What is the meaning of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “It has been made lawful to you on the night of fasting to approach your wives. They are clothing for you and you are clothing for them. Allah knows that you used to betray yourselves, so He turned to you in forgiveness and forgave you. So now approach them and seek what Allah has decreed for you. Eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread of night. Then complete the fast until night. And do not approach them while you are in i'tikaf in the mosques. These are the limits of Allah, so do not approach them. Thus does Allah make His verses clear to the people that perhaps they will fear Him.” Please inform us of this, may Allah reward you.
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The questioner : What is the meaning of the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al-Baqarah 2:187], please inform us of this, may Allah reward you?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, and upon his family and all his Companions.
The meaning of this noble verse becomes clear by knowing the occasion of its revelation. When fasting was first made obligatory, if one of them slept or prayed the 'Isha' prayer, eating, drinking, and sexual intercourse were forbidden to him until the sun set on the following day. Then Allah the Exalted bestowed a favor upon His servants by making it lawful for them to eat, drink, and have sexual intercourse until dawn became clear. So He, Glorious is His mention, said:[Al-Baqarah 2:187] meaning to approach them, and this means sexual intercourse. Then Allah, Exalted and Exalted, explained that the woman is clothing for her husband, and her husband is clothing for her, because each of them thereby secures the chastity of the other's private parts, protects them, and preserves them. meaning approach your wives through sexual intercourse. [Al-Baqarah 2:187] from righteous children and righteous deeds on this night in which sexual intercourse has been made lawful for you, such that sexual intercourse does not distract you from the obedience of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and you do not seek in sexual intercourse merely pleasure and desire, or merely pleasure and the attainment of desire. So approach them through sexual intercourse, seeking what Allah has decreed for you of righteous deeds and righteous children. [Al-Baqarah 2:187] meaning until the whiteness of the day becomes apparent to you from the darkness of the night. [Al-Baqarah 2:187] meaning until the setting of the sun, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih al-Bukhari 1954 meaning the east, Sahih al-Bukhari 1954 meaning the west, Sahih al-Bukhari 1954. Then, since the permissibility of the wife on the night of fasting was general and comprehensive, Allah, Exalted and Exalted, specified the time of i'tikaf, for it is not lawful for the husband to approach his wife while he is in i'tikaf. So He said: [Al-Baqarah 2:187]. I'tikaf is worshipping Allah, Exalted and Exalted, by staying in the mosques to devote oneself to His obedience. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform i'tikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan until Allah took him, and his wives performed i'tikaf after him.
Then Allah, Exalted and Exalted, explained that these rulings, which include prohibitions and commands, are the limits of Allah, and He prohibited approaching them. The prohibition of approaching is specific to the forbidden limits, and the prohibition of transgressing is specific to the obligatory limits. So when Allah, Exalted and Exalted, says:[Al-Baqarah 2:229] meaning do not transgress them, the intended meaning is the obligations. And when He says: [Al-Baqarah 2:187] the intended meaning is the prohibitions. Here He, Mighty and Majestic, says: [Al-Baqarah 2:187] meaning just as this explanation, Allah, Exalted and Exalted, makes His legal verses clear to the people so that they may know them and the argument may be established against them by them. And at the end of the verse is evidence that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has made clear to His servants everything they need in matters of the Shari'ah, either in the Book of Allah or in the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). But this explanation may be hidden from some people, either due to their deficiency or their negligence. Otherwise, the Qur'an, as described by Allah, Mighty and Majestic, in His saying: [An-Nahl 16:89]. This is the meaning of the noble verse.
The questioner : May Allah thank you and magnify your reward.
It has been made permissible for you the night preceding fasting to go to your wives [for sexual relations]. They are clothing for you and you are clothing for them. Allah knows that you used to deceive yourselves, so He accepted your repentance and forgave you. So now, have relations with them and seek that which Allah has decreed for you. And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until the sunset. And do not have relations with them as long as you are staying for worship in the mosques. These are the limits [set by] Allah, so do not approach them. Thus does Allah make clear His ordinances to the people that they may become righteous.
أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ لَيْلَةَ الصِّيَامِ الرَّفَثُ إِلَى نِسَائِكُمْ هُنَّ لِبَاسٌ لَكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ لِبَاسٌ لَهُنَّ عَلِمَ اللَّهُ أَنَّكُمْ كُنتُمْ تَخْتَانُونَ أَنفُسَكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَعَفَا عَنْكُمْ فَالآنَ بَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَابْتَغُوا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّوا الصِّيَامَ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ وَلا تُبَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَأَنْتُمْ عَاكِفُونَ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ تِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللَّهِ فَلا تَقْرَبُوهَا كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ آيَاتِهِ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَThe Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, and upon his family and all his Companions.
The meaning of this noble verse becomes clear by knowing the occasion of its revelation. When fasting was first made obligatory, if one of them slept or prayed the 'Isha' prayer, eating, drinking, and sexual intercourse were forbidden to him until the sun set on the following day. Then Allah the Exalted bestowed a favor upon His servants by making it lawful for them to eat, drink, and have sexual intercourse until dawn became clear. So He, Glorious is His mention, said:
It has been made permissible for you the night preceding fasting to go to your wives
أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ لَيْلَةَ الصِّيَامِ الرَّفَثُ إِلَى نِسَائِكُمْSo now approach them.
فَالآنَ بَاشِرُوهُنَّand seek that which Allah has decreed for you
وَابْتَغُوا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْAnd eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]
وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِThen complete the fast until the sunset
ثُمَّ أَتِمُّوا الصِّيَامَ إِلَى اللَّيْلِWhen night falls from this side
إذا أقبل الليل من هاهناand the day vanishes from this side
وأدبر النهار من هاهناand the sun sets, then the fasting person should break his fast.
وغربت الشمس فقد أفطر الصائمAnd do not have relations with them as long as you are staying for worship in the mosques
وَلا تُبَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَأَنْتُمْ عَاكِفُونَ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِThen Allah, Exalted and Exalted, explained that these rulings, which include prohibitions and commands, are the limits of Allah, and He prohibited approaching them. The prohibition of approaching is specific to the forbidden limits, and the prohibition of transgressing is specific to the obligatory limits. So when Allah, Exalted and Exalted, says:
These are the limits of Allah, so do not transgress them
تِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللَّهِ فَلا تَعْتَدُوهَاThese are the limits [set by] Allah, so do not approach them.
تِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللَّهِ فَلا تَقْرَبُوهَاThese are the limits [set by] Allah, so do not approach them. Thus does Allah make clear His ordinances to the people that they may become righteous.
تِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللَّهِ فَلا تَقْرَبُوهَا كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ آيَاتِهِ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَAnd We have sent down to you the Book as clarification for all things
وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ تِبْيَانًا لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍThe questioner : May Allah thank you and magnify your reward.