7-26 O children of Adam, We have indeed sent down to you clothing to cover your shame, and (clothing) for beauty; and clothing that guards against evil — that is the best. This is of the messages of Allah that they may be mindful.a
يَـٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ قَدۡ أَنزَلۡنَا عَلَيۡكُمۡ لِبَاسً۬ا يُوَٲرِى سَوۡءَٲتِكُمۡ وَرِيشً۬اۖ وَلِبَاسُ ٱلتَّقۡوَىٰ ذَٲلِكَ خَيۡرٌ۬ۚ ذَٲلِكَ مِنۡ ءَايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَذَّكَّرُونَ (٢٦)
7-26a: أَنزَلۡنَا – Allah sending down His blessings or His wrath only means His granting the blessing or inflicting the punishment. Sometimes it is just creating the means to achieve this end and guiding people to these means (R).
لِبَاس – It is spoken of anything that covers any shameful or ugly aspect of a person (R). It is for this reason that a wife is called a husband’s and a husband is a called a wife’s لِبَاس.
رِيش – It is the feathers or plume of a bird which is the equivalent of a dress for humans.
It is stated in the last section that man by his efforts alone cannot escape the whispering of the devil for which revelation is needed. This same topic is continued, and mankind is told that they can safeguard themselves from the devil if they follow Divine revelation.
7-27 O children of Adam, let not the devil seduce you, as he expelled your parents from the garden, pulling off from them their clothing that he might show them their shame.a He surely sees you, he as well as his host, from whence you see them not. Surely We have made the devils to be the friends of those who believe not.b
يَـٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ لَا يَفۡتِنَنَّڪُمُ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنُ كَمَآ أَخۡرَجَ أَبَوَيۡكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡجَنَّةِ يَنزِعُ عَنۡہُمَا لِبَاسَہُمَا لِيُرِيَهُمَا سَوۡءَٲتِہِمَآۗ إِنَّهُ ۥ يَرَٮٰكُمۡ هُوَ وَقَبِيلُهُ ۥ مِنۡ حَيۡثُ لَا تَرَوۡنَہُمۡۗ إِنَّا جَعَلۡنَا ٱلشَّيَـٰطِينَ أَوۡلِيَآءَ لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤۡمِنُونَ (٢٧)
7-27a: What is meant by pulling off their clothing: There is no doubt that the clothes pulled off refers to لِبَاسُ ٱلتَّقۡوَىٰ which is the attire that protects one from evil (See 7-26a). One explanation attributed to Ibn Abbas is as follows: The physical apparel that covers one and grants one privacy and embellishment has been provided for protection and adornment by God. So, the God Who has provided this for the body, has He not made any provision for man’s spiritual weaknesses and moral blemishes? In this way, attention is drawn from physical dress to spiritual dress. Another way to interpret this is that by أَنزَلۡنَا عَلَيۡكُمۡ لِبَاسً۬ا may mean Divine revelation which is the means for covering a person’s blemishes and for his grace and dignity. There is a clear mention in the verse of Adam’s clothes being pulled off and a warning is given to all men that the devil may not strip off their clothes just as the devil did with their father and mother. See the next note which shows clearly that the clothes mentioned here are spiritual clothes and it is this لِبَاسُ ٱلتَّقۡوَىٰ or the dress that protects against sin that removes spiritual blemishes and is a means of spiritual embellishment. Instructions are therefore given that wearing this dress, that is acting on Divine revelation, leads to a person’s betterment and is the real source of his grace and beauty.
7-27b: قَبِيلُ – It is the plural of قَبِيلة and is the name of a group of people that have the coloration of an organization in which some are responsible for the welfare of the others (R) as in جَعَلۡنَـٰكُمۡ شُعُوبً۬ا وَقَبَآٮِٕلَ (made you tribes and families) (49:13).
The use of the word كَمَآ clearly conveys that the attack of the devil on the son of Adam will use the same strategy as the attack made on Adam. The devil exploited a weakness in Adam that enabled him to whisper untruths into his heart causing Adam great distress and his expulsion from the Garden. The devil employs the same strategy on the son of Adam and can exploit his weakness to cause him great distress. Imam Majid has interpreted the meaning of يَنزِعُ عَنۡہُمَا لِبَاسَہُمَا in the same manner and says that the clothes pulled off wereھو لِبَاسُ ٱلتَّقۡوَىٰ that is the clothes that guard against evil and prevent one from committing sin and transgression. For further explanation see 7-20a and b.
This verse provides clear testimony that even Adam did not see the devil just as we do not see the devil. It follows that the jinn also cannot be seen because the devil is from the jinn and is not visible. However, devilish people can certainly be seen. Stories about seeing jinn etcetera are all made up and without foundation. However, the jinn can be seen in a vision with a visionary eye. Apart from casting evil suggestions into the hearts of people, the jinn do not interfere in the business of people, contrary to the made-up fables. It is also revealed from this verse that the word devil is used not for one being but for a species because during the mention of the devil, his hosts are also mentioned.
7-28 And when they commit an indecency they say: We found our fathers doing this, and Allah has enjoined it on us. Say: Surely Allah enjoins not indecency. Do you say of Allah what you know not?a
وَإِذَا فَعَلُواْ فَـٰحِشَةً۬ قَالُواْ وَجَدۡنَا عَلَيۡہَآ ءَابَآءَنَا وَٱللَّهُ أَمَرَنَا بِہَاۗ قُلۡ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَأۡمُرُ بِٱلۡفَحۡشَآءِۖ أَتَقُولُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ (٢٨)
7-28a: The people of Arabia attributed their polytheistic customs inherited from their forefathers as being enjoined by Allah. A wonderful rule is enunciated that Allah Who is the fountainhead of holiness cannot command anything that is impure and indecent. So, anything that human nature abhors as indecent cannot be enjoined by Allah.
7-29 Say: My Lord enjoins justice. And set upright your faces at every time of prayer and call on Him, being sincere to Him in obedience. As He brought you into being, so shall you return.a
قُلۡ أَمَرَ رَبِّى بِٱلۡقِسۡطِۖ وَأَقِيمُواْ وُجُوهَكُمۡ عِندَ ڪُلِّ مَسۡجِدٍ۬ وَٱدۡعُوهُ مُخۡلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَۚ كَمَا بَدَأَكُمۡ تَعُودُونَ (٢٩)
7-29a: قِسۡطِ – It is part of justice. It includes all kinds of obedience because a person who takes what is the right of another or does not give what rightfully belongs to another is not just. Going to extremes and having an unbalanced view or opinion is also not being just.
مَسۡجِدٍ۬ – It is the time of prostration or the place of prostration. The purport is obedience of Allah.
When people were told to desist from indecency, it became necessary also to talk about the kinds of things that Allah commands. Fulfilling human rights is included in قِسۡطِ and due regard must be given to the principles of justice in all dealings. In the second part of the verse attention is drawn to the devotion and worship of Allah.
كَمَا بَدَأَكُمۡ تَعُودُونَ – With this phrase, attention is drawn to the real purpose of life which is to prepare for the next life. The God Who created initially will create once again and people will be rewarded or punished based on their deeds.
7-30 A party has He guided, and another party — perdition is justly their due. Surely they took the devils for friends instead of Allah, and they think that they are rightly guided.a
فَرِيقًا هَدَىٰ وَفَرِيقًا حَقَّ عَلَيۡہِمُ ٱلضَّلَـٰلَةُۗ إِنَّهُمُ ٱتَّخَذُواْ ٱلشَّيَـٰطِينَ أَوۡلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَحۡسَبُونَ أَنَّہُم مُّهۡتَدُونَ (٣٠)
7-30a: فَرِيقًا حَقَّ عَلَيۡہِمُ ٱلضَّلَـٰلَةُۗ – This is a description of those people about whom it is said in another place that Allah leads them astray. Allah holds them to be astray because the decree of being astray holds true for them, or that there is proof that they are astray. Who are the people against whom the decree of being astray is proven? These are those who befriend and follow the devil and on top of that think that they are rightly guided. Anyone who begins to consider evil as goodness reaches a stage from which it is almost impossible to find deliverance from evil.
7-31 O children of Adam, attend to your adornment at every time of prayer, and eat and drink and be not prodigal; surely He loves not the prodigals.a
يَـٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ خُذُواْ زِينَتَكُمۡ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسۡجِدٍ۬ وَڪُلُواْ وَٱشۡرَبُواْ وَلَا تُسۡرِفُوٓاْۚ إِنَّهُ ۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُسۡرِفِينَ (٣١)
7-31a: Most commentators have taken this verse to mean that one should be properly attired while prostrating or doing other acts of obedience. The background to this interpretation is that the Arabs took off their clothes for Hajj or while praying. Even women would become naked to pray because of the notion that the clothes worn while sinning should not be worn while worshipping.
It is possible however that by adornment is meant spiritual adornment, in which case, this is an admonition that if one worships Allah, one should also abide by things that are the source of real adornment, that is the adornment born out of acquiring beautiful morals. Accordingly, in the first verse of this section in which clothes are stated to be a means of protection and adornment, it is stated that there is also a better attire and that is the dress that safeguards against evil, meaning thereby that one should adorn oneself with goodness. Thus, if زِينَتَكُمۡ means putting on clothes or dressing well, it also implies that the real adornment is being spiritual which must be ingrained in one’s character. It is adorned with this piety that one should go to the mosques for worship.
Just as attention is drawn to moral beauty, guidance is also given about eating and drinking and in a short sentence of four or five words a profound principle is enunciated that incorporates perhaps most of what is medically needed for a person to remain healthy. The advice given is to eat and drink but not to be prodigal. So, even in eating, extremes are to be avoided and this includes extremes of all kinds. For example, eating only certain kinds of things or not eating certain kinds of things are all part of being prodigal. Thus, eating only meat and no vegetables or eating only vegetables and not eating meat, eating more than what is nutritionally required or eating less than nutritionally required are all included as extreme behavior. Avoiding extremes in eating is not only something that maintains good health but is also a great remedy for moderating all physical desires. In this way the devil who is the initiator of physical desires also becomes obedient to the person.
Bayan-ul-Quran 