Bismillāh.
فِي بُيُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللَّهُ أَن تُرْفَعَ وَيُذْكَرَ فِيهَا اسْمُهُ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ فِيهَا بِالْغُدُوِّ وَالْآصَالِ
In houses Allah has allowed to be raised and wherein His Name is celebrated; He is glorified therein, morning and evening.
(Sūrat Nur, No. 24, Āyat 36)
After talking about the light of Allah in verse 35 of this sūrah, this verse talks about the houses in which this light is found. It says these are homes which Allah ‘azza wajall has allowed to be raised so that His name is remembered in it, and He is glorified in it.
To be raised in this verse means to be elevated in status. The house has honour and is held in high regard. All honour belongs only to Allah subhānahu wata‘ālā. Whatever others have is what He allows them to have. Thus, these houses are ones which have received honour from Him through their connection with Him. Their honour and status are because He is remembered in them. The people in the house glorify Allah. Mornings and evenings in the verse is a way of saying that the glorification is done at all times, not just at those specific times. It is only God’s glorification mentioned here, not His praise. That is because glorification is a preliminary step to praise. Once all that does not befit Him is negated through glorification, what remains is perfection of knowledge of God. After that He is praised.
An application of this verse would be mosques, where Allah is remembered and glorified. It is also applied to houses where people who remember and glorify Allah live. The best of these applications would be the homes of the Divinely chosen ones. A narration from Imam al-Bāqir ‘alayhis-salām says, These are the houses of Prophets and the house of ‘Alī is also one of them. According to another narration, when the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa-ālihi wasallam recited this verse, someone asked which houses this verse was referring to. A man got up and pointed towards the home of ‘Alī (a) and Fātimah (a) and asked if it was one of those houses. The Prophet (s) replied; Yes, it is one of their best.
The home of Fātimah (a) was a special place with great spiritual status. The light of Allah was found in it. Her home had the following features that distinguished it from other homes;
- A place of constant remembrance of Allah (swt). Worship and glorification, feeding the poor, raising children in God’s way, helping others …were all different ways of how that home served God.
- A home where the Quran was recited and learned. Knowledge was discussed among the people of the home and spread to others.
- A haven for the Prophet of Allah (s). The Prophet (s) would spend time in that home with his loved ones. It was where he found peace and joy, a place he visited often.
- A place where angels descended. According to a narration of Imam al-Bāqir (a) the home of Fātimah (a) was where angels came and went. It was a home connected to the heavens, with the metaphysical roof of the home being only the throne of Allah.
- A home chosen by the Prophet of Allah for his daughter. When the Prophet (s) planned the quarters for his wives, he kept aside a place for his daughter. When ‘Alī (a) and Fātimah (a) got married he led the two of them to the home he had chosen for them. After leaving them there he prayed that Allah may purify them and their progenies.
- A simple, unworldly place. There were no worldly adornments in this house, just simple things needed for daily life. Instead of buying extras, they spent on the poor and needy.
Homes are special places for those who live in it. A lot of good can come from homes that are connected to Allah. May the Almighty grant us tawfīq to have homes in which Allah is remembered and which get their status from connection to Him.
Sources: ‘Allāmah Tabātabā’ī, Al-Mīzān, https://www.islamquest.net/fa/archive/fa36620