Surah 24 An-Noor — Ayah 62
إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَإِذَا كَانُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ عَلَىٰٓ أَمْرٍۢ جَامِعٍۢ لَّمْ يَذْهَبُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَسْتَـْٔذِنُوهُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَسْتَـْٔذِنُونَكَ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ ۚ فَإِذَا ٱسْتَـْٔذَنُوكَ لِبَعْضِ شَأْنِهِمْ فَأْذَن لِّمَن شِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ وَٱسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمُ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ
The believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Messenger and, when they are [meeting] with him for a matter of common interest, do not depart until they have asked his permission. Indeed, those who ask your permission, [O Muhammad] - those are the ones who believe in Allah and His Messenger. So when they ask your permission for something of their affairs, then give permission to whom you will among them and ask forgiveness for them of Allah. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
innamā l-mu'minūna alladhīna āmanū bil-lahi warasūlihi wa-idhā kānū maʿahu ʿalā amrin jāmiʿin lam yadhhabū ḥattā yastadhinūhu inna alladhīna yastadhinūnaka ulāika alladhīna yu'minūna bil-lahi warasūlihi fa-idhā is'tadhanūka libaʿḍi shanihim fadhan liman shi'ta min'hum wa-is'taghfir lahumu l-laha inna l-laha ghafūrun raḥīmun
Word by word
- إِنَّمَا innamā Only
- ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ l-mu'minūna the believers
- ٱلَّذِينَ alladhīna (are) those who
- ءَامَنُوا۟ āmanū believe
- بِٱللَّهِ bil-lahi in Allah
- وَرَسُولِهِۦ warasūlihi and His Messenger
- وَإِذَا wa-idhā and when
- كَانُوا۟ kānū they are
- مَعَهُۥ maʿahu with him
- عَلَىٰٓ ʿalā for
- أَمْرٍۢ amrin a matter
- جَامِعٍۢ jāmiʿin (of) collective action
- لَّمْ lam not
- يَذْهَبُوا۟ yadhhabū they go
- حَتَّىٰ ḥattā until
- يَسْتَـْٔذِنُوهُ ۚ yastadhinūhu they (have) asked his permission
- إِنَّ inna Indeed
- ٱلَّذِينَ alladhīna those who
- يَسْتَـْٔذِنُونَكَ yastadhinūnaka ask your permission
- أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ulāika those
- ٱلَّذِينَ alladhīna [those who]
- يُؤْمِنُونَ yu'minūna believe
- بِٱللَّهِ bil-lahi in Allah
- وَرَسُولِهِۦ ۚ warasūlihi and His Messenger
- فَإِذَا fa-idhā So when
- ٱسْتَـْٔذَنُوكَ is'tadhanūka they ask your permission
- لِبَعْضِ libaʿḍi for some
- شَأْنِهِمْ shanihim affair of theirs
- فَأْذَن fadhan then give permission
- لِّمَن liman to whom
- شِئْتَ shi'ta you will
- مِنْهُمْ min'hum among them
- وَٱسْتَغْفِرْ wa-is'taghfir and ask forgiveness
- لَهُمُ lahumu for them
- ٱللَّهَ ۚ l-laha (of) Allah
- إِنَّ inna Indeed
- ٱللَّهَ l-laha Allah
- غَفُورٌۭ ghafūrun (is) Oft-Forgiving
- رَّحِيمٌۭ raḥīmun Most Merciful
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
Asking Permission to leave when They are doing something together
This is another matter of etiquette to which Allah has guided His believing servants. Just as He commanded them to seek permission when entering, He also commanded them to seek permission when leaving, especially when they are doing something together with the Messenger ﷺ, such as the Friday, `Id, or congregational prayers, or a meeting for the purpose of consultation and so on. Allah commanded them not to leave him in these situations until they had asked his permission. If they did this, then they were of the true believers. Then Allah commanded His Messenger to give permission when someone asked for it, if he wanted to. He said:
فَأْذَن لِّمَن شِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمُ اللَّهَ
(give permission to whom you will of them, and ask Allah for their forgiveness.)Abu Dawud reported that Abu Hurayrah said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«إِذَا انْتَهَى أَحَدُكُمْ إِلَى الْمَجْلِسِ فَلْيُسَلِّمْ، فَإِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَقُومَ فَلْيُسَلِّمْ، فَلَيْسَتِ الْأُولَى بِأَحَقَّ مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ»
(When any of you joins a gathering, let him say Salam, and when he wants to leave, let him say Salam. The former is not more important than the latter.) This was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i; At-Tirmidhi said: "It is a Hasan Hadith."