Quran Universe
24:62

إِنَّمَا ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَإِذَا كَانُواْ مَعَهُۥ عَلَىٰٓ أَمۡرٖ جَامِعٖ لَّمۡ يَذۡهَبُواْ حَتَّىٰ يَسۡتَـٔۡذِنُوهُۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَسۡتَـٔۡذِنُونَكَ أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦۚ فَإِذَا ٱسۡتَـٔۡذَنُوكَ لِبَعۡضِ شَأۡنِهِمۡ فَأۡذَن لِّمَن شِئۡتَ مِنۡهُمۡ وَٱسۡتَغۡفِرۡ لَهُمُ ٱللَّهَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٞ رَّحِيمٞ

Innama almuminoona allatheena amanoo biAllahi warasoolihi waitha kanoo maAAahu AAala amrin jamiAAin lam yathhaboo hatta yastathinoohu inna allatheena yastathinoonaka olaika allatheena yuminoona biAllahi warasoolihi faitha istathanooka libaAAdi shanihim fathan liman shita minhum waistaghfir lahumu Allaha inna Allaha ghafoorun raheemun

The believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Messenger and, when they are [meeting] with him for a matter of common interest, do not depart until they have asked his permission. Indeed, those who ask your permission, [O Muhammad] - those are the ones who believe in Allah and His Messenger. So when they ask your permission for something of their affairs, then give permission to whom you will among them and ask forgiveness for them of Allah. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

Word by word
  1. إِنَّمَاOnly
  2. ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَthe believers
  3. ٱلَّذِينَ(are) those who
  4. ءَامَنُواْbelieve
  5. بِٱللَّهِin Allah
  6. وَرَسُولِهِۦand His Messenger
  7. وَإِذَاand when
  8. كَانُواْthey are
  9. مَعَهُۥwith him
  10. عَلَىٰٓfor
  11. أَمۡرٖa matter
  12. جَامِعٖ(of) collective action
  13. لَّمۡnot
  14. يَذۡهَبُواْthey go
  15. حَتَّىٰuntil
  16. يَسۡتَـٔۡذِنُوهُۚthey (have) asked his permission
  17. إِنَّIndeed
  18. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  19. يَسۡتَـٔۡذِنُونَكَask your permission
  20. أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَthose
  21. ٱلَّذِينَ[those who]
  22. يُؤۡمِنُونَbelieve
  23. بِٱللَّهِin Allah
  24. وَرَسُولِهِۦۚand His Messenger
  25. فَإِذَاSo when
  26. ٱسۡتَـٔۡذَنُوكَthey ask your permission
  27. لِبَعۡضِfor some
  28. شَأۡنِهِمۡaffair of theirs
  29. فَأۡذَنthen give permission
  30. لِّمَنto whom
  31. شِئۡتَyou will
  32. مِنۡهُمۡamong them
  33. وَٱسۡتَغۡفِرۡand ask forgiveness
  34. لَهُمُfor them
  35. ٱللَّهَۚ(of) Allah
  36. إِنَّIndeed
  37. ٱللَّهَAllah
  38. غَفُورٞ(is) Oft-Forgiving
  39. رَّحِيمٞMost Merciful
An-Nur · 24:62Madinah

True believers ask before they leave.

Manners for leaving a shared gathering

Two doors of manners
asking to enterearlier in the surah
now
asking to leavea shared matter
and he
seeks forgivenessfor them from Allah
How to leave
slip outno one will notice
salaam when leavingas much as arriving

Ibn Kathir explains that just as Allah taught them to ask permission to enter, He taught them to ask permission to leave when gathered with the Prophet ﷺ for something shared, like Friday prayer or a consultation. He cites the hadith: give salaam when you join a gathering and when you leave, the first is not more important than the last.

The community meeting is running long. You have somewhere to be. You could just quietly vanish. Or you could catch the organizer's eye, say "I need to head off, salaam." This verse makes that small moment a sign of real faith, and a reason for prayers on your behalf.

Leaving early quietly is more polite than interrupting.

Asking and greeting when I leave a shared matter is part of real faith.

Try this

The next time you leave a gathering, say salaam on your way out.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

The believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Messenger; and when they are with him on some common matter, they go not away until they have asked his permission. Verily, those who ask your permission, those are they who (really) believe in Allah and His Messenger. So if they ask your permission for some affairs of theirs, give permission to whom you will of them, and ask Allah for their forgiveness. Truly, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful (62)

Asking Permission to Leave When They Are Doing Something Together

This is another matter of etiquette to which Allah has guided His believing servants. Just as He commanded them to seek permission when entering, He also commanded them to seek permission when leaving, especially when they are doing something together with the Messenger ﷺ, such as the Friday, 'Id, or congregational prayers, or a meeting for the purpose of consultation and so on. Allah commanded them not to leave him in these situations until they had asked his permission. If they did this, then they were of the true believers. Then Allah commanded His Messenger ﷺ to give permission when someone asked for it, if he wanted to. He said:

فَأْذَن لِّمَن شِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمُ اللَّهَ

(give permission to whom you will of them, and ask Allah for their forgiveness.)Abu Dawud reported that Abu Hurayrah said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

إِذَا انْتَهَى أَحَدُكُمْ إِلَى الْمَجْلِسِ فَلْيُسَلِّمْ، فَإِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَقُومَ فَلْيُسَلِّمْ، فَلَيْسَتِ الْأُولَى بِأَحَقَّ مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ

(When any of you joins a gathering, let him say Salam, and when he wants to leave, let him say Salam. The former is not more important than the latter.) This was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i; At-Tirmidhi said: "It is a Hasan Hadith."