24. Sura an-Nur, Medina 102
There were various Arab superstitions and fancies which are combated and rejected here.
[ See Ali’s comment C3042 below for the then existing superstitions. ]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Translation:
لَيْسَ
عَلَى الْأَعْمَى
حَرَجٌ وَلَا
عَلَى الْأَعْرَجِ
حَرَجٌ...
Laysa AAala al-aAAma harajun wala AAala al-aAAraji harajun
24: 61. it is no fault in the blind nor in one born lame,
...وَلَا عَلَى الْمَرِيضِ حَرَجٌ وَلَا عَلَى أَنفُسِكُمْ أَن تَأْكُلُوا مِن بُيُوتِكُمْ...
wala AAala almareedi harajun wala AAala anfusikum an ta/kuloo min buyootikum
nor in one afflicted with illness, nor in yourselves, that ye should eat - in your own houses,
...أَوْ بُيُوتِ آبَائِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ إِخْوَانِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ أَخَوَاتِكُمْ...
aw buyooti aba-ikum aw buyooti ommahatikum aw buyooti ikhwanikum aw buyooti akhawatikum
- or those of your fathers, or your mothers,
- or your brothers, or your sisters,
...أَوْ بُيُوتِ أَعْمَامِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ عَمَّاتِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ أَخْوَالِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ خَالَاتِكُمْ...
aw buyooti aAAmamikum aw buyooti AAammatikum aw buyooti akhwalikum aw buyooti khalatikum
- or your father's brothers, or your father's sisters,
- or your mother's brothers, or your mother's sisters,
...أَوْ مَا مَلَكْتُم مَّفَاتِحَهُ أَوْ صَدِيقِكُمْ...
aw ma malaktum mafatihahu aw sadeeqikum
- or in houses of which the keys are in your possession,
- or in the house of a sincere friend of yours:
لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَأْكُلُوا جَمِيعًا أَوْ أَشْتَاتًا...
laysa AAalaykum junahun an ta/kuloo jameeAAan aw ashtatan
there is no blame on you, whether ye eat in company or separately.
...فَإِذَا دَخَلْتُم بُيُوتًا فَسَلِّمُوا عَلَى أَنفُسِكُمْ تَحِيَّةً مِّنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ مُبَارَكَةً طَيِّبَةً...
fa-itha dakhaltum buyootan fasallimoo AAala anfusikum tahiyyatan min AAindi Allahi mubarakatan tayyibatan
But if ye enter houses, salute each other -- a greeting or blessing and purity as from Allah.
...كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُون ﴿٦١﴾
kathalika yubayyinu Allahu lakumu al-ayati laAAallakum taAAqiloona
Thus does Allah make clear the Signs to you: that ye may understand.
Asad’s Translation:
24:61
ALL OF YOU, O believers, are brethren: 83 hence, no blame attaches to the blind, nor does blame attach to the lame, nor does blame attach to the sick [for accepting charity from the hale], and neither to yourselves for eating [whatever is offered to you by others, whether it be food obtained] from your [children's] 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 [houses] the keys whereof are in your charge, 87 or [the house] of any of your friends; nor will you incur any sin by eating in company or separately. But whenever you enter [any of these] houses, greet one another with a blessed, goodly greeting, as enjoined by God. In this way God makes clear unto you His messages, so that you might [learn to] use your reason.
Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning |
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No blame is there upon the blind nor any blame upon the lame nor any blame upon the sick nor on yourselves if ye eat from your houses, or the houses of your fathers, or the houses of your mothers, or the houses of your brothers, or the houses of your sisters, or the houses of your fathers' brothers, or the houses of your fathers' sisters, or the houses of your mothers' brothers, or the houses of your mothers' sisters, or (from that) whereof ye hold the keys, or (from the house) of a friend. No sin shall it be for you whether ye eat together or apart. But when ye enter houses, salute one another with a greeting from Allah, blessed and sweet. Thus Allah maketh clear His revelations for you, that haply ye may understand. |
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There is no blame on the blind man, nor is there blame on the lame, nor is there blame on the sick, nor on yourselves that you eat from 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 what you possess the keys of, or your friends' (houses). It is no sin in you that you eat together or separately. So when you enter houses, greet your people with a salutation from Allah, blessed (and) goodly; thus does Allah make clear to you the communications that you may understand. |
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There is no fault on the blind nor fault on the lame nor fault on the sick nor on yourselves that you eat from your houses or the houses of your fathers or the houses of your mothers or the houses of your brothers or the houses of your sisters or the houses of your paternal uncles or the houses of your paternal aunts or the houses of your maternal uncles or the houses of your maternal aunts or of that for which you possess its keys or your ardent friend. There is no blame on you that you eat altogether or separately. But when you entered houses, then, greet one another with a greeting from God, one that is blessed and what is good. Thus, God makes manifest for you the signs so that perhaps you will be reasonable. |
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It should not be held against the blind nor against the lame, nor against the lame, nor against the sick nor against yourselves, for your eating in your own homes or at your fathers´ or your mothers´ homes, or your brothers´ or your sisters´ homes, or at your uncles´ or aunts´ homes on your father´s side, or your uncles´ or aunts´ on your mother´s side, or those whose keys you have in your custody, or with some friends of yours. There is no objection to your eating either together or separately. Whenever you enter any houses, greet one another with a blessed, wholesome greeting by invoking God. Thus God explains [His] signs to you so that you may reason things out. |
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Absolved from blame are the blind and the lame, the sick and yourselves to eat at the homes of your fathers or your mothers, your brothers or your sisters, at the homes of your paternal uncles or your paternal aunts, your maternal uncles or your maternal aunts or at the homes you possess their keys or at the homes of your friends. Nor do you run into consequence should you eat together or separately. And when you enter houses greet one another with words expressive of good wishes and of Allah's blessings and expressive of courteous recognition. thus does Allah distinctly express to you His revelations guiding you to the proper way of life relative to moral conduct so that you may open your heart's ears and hopefully comprehend. |
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There is no blame upon the blind, nor is there any blame upon the crippled, nor is there any blame upon the ill, nor is there any blame upon yourselves, if you eat at your homes, or the homes of your fathers, or the homes of your mothers, or the homes of your brothers, or the homes of your sisters, or the homes of your uncles, or the homes of your aunts, or the homes of your mothers' brothers, or the homes of your mothers' sisters, or that which you possess their keys, or that of your friends. You commit nothing wrong by eating together or as individuals. When you enter any home, you shall greet each other a greeting from God that is blessed and good. God thus explains the revelations for you that you may understand. |
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Ali’s comments:
C3042. There were various Arab superstitions and fancies which are combated and rejected here.
1. The blind, or the halt, or those afflicted with serious disease were supposed to be objects of divine displeasure, and as such not fit to be associated with us in meals in our houses: we are not to entertain such a thought, as we are not judges of the causes of people's misfortunes, which deserve OUR sympathy and kindness.
2. It was considered unbecoming to take meals in the houses of near relatives: this taboo is not approved.
3. A similar superstition about houses in our possession but not in our actual occupation is disapproved.
4. If people think they should not fall under obligation to casual friends, that does not apply to a sincere friend, in whose company a meal is not to be rejected, but welcomed.
5. If people make a superstition either that they should always eat separately, or that they must always eat in company, as some people weary of their own company think, either of them is wrong.
Man is free and should regulate his life according to needs and circumstances. (R).
C3043. The shades of meaning in Salam are explained in n. 2512 to 19:62.
Here, we were first told that we might accept hospitality and good fellowship in each other's houses.
Now we are told what spirit should animate us in doing so. It should not be a spirit only of self-satisfaction in a worldly sense. It should rather be a spirit of good-will in the highest spiritual sense of the term-purity of motives and purity of life, as in the sight of Allah.
C3044. See notes 3039 and 3041 above. The refrain comes again, in a different form, closing the argument from a different point of view.
Asad’s comments:
85 The whole of verse 61 is construed in so highly elliptic a form that disagreements as to its purport have always been unavoidable. However, if all the explanations offered by the early commentators are taken into consideration, we find that their common denominator is the view that the innermost purport of this passage is a stress on the brotherhood of all believers, expressed in a call to mutual charity, compassion and good-fellowship and, hence, the avoidance of all unnecessary formalities in their mutual relations.
86 In the consensus of all the authorities, the expression "your houses" implies in this context also "your children's houses", since all that belongs to a person may be said to belong, morally,
to his parents as well.
87 I.e., "for which you are responsible".
