Social etiquette on meals (V.24:61 Surah An-Nur)

[Ruhi_Rose]

 


"There is not upon the blind [any] constraint nor upon the lame constraint nor upon the ill constraint nor upon yourselves when you eat from your [own] houses or the houses of your fathers or the houses of your mothers or the houses of your brothers or the houses of your sisters or the houses of your father's brothers or the houses of your father's sisters or the houses of your mother's brothers or the houses of your mother's sisters or [from houses] whose keys you possess or [from the house] of your friend. There is no blame upon you whether you eat together or separately. But when you enter houses, give greetings of peace upon each other - a greeting from Allah, blessed and good. Thus does Allah make clear to you the verses [of ordinance] that you may understand."  24:61  An-Nur.


As we know, the Noble Quran is a complete code of life - religious as well as practical in all sphere of life.  Subhan'Allah. 

Someone at our virtual meeting recently asked why does the Quran speak of a mundane issue of life as this which is common knowledge and everyone knows it. 
 
In case any of our guests also have this question about Verse 24:61, I would request you to please continue reading this post.

As we know, every bit of information in the Noble Quran has a solid reason and specific connotation that readers must know.   The following is a very nice commentary by A. A. Maududi of Verse 24:61 that clarifies why Allah Almighty revealed this Verse. 


Quoting Maududi's commentary:

There are three essential aspects that need to be understood in this Verse.

1)  The verse consists of two parts: the first part relates to the sick, the lame, the blind and other handicapped people, and the second part to normal people.

2)  The moral teachings of the Qur'an had so thoroughly changed the Arab mind that they had become highly sensitive with regard to the distinction between the lawful and the unlawful.  Allah Almighty commands us in the Glorious Qur'an  that we must not consume the properties of one another unlawfully:  "O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent.  (4:29 An-Nissa).   Those people who embraced Islam and were believers became unduly cautious and would not eat freely at each others' houses, to the extent that unless a formal invitation was extended, they considered it unlawful to even dine in the homes of relatives and close friends.

3)  The mention of "taking meals at your own houses" is to highlight the aspect that taking meals at the house of a relative or a friend is just like taking meals at one's own home where no permission or invitation is required.

With these three things in mind, one can easily understand the denotation and significance of this Verse. The handicapped person can have his meal anywhere and at any house because the society as a whole owes to them this privilege on account of their handicap. As for other people, whether it be their `own houses' and the houses of their relatives (mentioned in the Verse) are equally lawful for the purpose. No formal invitation or permission is needed to eat meals in their houses. In the absence of the husband, if his wife or children offer something, it can be accepted without hesitation. In this connection, it should be noted that the homes of one's children are similar to one's own home; and friends imply close friends. 

Furthermore, in ancient pre-Islamic Arabia some tribes had the tradition that each member sat and ate separately because they considered it an evil omen if everyone ate together at a single place.  Even at present this mindset exists within Hindu communities.  Also and on the contrary, some other tribes considered it bad omen to eat alone individually; so much that they would even go without food if they did not have company during meal times. These were social customs based on sheer superstitions with no bearing on ethics or principles nor logic. Verse 24:61 abolishes such customs and restrictions.  Thus, Allah The Greatest, says:  "There is no blame upon you whether you eat together or separately."

Unquote:


These are the final Divine Instructions asserted and confirmed to establish logic and discipline in the Muslim Community and make it organized and civilized.

[N. Truth Seeker]

That is a fine commentary.   You're right sister, Jazek'Allah khair, every bit of content in the Noble Quran has a specific connotation and purpose.   As mentioned in the commentary, these were precisely the social issues and Allah Almighty commands to eradicate those issues in this Verse.  Alhumdulilah.

[Zainab_M]

Excellent ..... Subhan'Allah.

[Heba E. Husseyn]

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