Libas (Raiment) and Rish (Adornment)

يَٰبَنِيٓ ءَادَمَ قَدۡ أَنزَلۡنَا عَلَيۡكُمۡ لِبَاسٗا يُوَٰرِي سَوۡءَٰتِكُمۡ وَرِيشٗاۖ وَلِبَاسُ ٱلتَّقۡوَىٰ ذَٰلِكَ خَيۡرٞۚ ذَٰلِكَ مِنۡ ءَايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَذَّكَّرُونَ ٢٦ يَٰبَنِيٓ ءَادَمَ لَا يَفۡتِنَنَّكُمُ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنُ كَمَآ أَخۡرَجَ أَبَوَيۡكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡجَنَّةِ يَنزِعُ عَنۡهُمَا لِبَاسَهُمَا لِيُرِيَهُمَا سَوۡءَٰتِهِمَآۚ إِنَّهُۥ يَرَىٰكُمۡ هُوَ وَقَبِيلُهُۥ مِنۡ حَيۡثُ لَا تَرَوۡنَهُمۡۗ إِنَّا جَعَلۡنَا ٱلشَّيَٰطِينَ أَوۡلِيَآءَ لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤۡمِنُونَ ٢٧

O children of Adam! We have bestowed Libas (raiment) upon you to cover your private parts and as Rish (adornment); and the Libas of the taqwa, that is better. Such are among the Ayat of Allah, that they may remember. O children of Adam! Let not Shaitan deceive you, as he got your parents (Adam and Eve) out of Paradise, stripping them of their libas, to show them their private parts. Verily, he and Qabiluhu (his soldiers from the jinn or his tribe) see you from where you cannot see them. Verily, We made the Shayatin Auliya for those who believe not.

Surah 7 Al-A’raf Verses 26-27

• Allah reminds His servants that He has given them Libas and Rish. Libas refers to the clothes that are used to cover the private parts, while Rish refers to the outer adornments used for purpose of beautification. Therefore, the first type is essential while the second type is complimentary. Ibn Jarir said that Rish includes furniture and outer clothes.
• These verses bring into focus several important points:

1. That the need to cover oneself is not an artificial urge in man; rather it is an important dictate of human nature. Allah has endowed man with the natural instincts of modesty and bashfulness and has inspired in him the urge to cover himself.
2. 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. As men fall prey to satanic influences, the importance of that function has been belittled.
3. The Quran emphasises that it is not enough for the dress to cover private parts and to provide protection and adornment to the human body. Man’s dress ought to be the dress of piety. (When one fears Allah, Allah covers his errors, hence the libas of taqwa)

۞يَٰبَنِيٓ ءَادَمَ خُذُواْ زِينَتَكُمۡ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسۡجِدٖ وَكُلُواْ وَٱشۡرَبُواْ وَلَا تُسۡرِفُوٓاْۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُسۡرِفِينَ ٣١ قُلۡ مَنۡ حَرَّمَ زِينَةَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِيٓ أَخۡرَجَ لِعِبَادِهِۦ وَٱلطَّيِّبَٰتِ مِنَ ٱلرِّزۡقِۚ قُلۡ هِيَ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ فِي ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا خَالِصَةٗ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِۗ كَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ ٱلۡأٓيَٰتِ لِقَوۡمٖ يَعۡلَمُونَ ٣٢

O children of Adam! Take your adornment while praying, and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He likes not Al-Musrifun. Say (O Muhammad, pbuh): ‘Who has forbidden the adornment with clothes given by Allah, which He has produced for His slaves, and At-Tayyibat of food?’ Say: ‘They are, in the life of this world, for those who believe (and) exclusively for them (believers) on the Day of Resurrection’. Thus, do We explain the Ayat in detail for a people who have knowledge.

Surah 7 Al-A’raf Verses 31-32

• The word zinah which occurs in this verse refers to full and proper dress, covering completely the ‘Aurah. Covering of one’s ‘Aurah means: while praying a male must cover himself with clothes from umbilicus of his abdomen up to his knees, and it is better that his both shoulders should be covered. And a female must cover all her body and feet except face, and it is better that both her hands are also covered. The directive to pray in a proper and decent dress is aimed at refuting the misconception by ignorant people down the ages that man should worship Allah either in a nude or semi naked state, or at least has a shabby and unkempt appearance.
• The Ayah (V 7:31) as well as Sunnah encourage wearing the best clothes when praying, especially for Friday and ‘Id Prayers. It is also recommended (for men) to wear perfume for prayer, because it is adornment, and to use Siwak for it is part of what completes adornment.
• The best colour for clothes is white. Narrated Ibn Abbas that Prophet (pbuh) said: ‘Wear white clothes, for it is among your best clothes, and also wrap your dead with it. And Ithmid (antimony) is among the best of your kuhl, for it clears the sight and helps the hair grow’
• Ibn Abbas said: “Eat what you wish and wear what you wish as long as you avoid things: extravagance and arrogance”
• The Prophet (pbuh) said: ‘The son of Adam (pbuh) will not fill a pot worse for himself than his stomach. It is enough for the son of Adam to eat a few bites that strengthens his spine. If he likes to have more, then let him fill a third with food, a third with drink and leave a third for his breathing’
• Allah does not want to subject man to want and misery or starvation, or to deprive him as such of the good things of this worldly life. On the contrary, it pleases Him that a man should appear in good, decent dress and enjoy the clean food provided for Him by Allah. There is nothing sinful in that. As for sin, it consists in transgressing the bounds set by Allah. This transgression could be committed in both ways – by making the unlawful lawful, or by making the lawful unlawful.
• All the clean and beautiful things created by Allah are meant, in principle, for the believers (even in this world) for they are Allah’s faithful subjects, and it is fidelity to Allah that makes one deserve enjoyment of the things which are Allah’s. However, all men are under a test in this world. Hence even those who are disloyal to Allah have been granted respite to mend their ways and are, therefore, not denied His worldly bounties. In fact with a view to testing those disloyal to Allah (as well as those loyal to Allah) the bounties are at times lavished upon the disloyal even more abundantly than the faithful servants. But the character of the Next Life will be totally different. For ones station there will be determined entirely by one’s deeds in this world and his faith. Allah’s bounties in the Next Life, therefore, will be for the faithful alone.

وَقُل لِّلۡمُؤۡمِنَٰتِ يَغۡضُضۡنَ مِنۡ أَبۡصَٰرِهِنَّ وَيَحۡفَظۡنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلَا يُبۡدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنۡهَاۖ وَلۡيَضۡرِبۡنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىٰ جُيُوبِهِنَّۖ وَلَا يُبۡدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوۡ ءَابَآئِهِنَّ أَوۡ ءَابَآءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوۡ أَبۡنَآئِهِنَّ أَوۡ أَبۡنَآءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوۡ إِخۡوَٰنِهِنَّ أَوۡ بَنِيٓ إِخۡوَٰنِهِنَّ أَوۡ بَنِيٓ أَخَوَٰتِهِنَّ أَوۡ نِسَآئِهِنَّ أَوۡ مَا مَلَكَتۡ أَيۡمَٰنُهُنَّ أَوِ ٱلتَّٰبِعِينَ غَيۡرِ أُوْلِي ٱلۡإِرۡبَةِ مِنَ ٱلرِّجَالِ أَوِ ٱلطِّفۡلِ ٱلَّذِينَ لَمۡ يَظۡهَرُواْ عَلَىٰ عَوۡرَٰتِ ٱلنِّسَآءِۖ وَلَا يَضۡرِبۡنَ بِأَرۡجُلِهِنَّ لِيُعۡلَمَ مَا يُخۡفِينَ مِن زِينَتِهِنَّۚ وَتُوبُوٓاْ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تُفۡلِحُونَ ٣١

And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts) and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils all over Juyubihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms) and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands fathers, their sons, their husbands sons, their brothers or their brothers sons, or their sisters sons, or their women, or the (female) slaves whom their right hands possess, or old male servants who lack vigour, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And all of you beg Allah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful.

Surah 24 An-Nur Verse 31

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