﴿ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لِيَسْتَـْٔذِنكُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَٰنُكُمْ وَٱلَّذِينَ لَمْ يَبْلُغُوا۟ ٱلْحُلُمَ مِنكُمْ ثَلَٰثَ مَرَّٰتٍۢ ۚ مِّن قَبْلِ صَلَوٰةِ ٱلْفَجْرِ وَحِينَ تَضَعُونَ ثِيَابَكُم مِّنَ ٱلظَّهِيرَةِ وَمِنۢ بَعْدِ صَلَوٰةِ ٱلْعِشَآءِ ۚ ثَلَٰثُ عَوْرَٰتٍۢ لَّكُمْ ۚ لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَا عَلَيْهِمْ جُنَاحٌۢ بَعْدَهُنَّ ۚ طَوَّٰفُونَ عَلَيْكُم بَعْضُكُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍۢ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمُ ٱلْءَايَٰتِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌۭ ﴾

“O YOU who have attained to faith! At three times [of day], let [even] those whom you rightfully pos­sess, as well as those from among you who have not yet attained to puberty, ask leave of you [before intruding upon your privacy]: before the prayer of daybreak, and whenever you lay aside your garments in the middle of the day, and after the prayer of nightfall: the three occasions on which your nakedness is likely to be bared. Beyond these [occasions], neither you nor they will incur any sin if they move [freely] about you, attending to [the needs of] one another. In this way God makes clear unto you His mes­sages: for God is all-knowing, wise!”

In some of the preceding verses certain instructions regarding social behaviour are given. Now these verses were revealed, perhaps as a supplement to and an elaboration of them. For instance, one of the instructions given initially to women regarding the covering of the body was that they should cover their bosoms with scarves or sheets (verse 31). In verse 60 those old women who are past the marriageable age have been exempted from the general rule, and it is laid down that there is no harm in their not following it. These two sets of instructions could have been revealed at one and the same time, but there are four intervening paragraphs (ruku‘), in which different subjects have been dealt with. It is gathered from traditions that after the initial instructions had been revealed, some practical problems arose. Therefore, in clarification, these later verses were revealed. This shows that the Quran’s method is one of gradualness and not that of taking sudden steps. It was possible for God to have revealed all the instructions together at one time, but He chose to reveal them bit by bit, according to the circumstances.