Transliteration:( Yaa Banee Aadama laa yaftinannnakumush Shaitaanu kamaaa akhraja abawaikum minal Jannati yanzi'u 'anhumaa libaasahumaa liyuriyahumaa saw aatihimaaa; innahoo yaraakum huwa wa qabeeluhoo min haisu laa tarawnahum; innaa ja'alnash Shayaateena awliyaaa'a lillazeena laa yu'minoon )
"O children of Adam! Let not the devil deceive you as he expelled your parents from Paradise, stripping them of their clothing to show them their shame [51]. Indeed, he sees you, he and his tribe, from where you do not see them [52]. We have made the devils allies to those who do not believe [53]."
In this verse, all of humanity is addressed—the believer, the infidel, the learned, and the pious. None should ever think they are safe from the traps and guiles of the devil.
By this is meant that Hazrat Adam and Bibi Hawwa (peace be upon them) saw each other’s privacy uncovered.
From this, two important points emerge:
There is no veil or covering from angels and jinns. The concept of covering applies between human beings.
Even husband and wife should not expose themselves freely before one another. Even in solitude, one should remain covered out of modesty before Allah Almighty.
By this is meant that Satan and his progeny can see all humans, but humans cannot see them. Whenever a person intends to do good, Satan immediately becomes aware and tries to mislead him. If Allah Almighty has granted Satan, who is misguided, such far-reaching vision and awareness, then surely the Holy Prophet ﷺ, the guide of the universe, has been granted greater knowledge and insight. It is shameful that some people affirm Satan's powers, but deny the same attributes when they are mentioned in praise of the Holy Prophet ﷺ.
From this we learn that Satan is among the friends who are not of Allah’s path. Wherever wickedness or evil is mentioned in relation to ungodly allies, it refers to Satan, not to the true friends of Allah Almighty. These verses serve as a commentary on other verses with similar themes.
It also means that Satan is only an apparent ally to the disbelievers, while in truth, they are loyal to him, but he is an enemy to all humans. This verse therefore does not contradict those in which Satan is declared an open enemy, as that refers to his true nature, while this refers to his outward influence.
27. O Children of Adam! Let not Shaytan deceive you, as he got your parents out of Paradise, stripping them of their raiment, to show them their private parts. Verily, he and his tribe see you from where you cannot see them. Verily, We made the Shayatin friends of those who believe not.
Allah warns the Children of Adam against Iblis and his followers, by explaining about his ancient enmity for the father of mankind, Adam peace be upon him. Iblis plotted to have Adam expelled from Paradise, which is the dwelling of comfort, to the dwelling of hardship and fatigue (this life) and caused him to have his private part uncovered, after it had been hidden from him. This, indeed, is indicative of deep hatred (from Shaytan towards Adam and mankind). Allah said in a similar Ayah,
(Will you then take him (Iblis) and his offspring as protectors and helpers rather than Me, while they are enemies to you What an evil is the exchange for the wrongdoers.) ﴿18:50﴾.
(7:27) Children of Adam! Let not Satan deceive you in the manner he deceived your parents out of Paradise, pulling off from them their clothing to reveal to them their shame. He and his host surely see you from whence you do not see them. We have made satans the guardians of those who do not believe. [16]
16. These verses bring into focus several important points.
First, that the need to cover oneself is not an artificial urge in man; rather it is an important dictate of human nature. Unlike animals, God did not provide man with the protective covering that He provided to animals. God rather endowed man with the natural instincts of modesty and bashfulness. Moreover, the private parts of the body are not only, related to sex, but also constitute ‘sawat’ that is, something the exposure of which is felt to be shameful. Also, God did not provide man with a natural covering in response to man’s modesty and bashfulness, but has inspired in him see (Surah Al-Aaraf, ayat 26) the urge to cover himself. This is in order that man might use his reason to understand the requirements of his nature, use the resources made available by God, and provide himself a dress.
Second, man instinctively knows that the moral purpose behind the use of dress takes precedence over the physical purpose. Hence the idea that man should resort to dress in order to cover his private parts precedes the mention of dress as a means of providing protection and adornment to the human body. In this connection man is altogether different from animals, With regard to the latter, the natural covering that has been granted serves to protect them from the inclemencies of weather and also to beautify their bodies. However, that natural covering is altogether unrelated to the purpose of concealing their sexual organs. The exposure of those organs is not a matter of shame for them and hence their nature is altogether devoid of the urge to cover them. However, as men fell prey to Satanic influences, they developed a false and unhealthy notion about the function of dress. They were led to believe that the function of dress for human beings is no different from that for animals, viz., to protect them from the inclemencies of weather and to make them look attractive. As for concealing the private parts of the body, the importance of that function has been belittled. For men have been misled into believing that their private parts are, in fact, like other organs of their body. As in the case of animals, there is little need for human beings to conceal their sex organs.
Third, the Qur’an emphasizes that it is not enough for the dress to cover the private parts and to provide protection and adornment to the human body. Man’s dress ought to be the dress of piety. This means that a man’s dress ought to conceal his private parts. It should also render a man reasonably presentable – the dress being neither too shabby and cheap nor overly expensive and extravagant relative to his financial standing. Nor should dress smack of pride or hauteur, or reflect that pathological mental state in which men prefer characteristically feminine dresses and vice versa: or that the people belonging to one nation mimic people of other nations so as to resemble them, thereby becoming a living emblem of collective humiliation and abasement. The Qur’anic ideal can only be achieved by those who truly believe in the Prophets and sincerely try to follow God’s Guidance. For as soon as man decides to reject God’s Guidance, Satan assumes his patronage and by one means or another manages to lead him into error after error.
Fourth, the question of dress constitutes one of the numerous signs of God which is visible virtually throughout the world. When the facts mentioned above are carefully considered it will be quite clear as to why dress is an important sign of God.
[365]- The garments of Paradise.
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