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58
يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنوا لِيَستَأذِنكُمُ الَّذينَ مَلَكَت أَيمانُكُم وَالَّذينَ لَم يَبلُغُوا الحُلُمَ مِنكُم ثَلاثَ مَرّاتٍ ۚ مِن قَبلِ صَلاةِ الفَجرِ وَحينَ تَضَعونَ ثِيابَكُم مِنَ الظَّهيرَةِ وَمِن بَعدِ صَلاةِ العِشاءِ ۚ ثَلاثُ عَوراتٍ لَكُم ۚ لَيسَ عَلَيكُم وَلا عَلَيهِم جُناحٌ بَعدَهُنَّ ۚ طَوّافونَ عَلَيكُم بَعضُكُم عَلىٰ بَعضٍ ۚ كَذٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الآياتِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَليمٌ حَكيمٌ

Yusuf Ali

O ye who believe!1 Let those whom your right hands2 possess, and the (children) among you who have not come of age3 ask your permission (before they come to your presence), on three occasions: before morning prayer; the while ye doff your clothes for the noonday heat; and after the latenight prayer: these are your three times4 of undress: outside those times it is not wrong for you or for them to move about attending to each other: Thus does God make clear the Signs to you: for God is full of knowledge and wisdom.
  • We now come to rule of decorum within the family circle in refined society. Servants and children have rather more freedom of access, as they come and go at all hours, and there is less ceremony with them. But even in their case there are limitations. During the night, before morning prayer, i.e., before dawn, they must discreetly ask for permission before they enter, partly because they must not unnecessarily disturb people asleep, and partly because the people are then undressed. The same applies to the time for the midday siesta, and again to the time after night prayers, when people usually undress and turn in to sleep. For grown-ups the rule is stricter: they must ask permission to come in at all times (24:59).
  • This would mean slaves in a regime of slavery. But the principle applies to all personal servants, who have to render personal service to their masters or mistresses by day and by night.
  • I have translated “come of age” euphemistically for “attain the age of puberty”.
  • It is mark of refinement for ladies and gentlemen not to be slipshod or vulgarly familiar, in dress, manners, or speech; and Islam aims at making every Muslim man or woman, however humble in station, a refined gentleman or lady, so that he or she can climb the ladder of spiritual development with humble confidence in God, and with the cooperation of his brothers and sisters in Islam. The principles here laid down apply, if they are interpreted with due elasticity, even if social and domestic habits change, with changes in climate or in racial and personal habits. Punctilious self-respect and respect for others, in small things as well as great, are the keynotes in the simple rules of etiquette.