وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ ﴿۱۸۶﴾ أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ لَيْلَةَ الصِّيَامِ الرَّفَثُ إِلَى نِسَائِكُمْ هُنَّ لِبَاسٌ لَكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ لِبَاسٌ لَهُنَّ عَلِمَ اللَّهُ أَنَّكُمْ كُنْتُمْ تَخْتَانُونَ أَنْفُسَكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَعَفَا عَنْكُمْ فَالْآنَ بَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَابْتَغُوا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الْأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّوا الصِّيَامَ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ وَلَا تُبَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَأَنْتُمْ عَاكِفُونَ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ تِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللَّهِ فَلَا تَقْرَبُوهَا كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ آيَاتِهِ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ ﴿۱۸۷﴾
﴾186﴿ Wa izaa sa alaka 'ibaadee 'annnee fa innee qareebun ujeebu da'wataddaa'i izaa da'aani falyastajeeboo lee wal yu'minoo bee la'allahum yarshudoon
﴾187﴿ Uhilla lakum laylatas Siyaamir rafasu ilaa nisaaa'ikum; hunna libaasullakum wa antum libaasullahunn; 'alimal laahu annakum kuntum takhtaanoona anfusakum fataaba 'alaikum wa 'afaa 'ankum fal'aana baashiroo hunna wabtaghoo maa katabal laahoo lakum; wa kuloo washraboo hattaa yatabaiyana lakumul khaitul abyadu minal khaitil aswadi minal fajri summa atimmus Siyaama ilal layl; wa laa tubaashiroo hunna wa antum 'aakifoona fil masaajid; tilka hudoodul laahi falaa taqraboohaa; kazaalika yubaiyinul laahu aayaatihee linnaasi la'allahum yattaqoon
﴾186﴿ And when My servants ask you concerning Me, then (say to them on My behalf) indeed I am near. I respond to the call of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to My command, and believe in Me, so that they may be rightly guided.
﴾187﴿ It has been made lawful for you, during the nights of fasting, to be intimate with your wives. They are a garment for you, and you are a garment for them. Allah knew that you were betraying yourselves, so He turned to you in mercy and made it easy for you. So now, be intimate with them and seek what Allah has ordained for you. And eat and drink until the white thread becomes distinct to you from the black thread at dawn, then complete the fast until night. And do not approach them while you are in retreat in the mosques. These are the limits set by Allah, so do not go near them. Thus does Allah clarify His rulings to the people so that they may become mindful.
[186] In this verse is the fourth ruling: that fasting draws a person closer to Allah, and at times of closeness, supplications are more readily accepted.
Note 1: This verse indicates that outside of prescribed times, raising one's voice in dhikr is discouraged.
Note 2: Three conditions for the acceptance of supplication are mentioned in this verse:
(1) “When he calls upon Me”—meaning he asks from Allah alone without associating partners.
(2) Accepting and acting upon the commands of Allah.
(3) Having certainty that Allah accepts supplications—this is why belief is mentioned after obedience.
“Let them respond to Me”—istijābah refers to fully accepting Allah’s commands, while ijābah means simply answering.
“And let them believe in Me”—this belief refers to the certainty that Allah accepts supplication, which is why it follows the command to obey.
“I respond to the call of the caller”—there are four ways in which a supplication is answered:
1. The request is granted in full.
2. A different need is fulfilled instead.
3. A calamity is averted.
4. Reward is stored for the Hereafter.
[187] In this verse is the fifth ruling of fasting, including the rules for the night and day, as well as the issue of iʿtikāf (spiritual retreat).
“It has been made lawful for you” refers to the permissibility during the night of fasting.
“Ar-rafath” refers to all speech and acts related to intimacy with women; here it means marital relations.
“They are a garment for you and you are a garment for them”—just as garments are a covering, adornment, and protection that cling closely to the body, similarly, spouses are essential and close to one another.
“You were betraying yourselves”—some of the noble companions erred by approaching their wives after falling asleep, which was prohibited at the time, and this is referred to as “betrayal.”
But Allah forgave them.
Another interpretation is that had this prohibition remained, you would have continued putting yourselves in betrayal, so Allah lightened the burden.
“He turned to you”—in the first meaning, it refers to accepting repentance; in the second, it refers to easing the ruling, and “pardoned you” means the ruling was expanded for your ease.
“What Allah has ordained for you”—this could mean seeking children with intention, or it may refer to what Allah has made lawful for you, meaning one should approach intimacy in ways and manners that are permitted in Islam.
“The white thread from the black thread”—refers to the true dawn (fajr ṣādiq) becoming visible like a white thread above the dark thread of night in the east.
“Becomes distinct” implies fajr ṣādiq, as fajr kādhib (false dawn) does not offer clear distinction.
“In the mosques”—indicates that iʿtikāf is valid in all mosques, though it is more virtuous in the three sacred mosques: Masjid al-Haram, Masjid an-Nabawi, and Masjid al-Aqsa.
Women must also observe iʿtikāf in the mosque, as this is confirmed in the sunnah.