24:2
The fornicatress or fornicator [found guilty] - lash each one of them with a hundred lashes, *4:15 and do not be taken by pity for them in the religion of God, if you should believe in God and the Last Day. And let a group of the believers witness their punishment.
24:3
The fornicator does not marry [anyone] except a [female] fornicator or polytheist, and no one marries her except a fornicator or a polytheist, and that has been made unlawful to the believers.
24:4
And those who throw [accusations upon] chaste women and then do not bring four witnesses - lash them with eighty lashes ^Deuteronomy 19:18 - 19 and do not ever accept testimony from them. And those are the defiantly disobedient,
24:5
Except for those who repent thereafter and reform, for indeed, God is Forgiving and Merciful.
24:6
And those who throw [accusations upon] their wives and have no witnesses except themselves - then the witness of one of them [will be] four testimonies [swearing] by God that indeed, he is among the truthful.
24:7
And the fifth [testimony will be] that the curse of God is upon him if he should be among the liars.
24:8
But it will prevent punishment from her if she gives four testimonies by God that indeed, he is among the liars.
24:9
And the fifth [testimony will be] that the wrath of God is upon her if he was among the truthful.
24:10
And if not for the favor of God upon you and His mercy... and because God is Accepting of repentance and Wise.
24:11
Indeed, those who came with falsehood are a group among you. Do not think it is bad for you; rather it is good for you. For every person among them is what he has earned from the sin, and he who turned to the greater [sin] among them - there is a great punishment for him.
24:12
Why did the believing men and believing women not think good of one another when you heard it and say, "This is a clear falsehood"?
24:13
Why did those [who slandered] not bring four witnesses for it? And when they do not bring the witnesses, then it is those who are the liars before God.
24:14
And if it had not been for the favor of God upon you and His mercy in this world and the Hereafter, you would have been touched for that [lie] which you were involved in by a great punishment
24:15
When you received it with your tongues and said that which you had no knowledge with your mouths and thought it was insignificant while it was grave before God.
24:16
And why did you not say when you heard it, "It is not for us to speak of this. You are Exalted, [O God]; this is a great slander"?
24:17
God admonishes you against returning to the likes of this, ever, if you should be believers.
24:18
And God makes the verses clear to you, and God is Knowing and Wise.
24:19
Indeed, those who love that this immorality is spread among those who have believed - there is a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter for them. And God knows and you do not know.
24:20
And if it had not been for the favor of God upon you and His mercy... and because God is Kind and Merciful.
24:21
O you who have believed, do not follow the footsteps of Satan. And whoever follows the footsteps of Satan - indeed, he commands immorality and wrongdoing. And if not for the favor of God upon you and His mercy, not one of you would have been pure, ever, but God purifies whom He wills, and God is Hearing and Knowing.
24:22
And do not let those who possess bounty among you and abundance swear to not give [aid] to their relatives and the needy and the emigrants for the cause of God. And let them pardon and overlook, would you not like that God should forgive you? ~*Sirach 28:2, ~*Matthew 6:14 - 15, ~*Matthew 18:32 - 35, ~*Mark 11:25 - 26, ~*Luke 6:37 And God is Forgiving and Merciful.
24:23
Indeed, those who [falsely] throw [accusations upon] chaste, unaware and believing women are cursed in this world and the Hereafter; and they will have a great punishment
24:24
On a Day when their tongues, their hands and their feet will bear witness against them as to what they used to do. *Wisdom of Solomon 4:20, *2 Ezra 16:65
24:25
That Day, God will pay them in full for their true religion, and they will know that God, He is the Clear Truth.
24:26
Evil [women] are for evil [men], and evil [men] are for evil [women]. And good [women] are for good [men], and good [men] are for good [women]. Those [good people] are innocent of what they say. There is forgiveness and noble provision for them.
24:27
O you who have believed, do not enter houses other than your own houses until you ascertain welcome and [greet] their people with peace. *Luke 10:5 That is best for you; perhaps you will be reminded.
24:28
And if you do not find anyone therein, do not enter them until permission has been given to you. And if it is said to you, "Return," then return; it is purer for you. And God is Knowing of what you do.
24:29
There is no blame upon you for entering houses not inhabited in which there is provision for you. And God knows what you reveal and what you conceal.
24:30
Tell the believing men to lower their eyes, *Proverbs 6:25, *Sirach 9:8, *Sirach 25:21, *Matthew 5:28 and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Indeed, God is Aware of what they do.
24:31
And tell the believing women to lower their eyes and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to set their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, their women, that which they possess by oath, or those male attendants having no physical desire, or children who are not yet aware of the private aspects of women. And do not let them strike their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment. And turn to God [in repentance] altogether, O believers, so that you might succeed.
24:32
And arrange the unmarried among you to marry, and the righteous among your male slaves and female slaves. If they should be poor, God will enrich them from His bounty, and God is Encompassing and Knowing.
24:33
But let those abstain who do not find marriage until God enriches them from His bounty. And those who seek a written [contract] from among those whom you possess by oath - then make a written [contract] with them if you know there is goodness within them and give them from the wealth of God which He has given you. And do not compel your slave girls to prostitution if they desire chastity, so that you may seek the temporary gains of worldly life. And if someone should compel them, then indeed, God is Forgiving and Merciful [to them] after their compulsion.
24:34
And We have certainly sent down clear verses to you and examples from those who passed on before you and an admonition for those who fear [God].
24:35
God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp, the lamp is within glass, the glass [is] as if it were a brilliant [white] star lit from [the oil of] a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Light upon light. God guides whom He wills to His light. And God sets forth examples for the people, and God is Knowing of all things.
24:36
[Such niches are] in Houses [of God] which God has permitted to be raised and so that His name be remembered therein; exalting Him within them in the morning and the afternoons
24:37
[Are] men whom neither commerce nor sale distracts from the remembrance of God and establishing prayer and giving of purifying [alms]. They fear a Day in which the hearts and eyes will [fearfully] turn about -
24:38
So that God may reward them [according to] the best of what they did and increase them from His bounty. And God provides for whom He wills without account.
24:39
But those who disbelieved - their deeds are like a mirage in a lowland which a thirsty one thinks is water until, when he comes to it, he finds it is nothing but finds God before him, and He will pay him his account in full; and God is swift in account.
24:40
Or [they are] like darknesses within an unfathomable sea which is covered by waves, upon which are waves, over which are clouds - darknesses, some of them upon others. When one puts out his hand [therein], he can hardly see it. And [one] whom God has not made a light for him - there is no light for him.
24:41
Do you not see that God is exalted by whomever is within the heavens and the earth, *Book of Enoch 41:7, *Book of Enoch 69:23 - 24, *Psalms 69:34, *Psalms 148:3 - 4, *Psalms 148:7 - 12, *Prayer of Azariah 1:36 - 1:60 and [by] the birds with wings spread? Each [of them] has certainly known his [means of] prayer and exalting [Him], and God is Knowing of what they do.
24:42
And the kingdom of the heavens and the earth [belongs] to God, *Psalms 89:11, *Job 41:11 and the destination is to God.
24:43
Do you not see that God drives the clouds? Then He brings them together, then He makes them into a mass, and you see the rain emerge from within it. And He sends down from the heaven, from mountains within which is hail, and He strikes whom He wills with it and averts it from whom He wills. The flash of its lightning almost takes away the eyesight.
24:44
God alternates the night and the day. Indeed there is a lesson in that for those who have eyes [to see].
24:45
God has created every [living] creature from water. *2 Ezra 6:48 And among them are those that move on their bellies, and among them are those that walk on two feet, and among them are those that walk on four. God creates what He wills. Indeed, God is Powerful over all things.
24:46
We have certainly sent down clear verses. And God guides whom He wills to a straight path.
24:47
But they say, "We have believed in God and in the messenger, and we obey;" then a group of them turns away after that. And those are not believers.
24:48
And when they are called to [the words of] God and His messenger to judge between them, at once a group of them turns aside [in refusal].
24:49
But if the truth [supports] them, they come to him in prompt obedience.
24:50
Is there disease in their hearts? Or have they doubted? Or do they fear that God will be unjust to them, or His messenger? Rather, it is they who are the wrongdoers.
24:51
The only statement of the [true] believers when they are called to God and His messenger to judge between them is that they say, "We hear and we obey." And those are the successful.
24:52
And whoever obeys God and His messenger and fears God and is conscious of Him - it is those who are the successful.
24:53
And they swear by God their strongest oaths that if you ordered them, they would go forth [in God's cause]. Say, "Do not swear. *Matthew 5:34 [Such] obedience is known. Indeed, God is Aware of that which you do."
24:54
Say, "Obey God and obey the messenger; but if you turn away - then only that [duty] which he has been charged with is upon him, and that which you have been charged with is upon you. And if you obey him, you will be [rightly] guided. And there is no [duty] upon the messenger except the [responsibility for] clear notification."
24:55
God has promised those who have believed among you and done righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession [to authority] upon the earth just as He granted it to those before them and that He will surely establish their religion for them which He has approved for them and that He will surely substitute security for them after their fear, [for] they serve Me, not associating anything with Me. But whoever disbelieves after that - then those are the defiantly disobedient.
24:56
And establish prayer and give purifying [alms] and obey the messenger - so that you may receive mercy.
24:57
Never think that the disbelievers are causing failure [to God] upon the earth. Their refuge will be the Fire - and it is wretched as a destination.
24:58
O you who have believed, let those whom you possess by oath and those who have not [yet] reached puberty among you ask permission of you [before entering] at three times: before the dawn prayer and when you put your clothing aside [for rest] at noon and after the night prayer. [These are] three times of privacy for you. There is no blame upon you nor upon them beyond these [periods], for they continually circulate among you - some of you among others. Thus, God makes the verses clear to you; and God is Knowing and Wise.
24:59
And when the children reach puberty among you, let them ask permission as those before them have done. Thus God makes His verses clear to you; and God is Knowing and Wise.
24:60
And sitting among the women are those who have no desire for marriage - there is no blame upon them for putting aside their [outer] garments [but] not displaying adornment. But to abstain [from that] is better for them. And God is Hearing and Knowing.
24:61
There is no constraint upon the blind nor constraint upon the lame nor constraint upon the ill nor upon yourselves when you eat from your [own] 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 father's brothers or the houses of your father's sisters or the houses of your mother's brothers or the houses of your mother's sisters or [from houses] whose keys you possess or [from the house] of your friend. There is no blame upon you whether you eat together or separately. But when you enter houses, give [greetings of] peace to each other - *Luke 10:5 a greeting from God, blessed and good. Thus, God makes the verses clear to you so that you may use reason.
24:62
The believers are only those who believe in God and His messenger, and when they are [meeting] with him for a collective matter, do not go until they have asked his permission. Indeed, those who ask your permission - those are the ones who believe in God and His messenger. So when they ask your permission for something of their affairs, then give permission to whom you will among them and ask for forgiveness for them from God. Indeed, God is Forgiving and Merciful.
24:63
Do not make [your] calling to the messenger amongst yourselves as the call of one of you to another. God already knows those of you who sneak away under cover. So let those who oppose His command beware, unless a trial should strike them or a painful punishment should strike them.