لَّيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَدْخُلُوا بُيُوتًا غَيْرَ مَسْكُونَةٍ فِيهَا مَتَاعٌ لَّكُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تُبْدُونَ وَمَا تَكْتُمُونَ

There will be no sin upon you in entering [without announcing] uninhabited houses wherein there are goods benefitting you. And Allah knows whatever you disclose and whatever you conceal.

EXEGESIS

Junāḥ (sin) – not to be confused with janāḥ (wing/arm) – is generally considered by the exegetes to be from the Arabic root of j-n-ḥ, meaning to incline towards something, as in, And if they incline toward (janaḥū) peace, then you [too] incline toward it (8:61). In this verse it means inclining towards sin.^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Tibyan, 2/43; Tabrisi, 1/439; Lisan, 2/430; Tahqiq, 2/139-140, j-n-ḥ. Ibn al-ʿArabī points out junāḥ is specifically used for inclining towards sin (Ahkam, 1/46).”][1][/su_tooltip]} Alternatively, it is said to be Arabicised from the Persian word for sin, gunāh.^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Arthur Jeffries, Foreign Vocabulary of the Quran (Leiden: Brill, 2007), pp. 121-122.”][2][/su_tooltip]}

Matāʿ means benefit (manfaʿah).^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Qurtubi, 12/221.”][3][/su_tooltip]} This is general and may refer to any kind of worldly need and enjoyment that one may benefit from.^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Qurtubi, 12/221.”][4][/su_tooltip]} Having said that, early exegetes have offered different options as to what it means here:

1. Goods belonging to merchants.^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Ahkam, 3/1364.”][5][/su_tooltip]}
2. A place for relieving oneself (outhouse).^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Ahkam, 3/1364.”][6][/su_tooltip]}
3. The way between Mecca and Medina used to have uninhabited houses in which people would leave supplies and items needed by travellers.^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Tabari, 18/90.”][7][/su_tooltip]} This is not a very good understanding of the verse though.
4. Enjoyment (istimtāʿ) in general.^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Tabrisi, 7/214; Ahkam, 3/1364; Alusi, 9/332; Mizan, 15/110.”][8][/su_tooltip]}

Considering the wide meaning of uninhabited houses (discussed below), only the fourth option is good and that is what later exegetes have preferred.

EXPOSITION

This verse deals with the final of the four scenarios, houses which do not require anyone’s permission for entry.

There will be no sin upon you in entering: i.e. without asking for permission,^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Tabrisi, 7/214; Tabari, 18/90.”][9][/su_tooltip]} uninhabited houses, i.e. houses that are non-residential and meant for public access, such as shops, hotels, and so on.

Wherein there are goods benefitting you: people may benefit from such premises without the need to ask for permission separately.

And Allah knows whatever you disclose and whatever you conceal: He knows the intention of a person, if they enter a building for a legitimate need, or for the sake of causing problems for others,^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Ahkam, 3/1364.”][10][/su_tooltip]} or that they would enter someone’s house with the pretence that they thought it was uninhabited.^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Nemuneh, 14/429.”][11][/su_tooltip]}

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. From Imam al-Ṣādiq (a), that this verse refers to inns and travel lodges, public baths, and mills.^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Qummi, 2/101; Tabrisi, 7/214.”][12][/su_tooltip]}

Note: Mills used to be visited by people to buy flour.

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

The exegetes have offered different opinions on what is meant by uninhabited houses:

1. From Qatādah and others, that it refers to inns and travel lodges.^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Tibyan, 7/427; Tabari, 18/90.”][13][/su_tooltip]}
2. From ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ, that it refers to outhouses.^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Tibyan, 7/427; Tabari, 18/90.”][14][/su_tooltip]}
3. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Zayd, that it refers to shops.^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Tibyan, 7/427; Tabari, 18/90.”][15][/su_tooltip]}
4. From al-Ḍaḥḥāk, that it refers to abandoned houses and ruins.^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Tabari, 18/90.”][16][/su_tooltip]}

Although specifics are mentioned, the verse is general and should include all the above and more.^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Tibyan, 7/427; Tabrisi, 7/214; Tabari, 18/90-91.”][17][/su_tooltip]}

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Psalms 139:1-2.”][18][/su_tooltip]}
2. Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart.”^{‎[su_tooltip content=”Acts 1:24.”][19][/su_tooltip]}

[1] Tibyan, 2/43; Tabrisi, 1/439; Lisan, 2/430; Tahqiq, 2/139-140, j-n-ḥ. Ibn al-ʿArabī points out junāḥ is specifically used for inclining towards sin (Ahkam, 1/46).
[2] Arthur Jeffries, Foreign Vocabulary of the Quran (Leiden: Brill, 2007), pp. 121-122.
[3] Qurtubi, 12/221.
[4] Qurtubi, 12/221.
[5] Ahkam, 3/1364.
[6] Ahkam, 3/1364.
[7] Tabari, 18/90.
[8] Tabrisi, 7/214; Ahkam, 3/1364; Alusi, 9/332; Mizan, 15/110.
[9] Tabrisi, 7/214; Tabari, 18/90.
[10] Ahkam, 3/1364.
[11] Nemuneh, 14/429.
[12] Qummi, 2/101; Tabrisi, 7/214.
[13] Tibyan, 7/427; Tabari, 18/90.
[14] Tibyan, 7/427; Tabari, 18/90.
[15] Tibyan, 7/427; Tabari, 18/90.
[16] Tabari, 18/90.
[17] Tibyan, 7/427; Tabrisi, 7/214; Tabari, 18/90-91.
[18] Psalms 139:1-2.
[19] Acts 1:24.