O you who believe, let your dependants and those who have not yet reached the age of puberty, ask permission (to enter your presence) on three occasions: Before the early morning prayer; when you disrobe for the mid-day siesta; and after prayer at night. These are the three occasions of dishabille for you. There is no harm if you or they visit one another at other times (without permission). God thus explains things to you clearly, for God is all-knowing and all-wise.
58
Tafseer
'Abdullāh Ibn 'Abbās / Muḥammad al-Fīrūzabādī
تفسير : then the following was revealed when 'umar said: "i wish that allah forbids our children and servants from entering in on us except with permission at three times when we are likely to be exposed": (o ye who believe) in muhammad (pbuh) and in the qur'an! (let your slaves) young slaves, (and those of you who have not come to puberty) among those who are not slaves, (ask leave of you) to enter in on you (at three times: before the prayer of dawn) from the time of dawn until the beginning of fajr prayer, (and when ye lay aside your raiment for the heat of noon) for the time of the siesta until the prayer of zuhr, (and after the prayer of night) and after the 'isha' prayer to the break of dawn. (three times of privacy for you). then allah gave them dispensation to enter without permission, saying: (it is no sin for them) for the children or young slaves, excepting from this older slaves, (or for you) for the masters of the house (at other times) other than those three times of privacy, (when some of you go round) to serve (attendant upon others) you and them can enter in on each other without permission. as for older children and older slaves they have to ask permission at all times before entering in on their parents or masters. (thus allah maketh clear the revelations for you) he explains the commands and prohibitions just as he explained this. (allah is knower) he knows what is good for you, (wise) he decreed that young children and slaves ask permission in those three times of privacy.
Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī
تفسير : o you who believe, let those whom your right hands own, of male slaves and female slaves, and those of you who have not reached puberty, from among the free men, and who have not become [sexually] aware of women, ask leave of you three times: at three times [of the day]: before the dawn prayer, and when you put off your garments at noon, and after the night prayer. [these are] three periods of privacy for you (read thalāthu [‘awrātin lakum] with nominative inflection as the predicate of an implied subject followed by a genitive annexation, with the annexed term standing in place thereof [of the predicate], in other words [the implied predicate followed by the annexation is] hiya awqāt, ‘these are times of …’; or read thalātha [‘awrātin lakum] in the accusative, the implication being that awqāta is itself in the accusative as a substitute for the [syntactical] status of what precedes it, in place of which stands the annexed term). it is because clothes are taken off that private parts are revealed during such [periods]. neither you nor they, namely, slaves and young boys, would be at fault, in entering upon you without asking leave, at other times, that is, after the three times of day [specified]; they frequent you, to provide service, [as] some of you [do] with others (this sentence corroborates the preceding one). so, just as he has clarified what has been mentioned, god clarifies for you the signs, the rulings; and god is knower, of the affairs of his creatures, wise, in what he has ordained for them. it is said that the ‘permission’ verse (āyat al-isti’idhān) was abrogated; but it is also said that it was not [abrogated], but that people thought little of neglecting to seek permission [in such situations].
Ali ibn Ahmad al-Wahidi
تفسير : (o ye who believe! let your slaves, and those of you who have not come to puberty, ask leave of you…) [24:58].
said ibn ‘abbas: “the messenger of allah, allah bless him and give him peace, sent a boy from the helpers, called mudlij ibn ‘amr, to ‘umar ibn al-khattab, may allah be pleased with him, after noon to summon him. when he entered in, he saw ‘umar in a state which the latter disliked to be seen in. and so he said to the prophet: ‘o messenger of allah, i wish that allah, exalted is he, give us some commands and prohibitions regarding asking permission before entering’. and so allah, exalted is he, revealed this verse”.
said muqatil: “this verse was revealed about asma’ bint marthid. she had a slave-boy who was quite old and he happened to enter in on her one day at a time in which she disliked him to enter in on her. she went to the messenger of allah, allah bless him and give him peace, and said: ‘our servants and slaves enter in on us and find us in states in which we dislike them to see us’. allah, exalted is he, then revealed this verse”.
