al-Nur is the 24th sura of the Qur’an, which means ‘The Light’. The chapter derives its name from verse 35, which describes God as the ‘Light of the Heavens and the Earth’ in one of the most recognised and mystically beautiful verses of the Holy Qur’an, known as the ‘The Light Verse’ (Aya al-Nur). It belongs to the Medinan period and comprises 64 verses, 1,316 words, 5,680 letters, and 9 segments. It is the 102nd sura in chron-ological order, revealed after Sura al-Hashr.
A major section of this chapter deals with the issue of chastity and sexual misconduct. The sura describes several legal and moral injunctions regarding moral conduct. These include the punishment for adultery; the evidential standards for establishing adultery; the importance of establishing modesty; the importance of a suitable dress code for women; the way in which one must respond to false allegations and rumours; the etiquette of seeking permission to enter someone’s home; the importance of establishing prayer; the im-portance of paying alms and giving charity; the importance of forgiving; the importance of assisting those in need; and the significance and necessity of absolute obedience to the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him).
This chapter also details rulings regarding false allegations and claims against individuals. The chapter further offers prohibitive instructions regarding the vice of prostitution. This chapter also condemns hy-pocrisy as a major vice. Furthermore, this chapter describes the severity of the crime of false slander re-garding an accusation of adultery. These rulings are set out by this chapter to demonstrate an equilibrium between the severity of the sin of immodesty, as well as the magnitude of the crime of false slandering and allegation in the sight of Allah Almighty. The chapter concludes by emphasising the command to guard one’s chastity and modesty by lowering one’s gaze. This ruling is common to all everyone, i.e. men and women. This chapter is significant in terms of the wide variety of social and legal injunctions and codes that it lays down.