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.