Once again the beauty and diversity of the design and planning of the Quranic ayahs are manifest here. My series of discussion is labelled “an Ayah of the Quran…….”. However I was literally compelled to add the next two ayahs to complete the sense of subject under discussion. In the past I have selected part of an ayah under the banner of “ an Ayah of the Quran”. In many popular tafaaseer, a long surah is read as revolving around and dilating on two or three topics sequentially like the kuffars, Jews, Christians or the Hypocrites. On the other hand, it is now well established that the Quranic ayahs are collected together in a meaningful way to identify the whole Quran in seven meaningful groups, each having a central idea with supplementary ones wound around it; each group includes both Makki and Madni surahs.

Halal and haraam are perpetual subjects in our daily discourse and daily actions; frequently these are responsible for heated debates; to many these are a constant source of anguish. “To do or not to do” is a frequent dilemma in the day to day following of religious practices. These three ayahs have tackled beautifully the issue of what is prohibited—haram— and show up with clear and logical answers.
The first ayah starts with an address يا بَني آدَمَ —“Yabani Adam’’. This points to Quraysh and Arabs. The reference to Adam refreshes one’s memory to history of Adam and satan. The legacy of Adam, explains and tutors mankind “that the devil is their eternal enemy; to befriend him and to follow his command is to befriend the enemy of himself and his father”.
 The first instruction in the first of the three index ayahs reads: خُذوا زينَتَكُم rendered as “wear your beautiful apparel”. Zenat or or zinah refers to adornments for beautifying. In addition to clothes it includes toilet, cleanliness, hair style and other personal details that is part of our daily living. This should be played out more intensely in the presence of God. Similarly a good balance has to be maintained between good/ wholesome food and luxury/wastefulness on the dining table. “A dirty, unkept, slovenly Faqir could not claim sanctity in Islam.”

This advice is necessitated by the absurd custom of the Quraish that they would limit eating and drinking during the days of Hajj to no more than what would keep them alive. They particularly abstained from butter, oil, milk and other pure eatables. It is stressed in this ayah that these practices have nothing to with religion and were disliked by God Almighty. In fact, covering the body properly is the first human and Islamic obligation on everyone, mandatory under all conditions; much more so in Salah and Tawaaf. More than this, labelling dress as “zinah” spotlights that dress is not only to cover the body but to grace and garnish it. It is reported that it was the practice of Sayyidna Hasan to don his best dress for Salah. He would say that Allah loves beauty, hence I dress beautifully to please my Lord; he would then recite this ayah.

The term adornment or Zinah in the Quran can have both positive and negative implications. It can refer to God’s provision to human beings of beauty and status. However, these are also potential sources of pride and temptation which in turn are potential sources of deviation from God and Hereafter. Zeenat refers to both clothing and ornaments. Here most probably it refers to clothing since it follows closely after the account of Satan stripping Adam and Eve of their attire. According to Nasser et al in their modern tafseer “The Study Quran” there are reports that “indicate that the Quraysh had established a rule that the only clothing that could be worn and the only food that could be eaten in the sacred precincts of Makkah were the clothing and food of the Quraysh, since they were the “people of the Sacred Mosque.” Any who wished to enter the sacred precincts of Makkah and perform the pilgrimage thus had to borrow or buy clothing from the Quraysh and eat their food or go naked and abstain from eating. The importance of zinah is sustained by a hadith of the Holy Prophet saying that people should groom themselves when attending prayer, including putting on perfume and their best apparel.

An authentic hadith is quite relevant here. It is reported by Muslim on the authority of Urwah who quotes his father, a companion of the Prophet, as saying: “The Arabs used to do ţawāf around the Kabah completely naked with the exception of the Hums, a title given to the Quraysh people and their descendants. They would go around the Sacred House in the nude unless they wore clothes given them by the Hums. Some of the men of Quraysh might give some of their clothes to other men and their women might give to other women. During pilgrimage, the Hums would stay at Muzdalifah, going no further, while the rest of the pilgrims would go as far as Arafat. They justified this by saying: ‘We, the Quraysh, are the dwellers of the Ĥaram (i.e. the sacred area)’. No person from the rest of Arabia may do ţawāf wearing any clothes other than our clothes or eating any food other than ours. Thus, any Arab who did not have a friend in Makkah to lend him a garment, or did not have the money to hire such a garment, faced the choice of either doing ţawāf naked or wearing his own clothes which he must throw away after he completed his ţawāf. No one else was allowed to touch those clothes after they had been thrown away. Such clothes were considered as discarded clothes, or liqā.”

There are suggestions in the literature that adornment referred to in our discussion is spiritual rather than materiel in nature. Al-Qushayrī (عبد ا لكريم بن هوازن بن عبد الملك بن طلحة أبو القاسم القشيري) an Arab Muslim scholar and theologian compares the adornment of the souls of believers with the marks of prostration on their foreheads and the adornments of the hearts with the “lights of being (wujud)”. Further more, adornment may be related to any type of beautification. For example, a hadith of the Holy Prophet gives it an entirely different color. This hadith narrates that “the Prophet instructs one of his followers to avoid excesses in asceticism and to reject the ascetic impulse to abstain from, among other things, owning property, eating meat, having children, or wearing perfume .” All these can be labelled as “adornment” but they are lawful within the limits of moderation and rectitude. The believers share such adornments with the non-believers in the earthly life. But it will be exclusive for them in the after life.

The eminent scholar Imam Amin Ashan Islahi introduces some nuances on this subject in his tafseer “Mudabbar-ul-Quran. خُذوا زينَتَكُم “wear your beautiful apparel” does not refer to fancy clothes, but simple clothes, he maintains. Simplicity and dervishness has been associated with Hajj since the Days of Sayyidna Ibrahim. The use of Ahram is its best example. One of the many innovations introduced by Arabs was extension of the concept of Ahram ie simplicity into nudity for both men and women. The Quran definitely corrected this novelty. The ayah strongly recommends to wear clothes, not necessarily fancy clothes when attending every Musjid. Second, the use of the term “Al Masjid” rules that there should be no distinction between haram and non-haram.

The outstanding scholar and activist Sayyid Qutb has expressed extended and acid remarks in his monumental tafseer “Fee Dilalil Quran”. It makes interesting and valuable reading but needs critical evaluation. See for yourself:
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The quranic style of the second ayah is very meaningful and challenging. It frowns قُل مَن حَرَّمَ زينَةَ اللَّهِ ie “Say: Who hath forbidden the beautiful (gifts) of God”. In other words nobody dare to prohibit what God has allowed. More so, as the ayah points “which He hath produced for His servants,” الَّتي أَخرَجَ لِعِبادِهِ
Hence it is pointless if not nonsensical to deny a thing to a person for whom it is ordained by God in the first place.

I would like to share with you an opinion of the research scholar Javaid Ahmed Ghamdii on this subject expressed in very graceful and captivating style in his first rate tafseer Al Bayan: “The word zaenat comes in the Arabic language for those things with which a person decorates something to satisfy his sense of aesthetics. Therefore, clothes, ornaments, etc. are adornments of the body; Curtains, sofas, carpets, rugs, statues, pictures and other furniture adorn homes; Gardens, buildings, and other such things adorn cities; music and melody are the adornment of the voice and poetry is the ornament of words.” He further elaborates “The Sufi interpretation of religion and the Sufi religions consider all these things to b:e a trap of maya and in general they declare them as forbidden or abominable or as an obstacle to spiritual evolution. But this is not the point of view of the Qur’an. In this verse, HE has asked in a very severe warning and threatening manner that who dares to declare the things of sustenance and adornment as haram that God has created for His servants? These last words are proof that no work of God is in vain. He has created these things so that His servants can use them while staying within the limits of God. Their very existence is proof that no undue restriction can be imposed on their use.”

It should be emphasized that these ayahs have drawn a different picture of Islamic directives on ornamentation from the prevalent and generally accepted trend. It can be seen that we are encouraged to enjoy the blessings of Allah. This certainly should not be regarded as contrary to faith or piety. God Almighty declares in these ayahs that HE has created these benefits and bounties specially for the people of faith. This is an amazing declaration clashing and counter to the prevailing concepts and teachings of mystical religions. Far from restraining the believers from these embellishment and decorations in life it urges and spurs towards them with the provision of staying away from extravagance and wastefulness. However, the believers are reminded to stay within the limits of God and thank HIM for these blessings.

Talking of dress, a reference to “satr” seems appropriate. It defines the part of the body that has to be compulsorily covered (fard) all the time and particularly during salah and tawaf. The Quran refers to it briefly but the the Holy Prophet has fully explained it. According to him, the Satr of men is from the navel to the knees, and the Satr of women is the whole body except the face and both palms and feet.
According to Raghib Isfahani (Persian: ابوالقاسم حسین ابن محمّد الراغب الاصفهانی), an eleventh-century Muslim scholar of Qur’anic exegesis and the Arabic language, zinah is “a [beautifying] thing that does not disgrace or render unseemly … either in the present world or in that which is to come”. “…thus, it signifies anything of beauty in both the physical and moral connotations of the word” comments Dr. Mohammed Asad in his celebrated tafseer “The Message of the Quran”. He further adds “By declaring that all good and beautiful things of life – i.e., those which are not expressly prohibited – are lawful to the believers, the Qur’an condemns, by implication, all forms of life-denying asceticism, world-renunciation and self mortification.”
God Almighty certainly does not want to deprive humans of the good things in life. HE insists on the use of good decent dress and clean food provided by HIM. It becomes a sin when the limits are violated and the unlawful is made lawful and vice vera. Islam values art and beauty and therefore rejects Asceticism, and refuses any sanctity associated with it. “Prohibited in God’s law is extravagance only, which should be avoided at all costs.”

It should be stressed that these good and beautiful things are allowed to and enjoyed by disbelievers also in this world. However, in the hereafter these would be exclusive for the believers. Strictly speaking, only the believers have earned the right to these beautiful things because of their faith in God and their fidelity towards HIM. However according to the Divine scheme, total humanity is under scrutiny in this life. Hence the unbelievers also are recipients of the good things in life. Paradoxically, they may obtain and acquire a large share of these things as a challenge to the believers. In the next life, the pattern changes entirely. Righteousness and justice are now the sole criteria. Hence the faithful alone will be the winners; the unfaithful will have no share.

Mufti Mohammed Shafi, in his masterly tafseer Ma’aariful Quran has categorized thus:^[4]

The third ayahs comes out with a list of the forbidden things in the Shari’ah. Allama Yousuf Ali, in his voluminous tafseer divides this list into four categories:
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Oblivious adultery, whether done openly or secretly, is prohibited in all circumstances. “For this, the plural word has been used so that it includes adultery, infidelity , fornication and all such crimes. Exposing the genitals to others, revealing sexual affairs or committing fornication, the word fornication covers all these” elaborates Ghamdi.

The word وَالإِثمَ “ithm” can be rendered variously. It may denote negligence and dereliction of duty. It can also convey usurping the rights of others. It carries the idea of sin. It refers to man’s failure in his duty towards his Creator and HIS good pleasure.

God has set strict limits to man’s sphere of activity. Exceeding limits constitutes “rebellion and transgression” and is referred to as “baghy” وَالبَغيَ in the Quran. It will be applicable to all those who ignoring the rights of God act on their own whims as if they are the true masters of God’s kingdom and usurping the prerogatives of God. It also applies to all those who usurp the rights of others. This word can also be rendered as tyranny “which connotes oppression and overweening arrogance as well as rebelliousness”. “Outward and inward sins” refer to public and private sins respectively. It could be also construed as an outward sinful action and its inward intention.

It is a general impression that comes out in any discussion on religion that Islam recommends and encourages excessive frugality and stinginess. This not true. There are examples when the more fortunate our early righteous elders and imams would wear elegant and expensive dresses. It is rarely mentioned that even the Holy Prophet has used, whenever he could afford best of dresses. According to one narration, once when he came out, there was on his blessed body a Rida the price of which was one thousand dirhams. In another report by Imam Abu Hanifah, he had used a Rida worth four hundred guineas. Another example: Imam Malik always used stylish and tasteful dresses. After using a pair for a day he would gift it to some poor student. He could easily do this because one of his admirers had undertaken to provide him with three hundred and sixty pairs of dresses annually for his use. This sort of attitude was based on a hadith of our beloved Prophet wherein he has said when Allah Ta’ala blesses a servant of HIS with extended means, He likes to see the effect of His blessing on things around him, his dress being one them. It is like expressing gratitude to God who bestowed this blessing on him. By contrast it would be ingratitude to the Almighty to use sloppy and shabby attire if he could afford otherwise. However this attitude should be free from hypocrisy/exhibitionism and from pride/ arrogance.

It is reported that Sayyidna Umer Farooq and some other sahabah did continue to use very modest and humble dress, apparently for two reasons. First, they preferred to spend their limited income for the destitute and impoverished. Second, as leaders of the community they desired to set a good example for the rich to follow.

At this point, one is not only justified but forced to ask “what is forbidden in God’s law?” The third index ayah responds clearly and resolves this quandary. Apart from food and drink, the ayah declares that only five things are forbidden in our Shari’ah:
(1) Fornication الفَواحِشَ
(2) Ithm; وَالإِثمَ; the loss of rights; covers all sins which fall on one personally
(3) Baghy; وَالبَغيَ: injustice; wrongful excess; included here are sins which relate to rights and dealings as concerning others
(4) Polytheism أَن تُشرِكوا ; the associating of partners with Allah, and the forging of lies against Him.
(5) Innovation. وَأَن تَقولوا عَلَى اللَّهِ ما لا تَعلَمونَ
These are the five things forbidden in God’s law. Nothing else is forbidden in the shari’ah, apart from food and drink as stated earlier. What establishes this strong statement that I have made? The word إِنَّما in the ayah قُل إِنَّما حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ stands for “only” in the Arabic language according to the research scholar Javaid Ahmed Ghamdi. All “traditions, monuments, hadiths and the statements of the previous scriptures” will be scrutinized against this background.

It may be mentioned in passing that the ayah following the index ayahs clearly describes their sad end and the punishment they would have in the Hereafter. It is said: “And for every people there is an appointed time. So, when their appointed time comes, they will not be late for a moment, nor will they go before”

To sum up, it is thus clear that benefiting from the blessings of Allah is neither contrary to faith, nor to piety, nor to devotion. Allah has created these things for the people of faith, so they are entitled to them. The disbelievers benefit from these blessings of Allah also because of HIS mercy and the respite that has been given to them under HIS scheme of trial and assessment of humanity in this world. But, in the Hereafter, these will be exclusive for all the believers; the unbelievers will have no share in them; they will be deprived of them forever. This declaration of the Qur’an, if you think about it, is an amazing declaration. Contrary to common religious concepts and the teachings of mystical religions, the Qur’an presents a completely different concept of religious life. Instead of admonishing them to give up worldly adornments for the sake of nearness to God and receiving Allah, HE encourages believers to avoid extravagance and wastefulness and to use all things of adornment without hesitation while staying within the limits of God. And thank God for these blessings. Lastly the Quran opens up here openly, comprehensibly and incontrovertibly to provide us, the believers of a complete list of things which are forbidden and off-limits beyond any ambiguity. It makes life easier; at least I feel so.

For those interested, there is a comparable article written earlier:
“The basic commands and prohibitions for Muslims; Declared in the holy Quran” 

……..and Allah knows best.
May Allah Ta’aala bless us with true understanding–“fahm”–of our Deen, Aameen.

Dr. Khalid Mitha