فِي بُيُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللَّهُ أَن تُرْفَعَ وَيُذْكَرَ فِيهَا اسْمُهُ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ فِيهَا بِالْغُدُوِّ وَالْآصَالِ

In houses Allah has allowed to be raised and wherein His name is celebrated; He is glorified therein, morning and evening.

EXEGESIS

Ghuduww (morning) is the plural of ghadāh[1] meaning morning, from dawn to sunrise.[2] According to Ibn Manẓūr, a more common plural of ghadāh is ghadawāt.

Āṣāl (evening) is said to be the plural of aṣl,[3] but more commonly aṣīl.[4] It is said to mean daytime, from noon to sunset. In this sense it would be the opposite of ghuduww.[5] More commonly, it is considered to be the time from late afternoon (ʿaṣr) till sunset.[6] Ibn Manẓūr says aṣīl has the same meaning as ʿashī (night).[7]

EXPOSITION

This verse continues seamlessly with the imagery of the previous. There we were invited to glimpse at a lamp encased in glass, nestled in a niche, shining with glittering brilliance. Now we are given a view of the surrounding area. This verse conjures the image of houses, each shining with the light of such lamps. To the visual lustre is added an aural splendour; sonorous voices can be heard reverberating from each house; each murmuring song secluded in its night-time worship, yet unified in a chorus of praise. These are the places where the divine light of faith may be found, held in the hearts of those who seek the truth. These are the houses of those who humbly worship their Lord.

In houses: generally, scholars have considered this to intend mosques, which are the houses of God:[8] and mosques in which Allah’s name is mentioned greatly (22:40).[9] Qarāʾatī muses that in order to find the light of guidance and faith one should go to the mosques.[10] Other options have also been suggested to what building this verse might intend, some of which are mentioned under Review of Tafsīr Literature. Perhaps it is prudent that the meaning of the verse should not be understood in any such literal fashion. It is a continuation of the previous verse’s parable and intends to describe the atmosphere of piety and worship present in the lives of those who have faith, portraying it to be like a house that is filled with the light of a lamp and the sound of worship. We do not need to try and identify specific buildings in order to understand this parable.

Allah has allowed: it is said that allowed here means commanded.[11] In reality, to allow means to announce the removal of any obstacles for carrying out that thing.[12] In other words, God has allowed for the circumstances necessary for this atmosphere of worship, humility, and piety to be achieved.

To be raised and wherein His name is celebrated: God has allowed His name to be remembered in those houses.[13] By doing so, God has elevated the status of those houses[14] and purified them from sin and taint, like in the verse, and purify My house (22:26).[15] Obviously, God has commanded every believer to remember Him all the time, however, they are not allowed to describe Him or to attribute any quality or name to Him on their own accord, because Clear is Allah of whatever they allege [about Him], [all] except Allah’s exclusive servants (37:159-160). It is only Allah’s exclusive servants in these houses who are allowed to celebrate God’s name and teach others to celebrate it.

Since glory belongs to God only, then greatness can only be achieved through closeness and attachment to Him. Hence, the degree of elevation of anything depends on the degree of its closeness and attachment to God; these houses are elevated in status because of this relationship to God.[16] In other words, the light that shines therein is not a light independent of God, but it is exactly an extension of that divine light, as expressed in the previous verse. This is also explained in what follows, which tells us the reason for the elevation of these houses is the remembrance of God.

He is glorified therein: again, some have understood this to specifically mean that ritual prayers (ṣalāh) are said therein.[17] However, as we know, tasbīḥ (glorification) of God means to negate any attributes from Him that are unbecoming to His glory.[18] So to remember His name(s) is to praise the attributes that He has given to Himself. To glorify Him is to negate that which is unbecoming of Him. A total and complete praise of the Creator for what He is, as He is.

Morning and evening: this praise is constant, not that it is limited to these times specifically.[19] It is a state of constant remembrance of God, the prayerful, those who are persevering[20] in their prayers (70:22-23). Their faith and worship is not a matter of convenience, something that is present in their lives only when it does not interfere with their other wants and desires. Rather, worship is the main aim of their lives. Their lives revolve around their faith and are guided, shaped, and moulded by it. It is a beacon that designates their path.

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. From Abū Baṣīr, that he asked Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) regarding this verse to which he said: ‘It is the houses of the Prophet (s).’[21]
2. From Jābir ibn Yazīd al-Juʿfī, that Imam al-Bāqir (a) said regarding this verse: ‘They are the houses of the prophets, and the house of Ali is one of them as well.’[22]
3. From Anas ibn Mālik, that the Prophet recited this verse and a man stood up and asked: ‘Which houses are these, O Messenger of God?’ He replied: ‘The houses of the prophets.’ Abū Bakr then rose and said: ‘O Messenger of God, is this house one of them?’ intending the house of Ali (a) and Fatimah (a). The Prophet replied: ‘Yes, it is of the best of them.’[23]

Notes: 1. Apparently, the question occurred to Abū Bakr because the Prophet had commanded the door of every house opening to the mosque be closed except the door of the house of Imam Ali (a) and Lady Fatimah (a). 2. In several ziyārāt (salutations) of the Imams, their houses are referred to as houses Allah has allowed to be raised and wherein His name is celebrated.[24]

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Some exegetes have mentioned that the houses being referred to in the verse intends ‘the only four mosques ever built by prophets’ which they claim to be the mosques of Mecca, Medina, Qubāʾ, and Jerusalem.[25] This baseless claim is hard to accept, since it is difficult to imagine that other prophets would not have established houses of worship.

In addition to mosques, other options have been suggested for the meaning of houses, including:

1. The houses of Prophet Muhammad (s).[26]
2. The houses of the prophets,[27] or the Imams, as mentioned in some reports.

Makārim Shīrāzī considers mosques and the above two instances to be prime examples of what the verse intends.[28] Subḥānī criticises the opinion that it means mosques, saying that the word buyūt literally means a place where a person lives – from the word baytūtah (spending the night) – saying this meaning is not suitable for mosques. He further argues that a house should have four walls and a roof, whereas a mosque does not necessarily need to have a roof.[29] Whatever we may think of such arguments, it is better not to understand the verse in a literal sense to intend any particular building.

Different meanings have also been suggested for what raising of houses could mean:

1. God has allowed those houses to be built, like in the verse, As Abraham raised the foundations of the house (2:127).[30]
2. If houses are taken to mean mosques, raised could then have the meaning of ‘praised’, because they are places of worship. Accordingly, celebration of God’s name could then be taken to mean prayer.[31]
3. Needs (ḥawāʾij) are raised up to God in those houses,[32] in hopes that He will answer the supplicant.

Qarāʾatī says that when the verse says God has allowed mosques to be raised, it means that mosques are allowed to be nicer and fancier than other buildings.[33] Whilst the conclusion is true, it should not be based on this verse, which is best understood non-literally, certainly so when it speaks of the buildings being raised, which should be referring to their spiritual importance and not their physical construction.

Tabatabai ponders why ḥamd (praise) is not mentioned in this verse and only glorification (ḥamd means to praise God by affirming the attributes that are known to be His; see the commentary on 1:2). He argues this is because God previously described Himself as light and light is that which is apparent. Therefore, acquiring proper knowledge of Him only requires negating the improper attributes from Him. If glorification is performed in a complete manner then praise is also completed.[34] However, we could note that the act of affirming God’s attributes can be considered to be already included in the remembrance of His name.

Rāzī relates the claim that initially the daily prayers were only morning (fajr) and late afternoon (ʿaṣr) prayers, and that the other three were added later. Apparently, the statement He is glorified therein, morning and evening has been used as evidence by some for such a claim.[35] Others have argued that evening here means the four daily prayers discounting fajr.[36] In any case, such claims are baseless.

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.[37]
2. It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.[38]
3. Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?[39]
4. Pray without ceasing.[40]

[1] Like fatā is the plural of fatāh (Alusi, 9/368). Muṣṭafawī says that apparently, originally the word ghadāh was with a wāw, but in usage it has been dropped and changed into an alif, like in words such as ṣalāh, zakāh, and ḥayāh (Tahqiq, 7/242, gh-d-w); Lisan, 15/116-118, gh-d-w.
[2] Tantawi, 10/130; Lisan, 15/116, gh-d-w; Fayyumi, 2/443, gh-d-w. Rāghib claims that in the Quran ghadāh is used in conjunction with ʿashī and ghuduww with āṣāl (Raghib, p. 603). This is true for 6:52, 18:28, 7:205, and 13:15. However, 40:46 has ghuduww being used in conjunction with ʿashī.
[3] Zamakhshari, 3/242.
[4] Alusi, 9/369; Tantawi, 10/130; Taj, 14/19, ʾ-ṣ-l; Fayyumi, 2/16, ʾ-ṣ-l; Lisan, 11/16, ʾ-ṣ-l. Makārim Shīrāzī considers it to be the plural of both forms (Nemuneh, 14/481).
[5] Alusi, 9/369.
[6] Tantawi, 10/130; Taj, 14/19, a-ṣ-l; Fayyumi, 2/16, ʾ-ṣ-l.
[7] Lisan, 11/16, ʾ-ṣ-l.
[8] Tibyan, 7/440; Tabari, 18/111-112; Zamakhshari, 3/242; Razi, 24/396; Qurtubi, 12/265; Nemuneh, 14/481-482; Fadlallah, 16/326; Tantawi, 10/130. This has been attributed to Ibn Abbas, Hasan al-Baṣrī, and others. Ṭabarī prefers this interpretation, saying the context of constant prayer suggests these buildings are constructed for that purpose.
[9] Mizan, 15/126.
[10] Qaraati, 6/190.
[11] As posited by Zamakhshari, 3/242; Munyah, 19/117.
[12] Mizan, 15/126.
[13] Related in Tabari, 18/112; Ahkam, 3/1389.
[14] Muhit, 8/48; Mizan, 15/126; and related in Ahkam, 3/1389.
[15] See Tabrisi, 7/227; Tantawi, 10/131.
[16] Mizan, 15/126.
[17] Tabrisi, 7/227; Tabari, 18/112-113.
[18] Mizan, 15/126.
[19] Mizan, 15/126.
[20] What has been translated as persevering here literally means ‘constantly’ in Arabic.
[21] Kafi, 8/331.
[22] Qummi, 2/104; Nur, 3/607.
[23] Thalabi, 7/107; Tabrisi, 7/227; Suyuti, 5/50; Alusi, 9/367.
[24] See for example Kafi, 2/48, 4/559; Faqih, 2/576, 613; Tahdhib, 6/80, 98; Kamil, p. 119; Uyun, 2/307; Kamal, p. 218.
[25] Related in Tabrisi, 7/227; Thalabi, 7/107.
[26] Qurtubi, 12/265.
[27] Mudarrisi, 8/318; Munyah, 19/116.
[28] Nemuneh, 14/482.
[29] Munyah, 19/116.
[30] Preferred in Tabari, 18/112; Zamakhshari, 3/242; and related in Tibyan, 7/440.
[31] Related in Tibyan, 7/440; Ahkam, 3/1389.
[32] As related in Tabrisi, 7/227.
[33] Qaraati, 6/190.
[34] Mizan, 15/126-127.
[35] Razi, 24/396-397.
[36] Qurtubi, 12/276.
[37] Psalms 113:2-3.
[38] Psalms 92:1-2.
[39] 1 Corinthians 3:16.
[40] 1 Thessalonians 5:17.