Tafseer of The Light · An-Noor · 24:28
And if you do not find anyone therein, do not enter them until permission has been given you. And if it is said to you, "Go back," then go back; it is purer for you. And Allah is Knowing of what you do.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Allah, exalted is His praise, says: if you find in the houses for which you seek permission no one who grants you permission to enter, then do not enter them, for they are not yours; it is not lawful for you to enter them without the permission of their owners. If the owners grant you permission to enter them, then enter. وَإِنْ قِيلَ لَكُمُ ارْجِعُوا فَارْجِعُوا (and if it is said to you, "Go back," then go back) — if the inhabitants of the houses for which you seek permission say, "Go back," then do not enter them and go back. هُوَ أَزْكَى لَكُمْ (that is purer for you) — your going back, when you are told to go back and you have not been granted permission, is purer for you in the sight of Allah. The pronoun هُوَ in this verse refers to the verb, namely to فَارْجِعُوا (go back). His statement وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ (and Allah is All-Knowing of what you do) — Allah, exalted is His praise, says: Allah has complete knowledge of what you do: your going back after seeking permission at the houses of others when you are told to go back; and your not going back; and your obedience to Allah in what He commanded you and forbade you — Allah has all-encompassing knowledge of all that and records it fully, until He requites you for it.
Mujāhid said concerning the explanation of this verse — as Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to us, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: فَإِنْ لَمْ تَجِدُوا فِيهَا أَحَدًا (and if you find no one in them): if there are no possessions of yours in them, then do not enter without permission. وَإِنْ قِيلَ لَكُمُ ارْجِعُوا فَارْجِعُوا .
Al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Hāshim ibn al-Qāsim al-Mazanī related to us, on the authority of Qatāda — he said: a man of the Emigrants (Muhājirūn) said: throughout my entire life I have striven after this verse, but I never succeeded: that I would seek permission of a brother to enter, and he would say, "Go back," and I would then go back rejoicing in it, on account of His statement وَإِنْ قِيلَ لَكُمُ ارْجِعُوا فَارْجِعُوا هُوَ أَزْكَى لَكُمْ .
The explanation that Mujāhid gave — namely that "and if you find no one in them" would mean: "if there are no possessions of yours in them" — is an explanation that is far removed from the customary usage of the Arabic language; for the Arabs almost never say "there is no one in that place" unless they mean a human being. Of possessions and other non-human things this is not said.