English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 7: Al-Araf — The Elevated Places (Revealed at Makkah: 24 sections, 206 verses)
Section 3 (Verses 7:26–7:31): Warning against the Devil’s Insinuations
Translation:
یٰبَنِیۡۤ اٰدَمَ قَدۡ اَنۡزَلۡنَا عَلَیۡکُمۡ لِبَاسًا یُّوَارِیۡ سَوۡاٰتِکُمۡ وَ رِیۡشًا ؕ وَ لِبَاسُ التَّقۡوٰی ۙ ذٰلِکَ خَیۡرٌ ؕ ذٰلِکَ مِنۡ اٰیٰتِ اللّٰہِ لَعَلَّہُمۡ یَذَّکَّرُوۡنَ ﴿۲۶﴾
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.1 This is of the messages of Allah that they may be mindful.
یٰبَنِیۡۤ اٰدَمَ لَا یَفۡتِنَنَّکُمُ الشَّیۡطٰنُ کَمَاۤ اَخۡرَجَ اَبَوَیۡکُمۡ مِّنَ الۡجَنَّۃِ یَنۡزِعُ عَنۡہُمَا لِبَاسَہُمَا لِیُرِیَہُمَا سَوۡاٰتِہِمَا ؕ اِنَّہٗ یَرٰىکُمۡ ہُوَ وَ قَبِیۡلُہٗ مِنۡ حَیۡثُ لَا تَرَوۡنَہُمۡ ؕ اِنَّا جَعَلۡنَا الشَّیٰطِیۡنَ اَوۡلِیَآءَ لِلَّذِیۡنَ لَا یُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ ﴿۲۷﴾
7:27 O children of Adam, do not let the devil seduce you, as he expelled your parents from the garden, pulling off from them both their clothing that he might show them their shame.2 He surely sees you, he as well as his company, from where you do not see them. Surely We have made the devils to be the friends of those who do not believe.3
وَ اِذَا فَعَلُوۡا فَاحِشَۃً قَالُوۡا وَجَدۡنَا عَلَیۡہَاۤ اٰبَآءَنَا وَ اللّٰہُ اَمَرَنَا بِہَا ؕ قُلۡ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ لَا یَاۡمُرُ بِالۡفَحۡشَآءِ ؕ اَتَقُوۡلُوۡنَ عَلَی اللّٰہِ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ ﴿۲۸﴾
7:28 And when they commit an indecency they say: We found our fathers doing this, and Allah has commanded us to do it. Say: Surely Allah does not command indecency. Do you say of Allah what you do not know?
قُلۡ اَمَرَ رَبِّیۡ بِالۡقِسۡطِ ۟ وَ اَقِیۡمُوۡا وُجُوۡہَکُمۡ عِنۡدَ کُلِّ مَسۡجِدٍ وَّ ادۡعُوۡہُ مُخۡلِصِیۡنَ لَہُ الدِّیۡنَ ۬ؕ کَمَا بَدَاَکُمۡ تَعُوۡدُوۡنَ ﴿ؕ۲۹﴾
7:29 Say: My Lord commands (the doing of) 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.
فَرِیۡقًا ہَدٰی وَ فَرِیۡقًا حَقَّ عَلَیۡہِمُ الضَّلٰلَۃُ ؕ اِنَّہُمُ اتَّخَذُوا الشَّیٰطِیۡنَ اَوۡلِیَآءَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰہِ وَ یَحۡسَبُوۡنَ اَنَّہُمۡ مُّہۡتَدُوۡنَ ﴿۳۰﴾
7:30 Some has He guided, and others — error is justly their due.4 Surely they took the devils for friends instead of Allah, and they think that they are rightly guided.
یٰبَنِیۡۤ اٰدَمَ خُذُوۡا زِیۡنَتَکُمۡ عِنۡدَ کُلِّ مَسۡجِدٍ وَّ کُلُوۡا وَ اشۡرَبُوۡا وَ لَا تُسۡرِفُوۡا ۚ اِنَّہٗ لَا یُحِبُّ الۡمُسۡرِفِیۡنَ ﴿٪۳۱﴾
7:31 O children of Adam, attend to your adornment at every time of prayer, and eat and drink and do not be extravagant; surely He does not love the extravagant.5
Commentary:
- Clothing at first simply served to cover shame; with further progress people sought to embellish their persons with it; but there is yet a third kind of clothing, says the Quran, which is the best, and that is the clothing of piety, literally the clothing that guards one against evil. It indicates a further step in the progress of man, for virtue is an embellishment of the mind, and when man has seen the good of embellishing his person, he will soon be aware of the necessity of embellishing his mind. ↩︎
- That the clothing for the body is not meant here is clear from the fact that all men and women are warned against a similar attack of the devil. As to the clothing of which Adam was divested, there remains no doubt, when it is seen that the devil tries to divest every child of Adam of the same clothing: it is the clothing that guards against evil. ↩︎
- It is because they do not believe in the Truth that the devils are made their friends. Those who sever their connection with the Source of purity must fall into impurity. ↩︎
- Error is justly their due because they have taken the devils for their friends. Whoever continues to follow the devil must surely remain in error. ↩︎
- Attending to one’s adornment carries a double significance here. It requires adorning oneself physically, i.e. being clean and clothed appropriately for prayer, especially for the Friday and ‘Īd gatherings. But what is specially aimed at is adornment in a spiritual sense. A Muslim must attend to inner beautification, for prayer is really meant as an aid to the beauty of the soul. He must come to prayer with a heart free from all impurities and full of the highest aspirations and noblest sentiments. ↩︎