kept secure [33: 13], and in this context, it is used in the sense of private times or times of seclusion.

The Importance and Rulings of the Private Chamber:

In this verse, particular emphasis is placed on the importance of privacy within the home, and the command is being given that in the day and night, that is, in the 24 hours, there are three times during which your slaves, your maidservants, and your immature children—whether boys or girls—all are prohibited from entering without permission. And those times are: before the rising of dawn, that is, the time of suhoor; second, at the time of zuhr, before or after the zuhr prayer, when you take off your clothes to rest; and third, after the isha prayer, when it is your time to sleep. And all three of these times are such that there is often the possibility of intimacy between husband and wife. Therefore, none of your immature children or your slaves should enter the house without permission at these times.

[88] Apart from these three times, at any other time, your servants and your immature children may come and go to your women or your private rooms without permission. The reason is that, in connection with household chores, they need to go in and out of the house at all times. And imposing the restriction of seeking permission at all times would become a hardship for them as well as for you. However, if these people enter without permission during these private times, then it is their mistake, and if at any other time besides these times you are in an inappropriate state and they enter without permission, then you have no right to scold or rebuke them, because in that case, the mistake will be yours for having kept yourself in such an inappropriate state during the times of work and chores.