Surah Al Noor

AL-NUR
"The Light"

(Revealed at Medina,Verses 64)
In the name of Allah, The Merciful, The All-merciful

A Sura We have sent down and have ordained, and We have sent down in it clear signs, that you may take heed.(1)
The fornicatress and the fornicator, flog each one of them with a hundred stripes, and let no pity for them hold you in the matter of God's Religion, if you believe in God and the Last Day; and let a group of the Believers witness their punishment.(2)
The fornicator does not marry but a fornicatress or an idolatress; and the fornicatress __ none marries her but a fornicator or an idolater; and that is forbidden to the Believers.(3)
And those who accuse chaste women, then do not bring four witnesses, flog them with eighty stripes, and do not accept their testimony ever, for they are the transgressors;(4)
but those who, thereafter, repent and make amends, then God is Forgiving, Merciful.(5)
And those who accuse their wives but have no witnesses except themselves, then the testimony of one of them shall be to testify by God four times that he is surely of the truthful;(6)
and the fifth time, that the curse of God be upon him, if he should be of the liars.(7)
But it shall avert the punishment from her, if she testifies by God four times that he is of the liars.(8)
and the fifth time, that the wrath of God be upon her, if he should be of the truthful.(9)
And were it not for God's bounty and His mercy on you, and that God is All-turning, Wise.(10)
Those who came with the slander are a band out of you; do not reckon it evil for you; no, it is good for you; every man of them shall get what he has earned of the sin, and he who took upon himself the greater part of it shall get a big punishment.(11)
Why, when you heard, did not the Believers, men and women think good by themselves, and say, `this is a clear slander?'(12)
Why did they not bring four witnesses for it? And since they did not bring the witnesses, in God's sight, they are the liars.(13)
And were it not for God's bounty and His mercy on you in this world and Hereafter, there would have affected you, for the talk you indulged in, a big punishment.(14)
When you were putting it on your tongues, and were speaking with your mouths that of which you had no knowledge, and you reckoned it a light thing, while, in God's sight, it was a mighty thing.(15)
And why, when you heard it, did you not say, `it is not for us to talk about this? Holy be Thou; this is a big calumny.'(16)
God admonishes you that you shall not repeat the like of it ever, if you are Believers.(17)
And God makes clear to you the signs; and God is Knowing, Wise.(18)
Those who love that indecency should spread abroad among the Believers, for them shall be a painful punishment in this world and Hereafter; and God knows but you do not know.(19)
And if it were not for God's bounty and His mercy on you and that God is Kind, Merciful.(20)
O Believers, do not follow the steps of the Devil; and whoso follows the steps of the Devil, surely he bids to indecency and repugnant things; and if it were not for God's bounty and His mercy on you, not one of you would have been pure ever; but God purifies whom He will; and God is Hearing, Knowing.(21)
And let not those of you who have bounty and plenty swear off giving kinsmen, the needy, and the emigrants in God's Way; rather let them pardon and overlook; do you not like that God should forgive you; and God is Forgiving, Merciful.(22)
Those who accuse chaste, unaware, Believing women are cursed in this world and Hereafter, and for them shall be a painful punishment,(23)
on the day when their tongues, their hands and their feet shall testify against them concerning that they were doing.(24)
That day, God will pay them in full their true recompense, and they will know that God is the Manifest Truth.(25)
Unclean women are for unclean men and unclean men are for unclean women; and clean women are for clean men and clean men are for clean women ; they are absolved of what people say; for them shall be forgiveness and generous provision.(26)
O Believers, do not enter houses other than your houses, until you ask permission, and salute the people thereof; that is better for you; may be you take heed.(27)
Then if you do not find anyone there, do not enter them until permission is given to you; and if it is said to you, `return', then return; that is purer for you; and God knows the things you do.(28)
There is no blame on you, if you enter uninhabited houses wherein are your goods; and God knows what you show and what you hide.(29)
Say to the Believers that they cast down their eyes and guard their private parts; that is purer for them; surely God is aware of what they work.(30)
And say to the Believing women that they cast down their eyes, guard their private parts, and not show their adornment, except what thereof is apparent, and let them draw their scarves over their bosoms; and let them not show their adornment, except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husbands' fathers, or their sons, or their husbands' sons, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or that their right hands own, or attendants out of men not having ***ual need, or children who do not appreciate women's nudities; and let them not stamp their feet so that their hidden adornment becomes known; and turn to God all of you, O Believers, that you may prosper.(31)
And marry the spouseless among you, and your slaves and maid-servants that are righteous; if they are poor, God will enrich them of His bounty, and God is All-embracing, Knowing.(32)
And let those, who do not find means to marry, be abstinent, till God enriches them of His bounty. And those who seek a deed (of emancipation), out of those whom your right hands own, make contract with them, if you know good in them, and give them of the wealth that God has given you. And do not constrain your slave girls to prostitution, if they desire to remain chaste, that you may seek the goods of the present life; and if any constrains them, then God, after their being constrained, is Forgiving, Merciful.(33)
And We have sent down to you signs that make all clear, and an example of those who have passed away before you, and an admonition for the godfearing.(34)
God is the Light of the heavens and the earth; the likeness of His Light is as a niche with a lamp in it; the lamp is in a glass; the glass is as it were a glittering star kindled from a blessed tree of olive, which is neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil would shine even if no fire touched it; Light upon Light; God guides to His Light whom He will; And God describes similitudes for mankind; and God knows everything;(35)
(the Light is) in houses which God has permitted to be raised high, and His Name to be remembered there; therein extol Him, in the mornings and evenings,(36)
men, whom neither commerce nor traficking diverts from remembering God, and establishing the Prayer, and paying the Due-alms, fearing a day when hearts and eyes shall be turned about,(37)
that God may recompense them for their best deeds and give them increase of His bounty; and God provides whomsoever He will without reckoning.(38)
And those who disbelieve, their works are as a mirage in a wide open plain, which the thirsty thinks to be water, till, when he comes to it, he finds nothing there, and he finds God there, who pays him his account in full; and God is swift at the reckoning.(39)
Or (their works are) as darkness in a deep sea which a wave covers, above which is another wave, above which is a cloud; layers of darkness one above the other; when he puts forth his hand, he does not see it; and to whom God does not assign Light, there is no Light for him.(40)
Hast thou not seen that whoso is in the heavens and the earth extol God, and so do the birds spreading their wings; each knows its prayer and its extolling; and God knows what they do.(41)
And to God belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and to God is the destination. (42)
Hast thou not seen that God drives the cloud, then composes it, then makes it a mass, then thou seest the rain coming forth from inside it. And He sends down from heaven, from hillside, hail, then smites with it whom he will, and turns it aside from whom He will; the flash of its lightning almost takes away the eyes.(43)
God turns about the day and the night; surely in that is a lesson for men who have eyes.(44)
And God has created every animal of water: then some of them move on their bellies, and some of them move on two feet, and some of them move on four; God creates what He will; God is powerful over every-thing.(45)
We have sent down signs making all clear; and God guides whom He will to a straight path.(46)
And they say, `we believe in God and in the Messenger, and we obey', yet, after that, a party of them turns away; and they are no Believers.(47)
And when they are called to God and His Messenger that he may judge between them, lo, a party of them swerves aside.(48)
But if the right belongs to them, they come to him in all submission.(49)
Is there sickness in their hearts, or are they in doubt, or do they fear that God and His Messenger will be unjust to them. No, but they themselves are the wrongdoers.(50)
All that the Believers say, when they are called to God and His Messenger, that he may judge between them, is that they say, `we hear and we obey'; and it is they who will prosper.(51)
And whoso obeys God and His Messenger, and dreads God and fears Him, it is they who will triumph.(52)
And they swear by God their earnest oaths, that if thou orderest them, they will surely go forth. Say, `do not swear; obedience is recognizable; surely God is aware of the things you do'.(53)
Say, `obey God and obey the Messenger; but if you turn away, then upon him rests what is laid on him, and upon you rests what is laid upon you; and if you obey him, you will be guided; and upon the Messenger is only to deliver the Manifest Message.'(54)
God promises those of you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely make them viceroys in the earth, as He made those before them viceroys, and He will establish for them their religion which He has approved for them, and He will exchange for them, after their fear, security __ they shall serve Me, not associating anything with Me; and whoso disbelieves after that, those are the transgressors.(55)
And establish the Prayer, and pay the Due-alms, and obey the Messenger, that you may receive mercy.(56)
Let not the unbelievers think that they will frustrate (God) on earth; and their abode is the Fire, and it is indeed an evil destination!(57)
O Believers, let those whom your right hands own, and those of you who have not reached puberty, ask permission from you three times__before the Dawn-prayer, and when you put off your gowns at mid-day, and after the Night-prayer; these three are occasions of your privacy; and there is no blame on you nor on them beyond that; some of you go about others; thus God makes clear to you the signs; and God is Knowing, Wise.(58)
And when your children reach puberty, let them also ask permission as those before them asked permission; thus God makes clear to you His signs; and God is Knowing, Wise.(59)
And women, as are past child-bearing and have no hope for marriage, there is no blame on them if they put off their gowns, without displaying adornment; but if they abstain, it is better for them; and God is Hearing, Knowing.(60)
There is no blame on the blind, nor on the lame, nor on yourselves, that you eat at your houses, or your fathers' houses, or your mothers' houses, or your brothers' houses, or your sisters' houses, or your paternal uncles' houses, or your paternal aunts' houses, or your maternal
uncles' houses, or your maternal aunts' houses or those whose keys you possess, or at your friend's; there is no blame on you that you eat all together or separately. And when you enter houses salute people with a sweet, blessed greeting from God; thus God makes clear to you the signs that you may understand.(61)
The Believers are only those who believe in God and His Messenger and who, when they are on a common matter, do not go away until they have asked his permission. Those who ask thy permission, those are they who believe in God and His Messenger; so when they ask thy permission for some affair of theirs, give permission to whom out of them thou wilt, and ask for God's forgiveness for them; God is Forgiving, Merciful.(62)
Do not make the calling of the Messenger among you like your calling of one another; God knows those of you who slip away stealthily; so let those who go against His command beware, lest a trial befall them, or a painful punishment befall them. (63)
Behold, to God belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth; He knows what state you are upon. And the day when they shall be returned to Him, He will tell them what they did; and God knows everything.(64)