Believers do no leave a congregation without permission

24. Surah An Nur

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ...

24:62. Only those are Believers who believe in Allah and His Messenger:

...وَإِذَا كَانُوا مَعَهُ عَلَى أَمْرٍ جَامِعٍ لَمْ يَذْهَبُوا حَتَّى يَسْتَأْذِنُوهُ...

when they are with him on a matter requiring collective action, they do not depart until they have asked for his leave:

C3045. Matter requiring collective action: anything that affects the Community as a whole: Jumuah and 'Id prayers are periodical occasions of this kind, but what is meant here is, I think, joint consultations with a view to joint undertakings, such as a Jihad, or some kind of organisation in peace.

...إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَأْذِنُونَكَ أُوْلَئِكَ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ...

those who ask for thy leave are those who believe in Allah and His Messenger;

...فَإِذَا اسْتَأْذَنُوكَ لِبَعْضِ شَأْنِهِمْ فَأْذَن لِّمَن شِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ ...

so when they ask for thy leave, for some business of theirs, give leave to those of them whom thou wilt,

C3046. That is, those to whom, in the exercise of your impartial discretion, you think it expedient to give leave.

"Will", unless the context shows otherwise, means "right will", not a will without any definite principle behind it.

... وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمُ اللَّهَ...

and ask Allah for their forgiveness:

C3047. In important matters of general consultation, even though leave of absence is given on sufficient excuse, it implies some defect in duty on the part of the person to whom the leave is given, and therefore the need of forgiveness from Him to Whom we owe duty in a perfect measure.

...إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٦٢﴾

for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

لَا تَجْعَلُوا دُعَاء الرَّسُولِ بَيْنَكُمْ كَدُعَاء بَعْضِكُم بَعْضًا...

24:63. Deem not the summons of the Messenger among yourselves like the summons of one of you to another:

C3048. Three significations are possible.

- One is that adopted in the Translation, which agrees with the view of most Commentators.

- Another would be:

'Do not think that the prayer of the Prophet of Allah is like your ordinary requests to another: the Prophet's prayer will be about serious matters and will be accepted by Allah'.

- A third interpretation would be:

'Do not address the Prophet familiarly as you would address one another: use proper terms of respect for him.'

...قَدْ يَعْلَمُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ يَتَسَلَّلُونَ مِنكُمْ لِوَاذًا...

Allah doth know those of you who slip away under shelter of some excuse:

...فَلْيَحْذَرِ الَّذِينَ يُخَالِفُونَ عَنْ أَمْرِهِ أَن تُصِيبَهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ ...

then let those beware who withstand the Messenger's order lest some trial befall them,

C3049. The "trial" is understood to be some misfortune in this life, and the "grievous Penalty" to be the punishment in the Hereafter.

... أَوْ يُصِيبَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ﴿٦٣﴾

or a grievous Penalty be inflicted on them.

أَلَا إِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ...

24: 64. Be quite sure that to Allah doth belong whatever is in the heavens and on earth.

...قَدْ يَعْلَمُ مَا أَنتُمْ عَلَيْهِ ...

Well doth He know what ye are intent upon:

C3050. The condition or position you are in, the motives which actuate you, and the ends you have in view.

... وَيَوْمَ يُرْجَعُونَ إِلَيْهِ فَيُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا عَمِلُوا...

and one day they will be brought back to Him, and He will tell them the truth of what they did:

C3051. Things misunderstood or maligned, falsely praised or held in honour, or fraudulently shown to be good when they are evil-everything will be revealed in its true light on the Day of final Judgment.

...وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ ﴿٦٤﴾

for Allah doth know all things.

Other versions:

24:62

[[ Asad’s notes - 88 Lit., "a uniting [or "collective"] matter" (amr jami'). The personal pronoun in "with him" relates to the Apostle and, by analogy, to every legitimate leader (imam) of the Muslim community

acting in accordance with the spirit of the Qur'an and the Prophet's life-example.

89 I.e., his permission to abstain, for valid reasons, from participating in a course of action or a policy agreed upon by the majority of the community ('amma ijtama'u lahu min al-amr: Tabari).

In a logical development of this principle we arrive at something like the concept of a "loyal opposition", which implies the possibility of dissent on a particular point of communal or state policy combined with absolute loyalty to the common cause. (But see also note 91 .)

24:63

DO NOT regard the Apostle's summons to you' 2 [in the same light] as a summons of one of you to another: God is indeed aware of those of you who would withdraw surreptitiously: so let those who would go against His bidding beware, lest a [bitter] trial befall them [in this world] or grievous suffering befall them [in the life to come] .

24:64

Oh, verily, unto God belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: well does He know where you stand and at what you aim!" And one Day, all [who have ever lived will be brought back unto Him, and then He will make them [truly] understand all that they were doing [in life]: for, God has full knowledge of everything.

[[Asad’s notes -

92 I.e., his summons to God's message in general, spoken of in verses 46-54 above, as well as to a particular course of communal action, referred to inverse 62. Alternatively, "the Apostle's summons" may, in this context, be synonymous with the Qur'an itself.

93 Lit., "well does He know upon what you are" : i.e., "what your beliefs are and what moral principles govern your attitudes and actions". ]]