[وَالْقَوَاعِدُ مِنَ النِّسَآءِ]

(And the Qawa`id among women.) Sa`id bin Jubayr, Muqatil bin Hayyan, Ad-Dahhak and Qatadah said that these are the women who no longer think that they can bear children,

[الَّلَـتِى لاَ يَرْجُونَ نِكَاحاً]

(who do not hope for marriage,) meaning, they no longer have any desire for marriage,

[فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْهِنَّ جُنَاحٌ أَن يَضَعْنَ ثِيَابَهُنَّ غَيْرَ مُتَبَرِّجَـتِ بِزِينَةٍ]

(it is no sin on them if they discard their (outer) clothing in such a way as not to show their adornment.) meaning, they do not have to cover themselves in the same way that other women have to. Abu Dawud recorded that Ibn `Abbas said that the Ayah:

[وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَـتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَـرِهِنَّ]

(And tell the believing women to lower their gaze) [24:31] was abrogated and an exception was made in the case of:

[وَالْقَوَاعِدُ مِنَ النِّسَآءِ الَّلَـتِى لاَ يَرْجُونَ نِكَاحاً]

(the past childbearing among women who do not hope for marriage, .)

[فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْهِنَّ جُنَاحٌ أَن يَضَعْنَ ثِيَابَهُنَّ]

(it is no sin on them if they discard their (outer) clothing) Ibn Mas`ud said about (outer) clothing,, "The Jilbab or Rida'.'' A similar view was also narrated from Ibn `Abbas, Ibn `Umar, Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Abu Ash-Sha`tha', Ibrahim An-Nakha`i, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Az-Zuhri, Al-`Awza`i and others.

[غَيْرَ مُتَبَرِّجَـتِ بِزِينَةٍ]

(in such a way as not to show their adornment.) Sa`id bin Jubayr said, "They should not make a wanton display of themselves by removing their outer garment so that their adornment may be seen.''

[وَأَن يَسْتَعْفِفْنَ خَيْرٌ لَّهُنَّ]

(But to refrain is better for them.) means, not removing their outer garment, even though that is permissible for them, is better for them.

[وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ]

(And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower.)

[لَّيْسَ عَلَى الاٌّعْمَى حَرَجٌ وَلاَ عَلَى الاٌّعْرَجِ حَرَجٌ وَلاَ عَلَى الْمَرِيضِ حَرَجٌ وَلاَ عَلَى أَنفُسِكُمْ أَن تَأْكُلُواْ مِن بُيُوتِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ ءَابَآئِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ أُمَّهَـتِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ إِخْوَنِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ أَخَوَتِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ أَعْمَـمِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ عَمَّـتِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ أَخْوَلِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ خَـلَـتِكُمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكْتُم مَّفَاتِحهُ أَوْ صَدِيقِكُمْ لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَأْكُلُواْ جَمِيعاً أَوْ أَشْتَاتاً فَإِذَا دَخَلْتُمْ بُيُوتاً فَسَلِّمُواْ عَلَى أَنفُسِكُمْ تَحِيَّةً مِّنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ مُبَـرَكَةً طَيِّبَةً كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الاٌّيَـتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ ]

(61. There is no restriction on the blind, nor any restriction on the lame, nor any restriction on the sick, nor on yourselves, if you eat from your 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 that) whereof you hold keys, or (from the house) of a friend. No sin on you whether you eat together or apart. But when you enter the houses, greet one another with a greeting from Allah, blessed and good. Thus Allah makes clear the Ayat to you that you may understand.)