سُوْرَةُ النُّوْرِ
Surah An-Noor (24) — Ayah 30
قُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا۟ مِنْ أَبْصَـٰرِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا۟ فُرُوجَهُمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ أَزْكَىٰ لَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرٌۢ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ ﴿30﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts). That is purer for them. Verily, Allâh is All-Aware of what they do.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
قُل
qul
Say
لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
lil'mu'minīna
to the believing men
يَغُضُّوا۟
yaghuḍḍū
they should lower
مِنْ
min
their gaze
أَبْصَـٰرِهِمْ
abṣārihim
their gaze
وَيَحْفَظُوا۟
wayaḥfaẓū
and they should guard
فُرُوجَهُمْ ۚ
furūjahum
their chastity
ذَٰلِكَ
dhālika
That
أَزْكَىٰ
azkā
(is) purer
لَهُمْ ۗ
lahum
for them
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
خَبِيرٌۢ
khabīrun
(is) All-Aware
بِمَا
bimā
of what
يَصْنَعُونَ
yaṣnaʿūna
they do
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
30. (O Prophet!) Tell the believing men to lower their gaze [39] and guard their private parts [40]. That is purer for them. Surely Allah is well aware of what they do.
[39] The command to lower the gaze is for believing women just as it is for believing men. As mentioned in the next verse, lowering the gaze does not mean that one should not see the path properly while walking. Rather, it means that a man should not look at a non-mahram woman, and a woman should not look at a non-mahram man, and if the gaze falls accidentally, it should be turned away immediately. As once the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to Hazrat Ali ؓ: "The first glance is forgiven for you (i.e., if it happens accidentally), but the subsequent ones are not." [ترمذی۔ ابواب الادب۔ باب نظر الفجاءۃ]
That is, after the gaze falls accidentally, one should not keep looking, but should turn the gaze away immediately. And once the Prophet ﷺ said: "Looking with desire is the adultery of the eyes, or the adultery of the eyes is looking with desire." [بخاری۔ کتاب الاستیذان۔ باب زنا الجوارح دون الفرج]
[40]
Looking with Desire is the Greatest Gateway to Adultery:
Immediately after mentioning the avoidance of looking with desire, Allah Almighty has mentioned the protection of private parts, which clearly means that in order to protect the private parts (i.e., chastity), it is extremely necessary to avoid looking with desire. In other words, among the causes of adultery, looking with desire is a very big cause or its main gate. As a result of this looking with desire, later on, other organs of a person also become involved in this trial. The complete hadith mentioned above is as follows: "The adultery of the eye is looking with desire. The adultery of the tongue is speaking obscenely, and a man's soul desires adultery. Then the private part either confirms all these types of adultery or denies them." [بخاری۔ کتاب الاستیذان۔ باب زنا الجوارح دون الفرج]
2. Also, Sahl bin Sa'd ؓ says that a man peeped into the room of the Prophet ﷺ through a hole in the door while the Prophet ﷺ had in his hand a porcupine quill, i.e., an iron needle or the tip of an arrow, with which he was scratching his head. The Prophet ﷺ said: "If I had known that you were peeping, I would have struck your eye with it and gouged it out. The right of seeking permission (isti'idhān) was established only because of the trial of looking with desire." [بخاري۔ كتاب الاستيذان]
3. And in Tabarani, there is a narration that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that Allah Almighty says: "Looking with desire is one of the poisonous arrows of Iblis." [بحواله تفهيم القرآن ج 3 ص 380]
Permission to Look at the Fiancée:
However, there is only one exception to this, and that is that a man is permitted to look at his prospective wife, i.e., the woman he intends to marry. Mughira bin Shu'bah ؓ narrates that he proposed to a woman, so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Look at this woman, for this is a better way for affection to develop between you." [ترمذی۔ ابو اب النکاح۔ باب النظر الی المخطوبه]
Similarly, a man came to the Prophet ﷺ who wanted to marry an Ansari woman. The Prophet ﷺ asked him: "Have you looked at the woman you intend to marry?" He replied, "No." The Prophet ﷺ said: "Go and look at her, for there is a certain defect in the eyes of the women of the Ansar." [مسلم۔ کتاب النکاح۔ باب ندب من اراد النکاح امرأۃ الی ان ینظر الیٰ وجھھا]
[39] The command to lower the gaze is for believing women just as it is for believing men. As mentioned in the next verse, lowering the gaze does not mean that one should not see the path properly while walking. Rather, it means that a man should not look at a non-mahram woman, and a woman should not look at a non-mahram man, and if the gaze falls accidentally, it should be turned away immediately. As once the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to Hazrat Ali ؓ: "The first glance is forgiven for you (i.e., if it happens accidentally), but the subsequent ones are not." [ترمذی۔ ابواب الادب۔ باب نظر الفجاءۃ]
That is, after the gaze falls accidentally, one should not keep looking, but should turn the gaze away immediately. And once the Prophet ﷺ said: "Looking with desire is the adultery of the eyes, or the adultery of the eyes is looking with desire." [بخاری۔ کتاب الاستیذان۔ باب زنا الجوارح دون الفرج]
[40]
Looking with Desire is the Greatest Gateway to Adultery:
Immediately after mentioning the avoidance of looking with desire, Allah Almighty has mentioned the protection of private parts, which clearly means that in order to protect the private parts (i.e., chastity), it is extremely necessary to avoid looking with desire. In other words, among the causes of adultery, looking with desire is a very big cause or its main gate. As a result of this looking with desire, later on, other organs of a person also become involved in this trial. The complete hadith mentioned above is as follows: "The adultery of the eye is looking with desire. The adultery of the tongue is speaking obscenely, and a man's soul desires adultery. Then the private part either confirms all these types of adultery or denies them." [بخاری۔ کتاب الاستیذان۔ باب زنا الجوارح دون الفرج]
2. Also, Sahl bin Sa'd ؓ says that a man peeped into the room of the Prophet ﷺ through a hole in the door while the Prophet ﷺ had in his hand a porcupine quill, i.e., an iron needle or the tip of an arrow, with which he was scratching his head. The Prophet ﷺ said: "If I had known that you were peeping, I would have struck your eye with it and gouged it out. The right of seeking permission (isti'idhān) was established only because of the trial of looking with desire." [بخاري۔ كتاب الاستيذان]
3. And in Tabarani, there is a narration that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that Allah Almighty says: "Looking with desire is one of the poisonous arrows of Iblis." [بحواله تفهيم القرآن ج 3 ص 380]
Permission to Look at the Fiancée:
However, there is only one exception to this, and that is that a man is permitted to look at his prospective wife, i.e., the woman he intends to marry. Mughira bin Shu'bah ؓ narrates that he proposed to a woman, so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Look at this woman, for this is a better way for affection to develop between you." [ترمذی۔ ابو اب النکاح۔ باب النظر الی المخطوبه]
Similarly, a man came to the Prophet ﷺ who wanted to marry an Ansari woman. The Prophet ﷺ asked him: "Have you looked at the woman you intend to marry?" He replied, "No." The Prophet ﷺ said: "Go and look at her, for there is a certain defect in the eyes of the women of the Ansar." [مسلم۔ کتاب النکاح۔ باب ندب من اراد النکاح امرأۃ الی ان ینظر الیٰ وجھھا]
