فِى بُيُوتٍ أَذِنَ ٱللَّهُ أَن تُرْفَعَ وَيُذْكَرَ فِيهَا ٱسْمُهُۥ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُۥ فِيهَا بِٱلْغُدُوِّ وَٱلْـَٔاصَالِ 36
Translations
[Such niches are] in houses [i.e., mosques] which Allāh has ordered to be raised and that His name be mentioned [i.e., praised] therein; exalting Him within them in the morning and the evenings
Transliteration
Fī buyūtin adhina -llāhu an turfa'a wa yudhkara fīhā smuh. Yusabbih lahu fīhā bil-ghuduwwi wa-l-āṣāl.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to the houses of Allah (masājid - mosques) which He has permitted to be elevated and in which His Name is remembered, with tasbīḥ (glorification) occurring therein at dawn and at dusk. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubī and Ibn Kathīr interpret these as places sanctified for worship where believers continuously praise Allah throughout the day and night, emphasizing the spiritual elevation and purpose of mosques as beacons of divine remembrance in communities.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within Sūrah An-Nūr (The Light), a Medinan chapter that discusses various aspects of Islamic jurisprudence and social conduct. The passage immediately precedes the famous 'Āyat an-Nūr (Verse of Light, 24:35) and contextually establishes the significance of mosques as illuminated houses of faith where Allah's light manifests through the remembrance and worship of His servants.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Muslim: The Prophet ﷺ said, 'The most beloved places to Allah are the mosques, and the most disliked places to Allah are the markets.' Additionally, Sahih Bukhari records that the Prophet ﷺ encouraged congregational prayer in mosques, calling them 'the houses of Allah.'
Themes
Key Lesson
Mosques serve as spiritually elevated sanctuaries where believers continuously connect with the Divine through remembrance at all times. For modern readers, this emphasizes the importance of maintaining regular mosque attendance and creating sacred spaces—both physical and spiritual—where Allah's remembrance remains constant in our lives and communities.
Related Ayahs
وَأَنكِحُوا۟ ٱلْأَيَـٰمَىٰ مِنكُمْ وَٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ مِنْ عِبَادِكُمْ وَإِمَآئِكُمْ ۚ إِن يَكُونُوا۟ فُقَرَآءَ يُغْنِهِمُ ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ
And marry the unmarried among you and the righteous among your male slaves and female slaves. If they should be poor, Allāh will enrich them from His bounty, and Allāh is all-Encompassing and Knowing.
وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُۥ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ لَمَسَّكُمْ فِى مَآ أَفَضْتُمْ فِيهِ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
And if it had not been for the favor of Allāh upon you and His mercy in this world and the Hereafter, you would have been touched for that [lie] in which you were involved by a great punishment
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ أَعْمَـٰلُهُمْ كَسَرَابٍۭ بِقِيعَةٍ يَحْسَبُهُ ٱلظَّمْـَٔانُ مَآءً حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَهُۥ لَمْ يَجِدْهُ شَيْـًٔا وَوَجَدَ ٱللَّهَ عِندَهُۥ فَوَفَّىٰهُ حِسَابَهُۥ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ
But those who disbelieved - their deeds are like a mirage in a lowland which a thirsty one thinks is water until, when he comes to it, he finds it is nothing but finds Allāh before him, and He will pay him in full his due; and Allāh is swift in account.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ جَآءُو بِٱلْإِفْكِ عُصْبَةٌ مِّنكُمْ ۚ لَا تَحْسَبُوهُ شَرًّا لَّكُم ۖ بَلْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ ۚ لِكُلِّ ٱمْرِئٍ مِّنْهُم مَّا ٱكْتَسَبَ مِنَ ٱلْإِثْمِ ۚ وَٱلَّذِى تَوَلَّىٰ كِبْرَهُۥ مِنْهُمْ لَهُۥ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
Indeed, those who came with falsehood are a group among you. Do not think it bad for you; rather, it is good for you. For every person among them is what [punishment] he has earned from the sin, and he who took upon himself the greater portion thereof - for him is a great punishment [i.e., Hellfire].