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31
وَقُل لِلمُؤمِناتِ يَغضُضنَ مِن أَبصارِهِنَّ وَيَحفَظنَ فُروجَهُنَّ وَلا يُبدينَ زينَتَهُنَّ إِلّا ما ظَهَرَ مِنها ۖ وَليَضرِبنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلىٰ جُيوبِهِنَّ ۖ وَلا يُبدينَ زينَتَهُنَّ إِلّا لِبُعولَتِهِنَّ أَو آبائِهِنَّ أَو آباءِ بُعولَتِهِنَّ أَو أَبنائِهِنَّ أَو أَبناءِ بُعولَتِهِنَّ أَو إِخوانِهِنَّ أَو بَني إِخوانِهِنَّ أَو بَني أَخَواتِهِنَّ أَو نِسائِهِنَّ أَو ما مَلَكَت أَيمانُهُنَّ أَوِ التّابِعينَ غَيرِ أُولِي الإِربَةِ مِنَ الرِّجالِ أَوِ الطِّفلِ الَّذينَ لَم يَظهَروا عَلىٰ عَوراتِ النِّساءِ ۖ وَلا يَضرِبنَ بِأَرجُلِهِنَّ لِيُعلَمَ ما يُخفينَ مِن زينَتِهِنَّ ۚ وَتوبوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَميعًا أَيُّهَ المُؤمِنونَ لَعَلَّكُم تُفلِحونَ

Yusuf Ali

And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard1 their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments2 except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband?s fathers, their sons, their husbands? sons, their brothers or their brothers? sons, or their sisters? sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments.3 And O ye Believers! turn ye all together towards God, that ye may attain Bliss.4
  • The need for modesty is the same in both men and women. But on account of the differentiation of the sexes in nature, temperaments, and social life, a greater amount of privacy is required for women than for men, especially in the matter of dress and the uncovering of the bosom.
  • Zinah means both natural beauty and artificial ornaments. I think both are implied here, but chiefly the former. The woman is asked not to make a display of her figure or appear in undress except to the following classes of people: (1) her husband, (2) her near relatives who would be living in the same house, and with whom a certain amount of neglige is permissible: (3) her women, i.e., her maidservants, who would be constantly in attendance on her: some Commentators include all believing women; it is not good form in a Muslim household for women to meet other women, except when they are properly dressed; (4) slaves, male and female, as they would be in constant attendance (but with the abolition of slavery this no longer applies); (5) old or infirm men-servants; and (6) infants or small children before they get a sense of sex. Cf. also 33:59.
  • It is one of the tricks of showy or unchaste women to tinkle their ankle ornaments, to draw attention to themselves.
  • While all these details of the purity and good form of domestic life are being brought to our attention, we are clearly reminded that the chief object we should hold in view is our spiritual welfare. All our brief life on this earth is a probation, and we must make our individual, domestic, and social life all contribute to our holiness, so that we can get the real success and bliss which is the aim of our spiritual endeavour. (R).