This surah is called Sūrat al-Nūr because of its central verse, the verse of light (verse 35), where God declares Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth. It is unanimously considered a Medinan surah.[1] It is claimed to have been revealed after Sūrat al-Ḥashr (59).[2] As the events of Sūrat al-Ḥashr deal with the expulsion of Banī al-Naḍīr from Medina, then if the claim is correct, Sūrat al-Nūr would have been revealed some time after the fourth year AH. According to a report from Imam al-Bāqir (a), Sūrat al-Nūr was revealed after Sūrat al-Nisāʾ (4), as it clarifies the verse, detain them in [their] houses until death finishes them, or Allah decrees a course for them (4:15).[3] Verses 11-20 probably took place after the battle with Banī al-Muṣṭaliq, which would place them in the fifth or sixth year AH,[4] and it is most reasonable to date the surah to that time.

In any case, it is quite obvious that many of the verses of the surah are clearly in response to certain events, and it is likely that the verses of the surah were not revealed all at once. This probable piecemeal revelation is of course not something unique to Sūrat al-Nūr, as some other chapters had portions revealed at different times which were then inserted into them at the instruction of the Holy Prophet. As such, Sūrat al-Nūr is probably a collection of these various rulings related to social issues, all tied together under the main theme that we have discussed in this commentary.

Regarding the reason for revelation, the surah has different verses dealing with various rulings which are said to have been revealed for different reasons, which we have mentioned in the commentary on those verses.

The main theme of the surah is laid out in its opening verse where God declares: a surah which We have sent down, and prescribed it, and We have sent down in it manifest signs so that you may take admonition. This idea is repeated throughout the surah (verses 18, 34, and 46). If we wish to summarise the theme into two words we may say it is about the ‘clear command’. God has created all things with a purpose and a plan. It is His existential command which gives existence to the creation and gives it harmony. In the same way, it is His legislative command which brings order to human life. Submission to God’s command does not only bring with it spiritual benefits and bliss in the hereafter, but also leads to worldly happiness and equity. God communicates of that command to the believers clearly, so that you may take admonition, meaning so that they may be reminded what is their duty and how must they behave and conduct themselves so that they too may live in harmony with each other. At the same time that command is not something totally new, but rather something which we also innately understand to be correct, although we might sometimes ignore or forget it. There is also a sense of expectation in the surah that the believers should be better and exemplary in their conduct as a whole. This ties into the event of ifk, where one of the wives of Prophet Muhammad (s) had been falsely slandered of being guilty of adultery, a heinous rumour in which many from the Medinan Muslim community unfortunately partook. There is no excuse for such behaviour, and every Muslim and decent human being should know better than to engage in spreading such vile rumours. To spread such vile rumours of other believers is to tear apart the fabric of society and endanger harmonious social life.

Hence, we see that the surah brings up various rulings about how the believers should conduct themselves as a community, and rules of social etiquette and proper conduct. It is said the common thread is that they all deal with the issue of modesty.[5] These commands are of course for the benefit of the community of believers, without which they would destroy themselves and each other (verses 10 and 20), and would never achieve purity (verse 21).

Importantly, if they are to truly benefit from that, they must abide by those commands as a society and whole, even if some of them might not understand why, All the response of the faithful, when they are summoned to Allah and His Apostle that He may judge between them, is to say: ‘We hear and obey.’ It is they who are the felicitous (verse 51). The responsibility of the believers to obey the commands of God and His Prophet are much emphasised in the surah (verses 47-54). Felicity comes about when they as a community abide by those commands, because they are communal responsibilities and are designed to benefit the community. God lays out rulings and instructions related to extramarital relationships (verses 2-3), slander (verses 4-26), respecting each other’s privacy at home (verses 27-29), respecting each other by guarding one’s gaze and dressing modestly (verses 30-31), sexual modesty (verses 32-33), respecting each other’s boundaries and behaving modestly within the environment of the home (verses 58-59), and other issues. These are not merely personal matters, but have an effect on society as a whole.

This theme should also be understood in the wider context of the central verse of light, where God declares that He is the light of the heavens and the earth (verse 35). He is the light that has given existence to all things and has given existence order and purpose and meaning. This is juxtaposed to verse 21, which warns the believers to not follow in Satan’s steps. The surah makes a contrast between the path of light sent by the ‘clear command’ and which is found in certain houses (verses 36-37), and the path of Satan which is darkness within darkness (verse 40). Faith is the light that guides a person and their actions. A life and lifestyle that is guided by desires, whims, and following satanic whisperings is not a life of faith. True faith brings about with it submission to the command of God. Faith that does not guide one’s actions is no faith at all. This is repeatedly stressed throughout the surah.

Verses 40-45 are a description of how the existential command of God has given order and harmony to all things in existence. Everything in creation is praising Him and acting based on His commands (verses 41-42). It is God who planned and created the myriad of intricate necessary conditions that allowed for life to flourish on this planet. The weather, which at times seems so chaotic and unpredictable, is actually working based on set parameters and according to divine instruction (verse 43). The rotation of the earth, which manifests itself to us as the night-day cycle (verse 44) is part of that precisely calculated creation of God and critical for life. This precise orbit of the earth and its distance from the sun and all the various conditions, the exact composition of the earth, with its life-enabling oceans and waters, is what allowed the different variety of species to evolve on this planet (verse 45). All this variety of species might seem to have resulted from chaos, but is actually based on the precise order of God, who creates whatever He wishes (verse 45). These reminders are told to us so that we may remember that God’s instructions exist to give order and structure to human societies as well (verse 46). If the believers truly have faith, then they must follow that instruction (verse 47).

If the community of believers follows the path of Satan then they have doomed themselves to darkness. Yet if they follow the path of the divine light sent by God and submit in obedience, God promises them grace and victory (verse 55). Verse 55 also alludes to the coming of Imam al-Mahdī (a) and it is no accident that the verse is included in this surah. The community of justice and harmony and the victory of the believers that is brought about by him is made possible by submission to the will of God and an ummah that follows the commands of God. The promise of Imam al-Mahdī’s (a) help is thus given to those who have faith and do righteous deeds (verse 55). It is a perfect manifestation of the union of material and spiritual benefits that Islam brings to all human society.

God loves His creation and especially the community of believers, yet is also stern towards them, expecting them to conduct themselves righteously. So the surah closes with the repeated exhortation of how God has ordered all of creation and a firm reminder to the believers to follow this divine order, or else they will bring about great harm to themselves: Look! To Allah indeed belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth. He certainly knows what you are up to, and the day they are brought back to Him He will inform them about what they have done, and Allah has knowledge of all things (verse 64).

The surah can be divided into seven subsections that deal with topics related to its main theme. They are briefly as follows:

Verses 2-10: the issue of zināʾ (illegal sexual intercourse) and rulings relevant to that.

Verses 11-26: discussion around the event of ifk (where the wife of Prophet Muhammad (s) was falsely slandered of adultery).

Verses 27-34: rulings related to modesty in social interactions and respect for the private space of others. A believer should respect the private boundaries of others and preserve his own.

Verses 35-46: a comparison between the light of guidance that illuminates and orders the lives of the faithful, versus the darkness which envelops the faithless.

Verses 47-57: an address to those who wish to defy God’s commands and decrees, and good tidings to the believers who obey.

Verses 58-62: some more instructions and remarks on rulings related to modesty in social interactions.

Verses 63-64: summing up and conclusion of the surah.

Links with other chapters

God finished the previous surah by mentioning that He did not create mankind aimlessly (23:115), but rather for a purpose. As it is His duty to guide us towards that purpose and how we must reach the good final outcome, He then begins this surah with commands and prohibitions which are an integral part of that guidance.[6]

Another suggestion is that in the previous surah God mentioned Those who guard their private parts (23:5) and in this surah He then explains rulings related to that,[7] but this is not a very good view.

Sūrat al-Nūr makes several mentions about how the Muslim community should treat the Holy Prophet of God (verses 11-19, 47-54, and 62-63). At times, many contemporaries of the Holy Prophet viewed him as their neighbour, friend, and just another human being – especially because of his humble conduct. God reminds him that despite his humility and friendliness he is the Messenger of God and a link between God and His creation. The following surah, Sūrat al-Furqān, follows up on this theme, exploring the human nature of the Holy Prophet and the wider theme of connection between man and the divine.

[1] Tibyan, 7/403; Tabrisi; 7/196; Thalabi, 7/63; Baghawi, 3/378; Razi, 23/301; Mizan, 15/78; Nemuneh, 14/351; Tantawi, 10/73; Munyah, 19/75.
[2] Zamakhshari, 3/208. There is also a report attributed to Imam al-Bāqir (a) that says it was revealed later than Sūrat al-Nisāʾ because verse 15 of Sūrat al-Nisāʾ is explained by verse 2 of Sūrat al-Nūr (Kafi, 2/32-33).
[3] Kafi, 2/33.
[4] Taqī al-Dīn al-Maqrīzī, Imtāʿ al-Asmāʾ (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, n.d.), 1/203. Subḥānī dates that event to 6 AH. See Subḥānī, Furūgh-e Abadiyyat (Qum: Būstān-e Kitāb-e Qum, 1385), 1/658.
[5] Qurtubi, 12/158.
[6] See Tabrisi, 7/194.
[7] Alusi, 9/273; Sharawi, p. 10188.