59 Preface وَإِذا بَلَغَ الأَطفالُ مِنكُمُ الحُلُمَ فَليَستَأذِنوا كَمَا استَأذَنَ الَّذينَ مِن قَبلِهِم ۚ كَذٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُم آياتِهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَليمٌ حَكيمٌYusuf AliBut when the children among you1 come of age, let them (also) ask for permission, as do those senior to them (in age):2 Thus does God make clear His Signs to you: for God is full of knowledge and wisdom.3Children among you: i.e., in your house, not necessarily your own children. All in the house, including the stranger within your gate, must conform to these wholesome rules.Those senior to them: literally, those before them, i.e., those who have already become grown-up before these children attain their age. It is suggested that each generation as it grows up should follow the wholesome tradition of its predecessors. While they were children, they behaved like children; when they grow up, they must behave like grown-ups.The refrain connects up this verse with the last verse, whose meaning is completed here. The slight variation (“His Signs” here, against “the Signs” there) shows that this verse is more personal, as referring to children who have now become responsible men and women.