7. Surah Al-A'raaf

In the second verse (27), the address reverts to all children of Adam (علیہ السلام) and the admonition given is that they should keep guarding against the deception of Shaytan in everything they do under whatever circumstance they are - lest, Shaytan puts them on another trial as he did with their parents, 'Adam and Eve. He made them leave Paradise, caused them to shed their dress and render their essential cover to be uncovered. He was their eternal enemy. His enmity was something, they were never to lose sight of. At the end of the verse, it was said: إِنَّهُ يَرَ‌اكُمْ هُوَ وَقَبِيلُهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا تَرَ‌وْنَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا الشَّيَاطِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ Indeed, he sees you - he and his company - from where you do not see them. Surely, We have made the satans friends forthose who do not believe - (27). Here, the word: قَبِیل (qabil) means company or group. A joined family group is called: Qabilah or tribe. Common groups are known as qabil. The sense of the verse is: For you the Satan is a kind of enemy that he and his accomplices do see you but you do not see them. Therefore, the chances that you would fall a victim to their deception are fairly strong. But, in other verses, it has also been clarified that people who keep turning to Allah Ta` ala and maintain their guard against the deception of Shaytan, for them, the wily web of Shaytan is much too weak. Then, what has been said at the end of this verse - that ` We have made the satans friends and guardians of those who do not believe' - also indicates that those who believe should not find staying away from their web of deception at all difficult. Some righteous elders have said that the defence against the enemy who sees us but we cannot see him is simple. Let us come under the protection of Allah Ta` ala. He sees these satans, watches how they move and act - but they cannot see Him. And the statement, that human beings cannot see Shaytan, is in terms of general conditions and habit. If a human being were to see them contra-habitually, that would not be considered contrary to it - as is the case of Jinns coming to the Holy Prophet ﷺ who asked questions and embraced Islam, which appears in authentic narrations of Hadith. (Ruh al-Ma'ani)

Commentary Before Islam, one of the many shameful and absurd customs Shaytan had made the people of ` Arab Jahiliyyah follow was that no one, other than the Quraysh, could make the Tawaf of Ka'bah in one's own clothes. Instead of that, the requirement was to borrow a dress from a Qurayshi, otherwise, make the Tawaf naked. Mmmm50 As obvious, the Quraysh could not provide clothes to the whole people of Arabia, therefore, the consequence was that these people would make Tawaf mostly naked, men and women, both, with women usually doing their Tawaf in the darkness of the night. Then, they would explain the satanic expediency of this act by saying: The clothes wearing which we have committed sins are clothes in which making the Tawaf of the Ka'bah is contrary to etiquette (so devoid of commonsense they were that it did not occur to them that making their Tawaf naked was far more contrary to etiquette, and still more so, contrary to human dignity itself) and the only exception to this rule was the tribe of Quraysh which, because they were the servants of the sacred Haram, was not bound to follow this law of nudity.' The first verse among those cited above has been revealed to identify and eliminate this absurd custom. It was said in the verse that on occasions when they did something shameful and people told them not to do so, their answer to them would be that their forefathers and elders have been doing so all along, and now for them, to forsake their practice was a matter of shame. Then, they also said that this was what Allah had told them to do. (Ibn Kathir) In this verse, 'al-faihsha,' according to most commentators means this very naked Tawaf. In fact, fuhsh, fahsha and fahishah refer to every evil act the evil of which reaches the farthest limits and is all too loud and clear in terms of commonsense and sound taste (Mazhari). Then, that its good and bad becomes quite rational too, is something which stands established universally. (Rub al-Ma'ani) Then, come the two arguments they advanced in support of the continuance of this absurd custom. One of these was the need to follow ancestral customs, that is, maintaining these was good in itself. The answer to this proposition was fairly clear as the blind following of ancestral customs was not something reasonable. Even a person of average commonsense can understand that a method cannot be justified on the basis that one's forefathers used to do so. If the methods used by forefathers were to be taken to be sufficient to justify the legitimacy of an action, then, the fact is that forefathers of different peoples of the world used to act differently, even contradictorily. This argument will, then, render all erroneous methods of the whole world to be correct and permissible. In short, this argument advanced by these ignorant people did not deserve attention. Therefore, the Qur'an has not considered it necessary to answer this question here. Though, in some Hadith narrations, it has been answered by saying that an act of ignorance which may have been committed by one's forefathers could hardly be worth following by any stretch of imagination. The second argument in favour of their naked Tawaf advanced by these people was that Allah had ordered them to do so. This was a flagrant lie. They were attributing to Allah what He had never commanded. Addressing the Holy Prophet ﷺ the answer given was: قُلْ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يَأْمُرُ‌ بِالْفَحْشَاءِ (Allah never bids anything shameful) – because commanding people to do something like that is against His wisdom and counter to His state of being the Purest of the pure. Then, taken to task was their false and untrue, attribution to Allah. They were warned with the words: أَتَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللَّـهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ (Do you say about Allah what you do not know?). It means that they were attributing a falsity to Allah without having an evidence in support; and it is obvious that attributing something to someone without proper investigation and authority is an act of rank effrontery and patent injustice. Then if done in the case of Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu, reporting anything so falsely will be a crime and injustice the magnitude of which cannot be imagined. At this point, let it be understood clearly that the respected Mujtahid Imams, when they deduce, formulate and describe injunctions which appear in the verses of the Qur'an through Ijtihad, that effort does not fall under the purview of this verse. The reason is that their deduction is a process which operates under the justification of the very words and meanings of the Qur'an.

Said in the second verse was: قُلْ أَمَرَ‌ رَ‌بِّي بِالْقِسْطِ (Say, "My Lord has bid-den me to do justice). Here, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been asked to tell those ignorant people, who were falsely attributing the justification of their naked Tawaf towards Allah, that Allah always commands justice. The word used here is: اَقِسط (al-qist) which essentially means justice, balance and moderation. At this place, ` al-qist' refers to a conduct which is free of excess or deficiency, that is, which neither falls short, nor exceeds the appointed limits - as is the case with all injunctions of the Shari'ah. Therefore, under this sense of qist' included there are all acts of worship and obedience as well as all general injunctions of the Shari'ah. (Ruh al-Ma'ani) After having stated the command of justice and moderation, two injunctions of the Shari'ah relevant to their erroneous conduct have been particularly mentioned. These are: وَأَقِيمُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ (and yourself be aright at each occasion of prostration) and: وَادْعُوهُ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ (and pray to Him with pure faith in Him). The first command relates to what one does physically and outwardly. The other belongs to the heart, the spiritual dimension. In the first injunction, the word: مسجِد (Masjid), according to most commentators, appears in the sense of prostration (sajdah, sujud or ‘Ibadah) and it means that one should be aright at the time of every Salah or any other act of worship. It could also mean that one should make an effort and be particular to keep one's orientation straight towards the Qiblah. And being aright or keeping the orientation straight could also mean that one should sub-ordinate everything one says or does to what Allah has commanded, maintaining an orientation and stance that never varies, never dwindles and moves elsewhere. Given this meaning, this injunction will not remain particular for Salah only - instead, it would comprehend all acts of worship, dealings and transactions. The second injunction means that one should worship Allah, purely and exclusively, without associating in that act anyone else in any capacity, even to the limit that such worship should also be free from, and untainted with, what is known as al-Shirk al-Khafiyy (concealed Shirk of associating others with the Divinity of Allah), that is, hypocrisy and riya' (show off). By mentioning both injunctions together, the indication being given could be that one must correct, align and synchronize both dimensions of one's person, the outward and the inward, the physical and the spiritual, with the injunctions of the Shari'ah. Not enough is obvious obedience (Ita` ah) without sincerity (Ikhlas), nor can simple sincerity of the heart become sufficient without following the Shari` ah as visible outwardly too. Instead of that, it is binding on everyone that one should correct and align one's outward bearings in accordance with the Shari` ah and never forget to keep his or her inward state of being too reserved for Allah Ta` ala alone. This helps us see the error (dichotomy) of those who take Shari` ah (the outward or physical adherence to faith) and Tariqah (the inward or spiritual adherence to faith) as two different ways to approach religion. Some of them would even presume that it was sufficient to correct one's inward dimension as shown by Tariqah - even if they go about doing what is contrary to the Shari` ah! This is a gaping error. At the end of the verse (29), it was said: كَمَا بَدَأَكُمْ تَعُودُونَ (As He originated you, so you will return). It means that it was He who created you first and it will be He who will make you rise again on the day of Qiyamah. For His perfect power, this was not difficult at all. Perhaps to indicate this element of convenience what was said here is: تَعُودُونَ (ta` udun: you will return) and not: یُعِیدُکُم ' (We shall make you rise) since making to rise again requires not much action. (Ruh al-Ma'ani) There is an additional benefit of introducing this sentence here. It helps one in abiding by the injunctions of the Shari’ ah - because it is the realization that there is a life-to-come, and a Last Day, the Day of Qiyamah, and reward or punishment for deeds, good or bad, which makes what is difficult easy, and what is painful bearable. Experience bears out that man is a tough customer. Unless one is under such grip-ping apprehension, no word of advice can make him do what is right, nor can the restriction of any law stop him from going into crimes.

In the third verse (30), it was said that there are people Allah has guided right while there are others who have provided the proof of their erroneous conduct, because they have, bypassing Allah, made satans their comrades, and they presume that they are on the right path. The sense is that the guidance of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta` ala was open to all, but they turned away from it and started following satans, then, on top of it, they were led to think that their sickness was health, and their error, guidance. This verse tells us that not knowing the injunctions of the Shari` ah is no valid excuse. If someone takes to a way of error thinking it to be correct with full sincerity, he will not be considered excusable in the sight of Allah. - because Allah has given everyone reason and common-sense to use it and distinguish the true from the false. Then, man was not left to rely on his reason alone. He sent prophets and books. They made the right and wrong and the true and false all too clear. Now someone may doubt that a person who is acting in good faith, though in error, should not have any blame coming to him. He should be excused because he is not aware of his error. The answer is that Allah Ta` ala has blessed human beings with reason and sense with the added benefit of the teachings of the noble prophets, may peace be upon them all. At least, through these, he should be able to compare his method and way with that suggested by them. There has to be some doubt or pinch or question in his mind. Now, his fault is that he did not pay any attention to what they taught and kept sticking to the way of error he had taken to. However, a person who has striven his best in the quest of truth, yet failed to find the right path and true teaching, may be found excusable in the sight of Allah - as Imam al-Ghazali has said in his book, Al-Tafriqah Bayn al-Islam wa Al-zandaqah واللہ اَعلَم .

In the fourth verse (31), it was said: ` 0 children of 'Adam, take along what looks good on you to every mosque. And eat and drink and do not be extravagant. Surely, He does not like the extravagant'. In the way the ` Arabs of Jahiliyyah used to take the making of the Tawaf of the Ka'bah naked as the correct method of worship and an act of reverence for the House of Allah, they also had a custom that they would skip eating and drinking during the days of Hajj. They would eat no more than what would keep them alive. They particularly abstained from butter oil, milk and other pure eatables. (Ibn Jarir) The present verse was revealed against this absurd practice. It enjoined that they should abstain from it because making Tawaf naked was an act of immodesty and bad manners. Similarly, doing the re-verse of it, that is, abstaining from good food given by Allah Ta` ala without any valid excuse had hardly anything to do with religion. In fact, forbidding on themselves what Allah had made lawful for them was effrontery and excess in an act of worship, something disliked by Allah. Therefore, eat and drink as you wish during the days of Hajj, but do not be extravagant. Totally abstaining from Halal foods is also included under extravagance. Then, becoming heedless to the real objectives of Hajj and the Dhikr of Allah and remaining busy with nothing but eating and drinking is also included under extravagance. Though this verse has been revealed to eradicate a particular custom of nudity in the ` Arab Jahiliyyah which they demonstrated at the time of Tawaf in the name of reverence for the Ka'bah, but the Imams of Tafsir and the Jurists of Muslim Ummah unanimously agree that the revelation of an injunction in relation to a particular event does not mean that that injunction is restricted to the same event. Instead, what is considered here is the generality of words. The injunction, then, applies on everything that falls under the generality of these words. Covering the Body Properly is Obligatory : There is No Salah Without it Therefore, the majority of Sahabah and Tabi'in, and the Mujtahid, Imams, have deduced many injunctions from this verse. The most important of them is about Salah. As making Tawaf naked has been prohibited in this verse, the ruling applies identically to Salah as well which becomes Haram (forbidden) and false and futile - because the Holy Prophet ﷺ has said in a Hadith: اَلطَوَافُ بِالب ؓ َیتِ صَلوٰۃُ (The Tawaf of the House [ of Allah ] is Salah). In addition to that, since the majority of commentators agree that the word, ` masjid' in this verse itself means Sajdah (sujud, prostration), the prohibition of nudity in the state of Sajdah becomes explicitly inclusive in this verse. Now, if this is prohibited in Sajdah, then, it will obviously stand prohibited in all other movements of Salah such as Ruku`, Qiyam and Qu` ud. Then, the statement of the Holy Prophet ﷺ itself has made it more evident. It also appears in Hadith that the Salah of any adult woman is not permissible without proper head and body cover (khimar, rida, chadar, dupatta or large scarf) (Tirmidhi). That covering the body properly is obligatory in conditions other than Salah as well stands proved from other verses of the Qur'an and the narrations of Hadith - one such verse has already appeared a little earlier: يَا بَنِي آدَمَ قَدْ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ لِبَاسًا يُوَارِ‌ي سَوْآتِكُمْ We have sent down to you clothing that covers your shame - 26.' To sum up, it can be said that covering the body properly is the first human and Islamic obligation on everyone which is mandatory under all conditions - and, in Salah and Tawaf, it is obligatory in the first degree. A Good Dress For Salah The verse brings out another rule of conduct. By calling dress: ` Zinah,' (adornment), the hint given is that the preferred practice in Salah is that one should not limit himself to only covering his body functionally, but choose to wear what adorns, looks becoming - of course, within one's means. It was the habit of Sayyidna Hasan ؓ ، that he would wear his best dress at the time of Salah saying: Allah Ta` ala loves beauty, therefore, I dress myself beautifully to please my Lord for He has said: خُذُوا زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ (take along what looks good on you to every mosque). So, we can see that this verse proves two things, that covering the body properly is obligatory in Salah and that it is recommended and merit-worthy to wear a neat, clean and good dress, within means. Salah and Dress : Some Rulings The third problem at this place is about سَتر Satr, that is, the parts of the body to be concealed, concealing which is, under all conditions, and specially in Salah and Tawaf, an obligation (Fard) - so, what are its limits? The Qur'an has given a command briefly - its details have been entrusted with the Holy Prophet ﷺ . He explained it in details. He told us that 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, which are exempt. All these details appear in Hadith narrations. For men, if the body below the navel, or if the knees are open, then, such a dress is a sin in itself, and Salah too does not get to be performed in it as due and proper. Similarly, if the head, neck or arms or shin or calf of a woman are open, then, her being dressed like that is impermissible in itself, and Salah too does not get to performed as due and proper. Says the Hadith: ` A home in which there is a woman with her head uncovered, angels of good would not come there. That the face of a woman, her palms and feet which have been exempted from Satr (the parts of body covering and concealing which is obligatory) means that, should these be open during the Salah it will cause no defect in Salah It never means that a woman would be moving freely even before non-Mahram man (marriage with whom is permissible) with her face open without a valid excuse as admitted by the Shari’ ah of Islam. As for this injunction, it is related to the obligation of covering the body properly (Satr) which is sine qua non for Salah - that is, it stands as if not performed at all. And since what is required in Salah is not the functional covering of the body alone, instead, the advice given is to wear a dress which looks good on one (Zinah), therefore, for men to make Salah bare-headed, or doing it with shoulders or elbows open, is Makruh (reprehensible or disliked) - whether the shirt itself be half-sleeved, or has been rolled up, the Salah remains Makruh after all. Similarly, Salah remains Makruh in a dress one would not prefer to wear before friends, or in public, as something unbecoming - for example, wearing an undershirt alone - without a shirt, even if it has full sleeves; or, skipping the wearing of a cap and making do with some cloth piece or a tiny handkerchief knotted or tucked round the head. When no regular person would like to appear before friends or others in that head-bare state, how would that become desirable as a mode of appearance before Allah, the Master of all the worlds? That Salah is Makruh when offered with bare head, shoulders and elbows has been inferred from the word: زِینَۃ (zinah: what looks good) of this Qur'anic verse, and also from the clarifications of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . To recapitulate, it can be said that the injunction in this verse was primarily revealed to eradicate the custom of nudity in pagan Arabia (the age of Jahiliyyah), but the generality of its words yielded other in-junctions and rulings as well. Similar is the case with the second sentence in the verse: كُلُوا وَاشْرَ‌بُوا وَلَا تُسْرِ‌فُوا ، (Eat and drink and do not be extravagant). Though, this too was revealed to erase the custom of Arab Jahiliyyah that they would take eating good food during the days of Hajj as sin, but, here too, the generality of words helps prove many injunctions and rulings. Eating and Drinking as Needed is Obligatory To begin with, eating and drinking is obligatory on everyone from the point of view of the Shari'ah as well. If anyone abandons eating and drinking despite having the ability to do so, to the limit that he dies, or becomes too weak even to fulfill what is obligatory on him, then, this person shall be sinning and committing a crime in the sight of Allah. Legality Operates until Proved Otherwise One ruling deduced from this verse, as specified by Al-Jassas in his Ahkam al-Qur'an, is: Basically, all edibles are permissible and Halal (lawful) unless the unlawfulness or prohibition of something particular stands proved through an evidence of the Shari'ah. In its absence, everything will be considered permissible and lawful. This was suggested by the fact that the object of: كُلُوا وَاشْرَ‌بُوا (Eat and drink) was not mentioned in the verse, that is, it did not specify what to eat or drink. The masters of Arabic diction have clearly established that not mentioning the object on such occasions is an indicator towards its generality, that is, one can eat and drink everything, except things which have been declared to be Haram (unlawful, impermissible, prohibited, forbidden). (Ahkam AI-Qur'an by Al-Jassas) Extravagance in Eating and Drinking is Not Permissible The last sentence of the verse: وَلَا تُسْرِ‌فُوا (do not be extravagant) proves that eating and drinking is, no doubt, permissible - in fact, it is an order - but, along with it, being extravagant while doing so is prohibited. ` Israf means to cross the limit. Then, the crossing of limits takes many forms. One of them is to cross the limits of Halal and land into the area of Haram, that is, one starts eating and drinking things which are prohibited. That this is Haram is all too obvious. Another aspect is that one starts taking what Allah has made Halal and abstains from it as being Haram without any valid legal excuse as admitted by the Shari` ah of Islam. It should be understood that the way it is a crime and sin to use what is Haram, similarly, taking the Halal as Haram is also a rebellion against Divine Law and a very grave sin. (Ibn Kathir, Mazhari Ruh al-Ma` ni) On the same analogy, eating and drinking beyond the limits of hunger and need is also what Israf or extravagance is. It is for this reason that Muslim Jurists (fuqaha' ) have written that eating more than needed to remove hunger is not permissible (Ahkam al-Qur'an and others). Then, it also falls under the ruling governing Israf or extravagance that one eats much less than needed, despite having the ability and choice, which makes him weak and unable to fulfill what is enjoined upon him. It was to forbid both these kinds of extravagance that the Qur'an has said: إِنَّ الْمُبَذِّرِ‌ينَ كَانُوا إِخْوَانَ الشَّيَاطِي The extravagant are brothers of the satans - 17:27. Then, in Surah Al-Furqan, it was said: وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا أَنفَقُوا لَمْ يُسْرِ‌فُوا وَلَمْ يَقْتُرُ‌وا وَكَانَ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ قَوَامًا ﴿67﴾ (True servants of Allah are) those who, when they spend, would not over-spend and under-spend and the moderate behavior is between that. - 25:67. Moderation in Eating and Drinking is Always Beneficial Sayyidna Faruq al-A` zam ؓ said: ` Avoid eating and drinking too much because it spoils the body, generates diseases and slackens activity. Instead, take to moderation in eating and drinking for it is good for the health of the body, and is far removed from extravagance (Israf) in it.' He also said: ` Allah Ta` ala does not like an obese ` Alim' (that is, a scholar of religion who has become fat and heavy as a result of eating excessively by choice). Then, he further said: ` A person does not get destroyed until he starts preferring his personal desires over his Faith.' (Ruh A-Ma` ani from Abu Nu` aym) Righteous elders of the early period have said that to keep busy with the business of eating and drinking all the time, or to prefer it over other matters of importance giving the impression that one has no other worthy purpose left in life but eating and drinking, is included under Israf (extravagance). Also well-known is their saying that one should eat to live, not live to eat. In a Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has included the attitude of compulsively satiating every desire as and when it emerges as included under Israf (extravagance). The words of the Hadith are: اِنَّ مِنَ الاِسرَافِ اَن تاکُلَ کُلَّ مَا اشتَھَتَ (It is also an Israf that one eats everything one desires). (Ibn Majah from Sayyidna Anas) As reported by AI-Baihaqi, The Holy Prophet ﷺ once saw Sayyidah ` A'ishahi, eating twice on a day and he said: ` Ya ` A'ishah, would you like that eating becomes your only pastime?' And this command for moderation in eating and drinking mentioned in this verse is not restricted to eating and drinking alone. The truth of the matter is that the course of moderation is very desirable in wearing what one wears and living where one lives, in almost everything. Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ said: Eat and drink what you wish and wear what you like. But, take care of two things: One, that there be no Israf (excess from the measure of need) in it. Two, that there be no pride and arrogance about it. Eight Rulings from One Ayah In short, eight rulings of the Shari’ ah come out from the statement: كُلُوا وَاشْرَ‌بُوا وَلَا تُسْرِ‌فُوا (Eat and drink and do not be extravagant): (1) Eating and drinking is obligatory as needed, (2) unless the unlawfulness of something stands proved as based on an evidence admitted by the Shari` ah, everything is Halal, (3) the use of things prohibited by Allah and His Messenger is Israf and is impermissible, (4) taking as Haram what Allah has made Halal is also Israf, and a grave sin, (5) once one has eaten his fill, eating anymore is impermissible, (6) eating so little that one becomes weak and is rendered unable to fulfill his obligations is also Israf, (7) to keep thinking of eating and drinking all the time is also Israf and (8) It is not necessary that one must have what one wishes for at a given time. The rules recounted above which emerge from this verse have their religious benefits. If one looks at it medically, a better prescription for health and well-being will be difficult to find. The key is: Moderation in eating and drinking. That is your sanctuary from all diseases. According to Tafsir Ruh al-Ma'ani and Mazhari, Khalifah Harun Al-Rashid had a personal physician who was a Christian. He said to ` Ali ibn Husayn ibn al-Waqidi: ` Your Book (the Qur'an) has nothing about medicine in it, although there are only two fields of knowledge in our time, the knowledge of religion and the knowledge of bodies called Medicine."Ali ibn Husayn said: Allah Ta` ala has put the whole science of medicine in half a verse of the Qur'an. He says: كُلُوا وَاشْرَ‌بُوا وَلَا تُسْرِ‌فُوا (Eat and drink and do not be extravagant) (Tafsir Ibn Kathir reports this saying also with reference to some other righteous elders of the earlier times). Then, the Court physician asked: All right, is there something in the sayings of your prophet about Medicine?' ` Ali ibn Husayn replied: ` The Holy Prophet ﷺ has reduced the whole science of medicine in a few sayings of his when he said that ` the stomach is the nursery of diseases' and ` abstinence from harmful things is the root of all medicine' and ` give everybody what it can take (as a matter of habit) ' (Kashshaf Rub a1-Ma` ani). After hearing this, the Christian physician said: ` Your Book and your Prophet have left no Medicine for Galen (Jalinus).' Based on a narration from Sayyidna Abi Hurairah ؓ in Shu'ab al-'Iman, Al-Baihaqi has reported that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: ` The stomatch is the reservoir of the body. All arteries and nerves of the body get satiated from this reservoir. If the stomach is in proper order, all veins will return with healthy food from here. And if it is not in proper order, all veins will spread out in the body as carriers of diseases.' Muhaddithin (experts in the discipline of Hadith) have expressed doubts about the use of some words in these narrations of Hadith. But, all of them agree to the emphasis laid on eating moderately and observing precaution present in countless Ahadith. (Ruh al-Ma'ani)

Commentary Warned in the first verse are those who practice excess in acts of worship and introduce self-invented restrictions into it. They would abstain from things made Halal by Allah Ta` ala and go on to make them Haram on them and call it an act of obedience to and worship of Allah - as was the case of the disbelievers of Makkah who just did not consider wearing clothes in Tawaf during the days of Hajj as permissible and who used to think of abstinence from good food made lawful by Allah Ta` ala to be an act of worship. Such people have been sternly reprimanded in a chastising mode by inquiring as to who has made good and becoming dress created by Allah for his servants and the good and pure foods bestowed by Him Haram for people? Abstinence from Good Dress and Tasty Food is No Teaching of Islam It means that to determine and declare something to be Halal or Haram is the sole right of the Most Sacred Being that has created it. No one is permitted to interfere in this matter. Therefore, those who consider good dress and good food made lawful by Allah as something Haram for themselves deserve the wrath and punishment from Allah. Living in tattered rags despite having the means is no teaching of Islam, nor is it something considered worth emulation in Islam as some ignorant people think. Many among the early righteous elders and juristic Imams of Islam whom Allah had been blessed with good means would often times wear elegant, even expensive dresses. Our own master, may the blessing of Allah and peace be upon him, when his means allowed it, has adorned his body with the 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. As reported by Imam Abu Hanifah (رح) ، he had used a Rida' worth four hundred guineas. Similarly, Imam Malik (رح) always used decent and elegant dress. For him, someone had taken it on himself that he would provide three hundred and sixty pairs of dresses annually for his use. And a pair which adorned his body for a day would not be used again because after having been worn for one day, he would give this dress to some poor student. The reason is that the Holy Prophet ﷺ 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. Therefore, to let such blessing become visible is also a form of owing gratitude. In contrast, there is the attitude of wearing worn-out or untidy clothes, despite having the means, which is ingratitude. However, it is necessary to guard against two things, that is, from hypocrisy and exhibitionism, and from pride and arrogance. It means that one should not dress well simply to show off before others or to establish that they were superior or special as compared to them. And it is obvious that the righteous elders of the early period were free from such attitudes. As for the reported use of ordinary or patched dress by the Holy Prophet ﷺ Sayyidna Faruq al-A` zam ؓ and some other Sahabah among the righteous elders is concerned, it had two reasons. First of all, whatever came in their hands as their income, they would spend it out over the poor and the needy, and in the pursuit of their religious objectives. For their own person, they would be left with too little to afford a nice dress. Then, they were leaders of people. They let themselves be in that simple and inexpensive bearing as it was so what others with extended means would get the message, and that common people and the poor and needy are not overwhelmed by their financial status. The same thing holds valid in the case of the noble Sufis (the group of rightly guided mystics in Islam who lay primary stress on spiritual purification). When they make new aspirants abstain from fine dresses and tasty foods, they really do not intend to say that leaving these things off for good is an act of thawab or merit. Far from it. Instead of that, it is only to put the brakes on the wanton desires of the human self during the initial stage of the quest for truth that they would pre-scribe such regimen of striving, as treatment and medicine. When the aspirant reaches a stage where he has learnt to control the desires of his self and it can no more be attracted to and snared by what is Haram and impermissible, then, at that time, all masters of the spiritual orders would use and recommend good dress and tasty foods like the general body of early righteous elders. When done at that time, these fine blessings of human sustenance become for them the source of knowing their Creator and achieving nearness to Him - rather becoming impediments (through any lack of gratitude or triumph of desires as it is likely in the early stage). The Sunnah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ in Food and Dress About food and dress, the essential way of the Holy Prophet ﷺ the Sahabah and the Tabi` in is that one should not be unnaturally concerned about these. Dress and food within easy access are good enough and should be used gratefully. If the dress is coarse and the food dry, there is no need to go to the trouble of finding something better one way or the other - even if one has to borrow, or that one starts worrying about what one misses so much that one lands himself into some other trouble. Similarly, when good dress and food are naturally available, one should not go to the extreme trouble of spoiling them or avoiding their use. Thus, the way the seeking of good dress and good food is a self-imposed constraint, very similarly, doing the opposite of it, that is, to spoil what is good and to leave it aside in favour of what is bad, is also a self-imposed constraint - and a blameworthy one. Why should this be done? The next sentence of the verse explains the wisdom behind it. It says that all blessings, which include fine dresses and nice foods, have really been created for obedient believers. Others are enjoying these because of them - because this world is the venue of deeds not the venue of rewards. You cannot draw a line of distinction between the genuine and the counterfeit, the good and the bad in the matter of blessings available in this mortal world. Here, the feast is open to all. The blessings are there from the All-Merciful. He is Al-Rahman for this whole world. But, the arrangements in this world obey the will of Allah - and the customary practice of Allah in this world is: When the obedient believers in Allah fall short in their duties to Him, other people overcome them, grab the treasures of worldly blessings and, as a result, the believing servants of Allah become subjected to hunger and poverty. But, this law operates within this mortal world of deeds only. Once in the Hereafter, all blessings and comforts shall be reserved for the obedient servants of Allah. This is what the sentence: قُلْ هِيَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا خَالِصَةً يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ in this verse means, that is, `( O prophet) you tell them that all blessings in the worldly life itself are really the right of the believers - and, on the day of Qiyamah, they shall be theirs exclusively.' Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ has explained this verse by saying that all blessings and comforts of the world are - subject to the safeguard that they do not become a source of trouble for them in the Hereafter - are the rightful share of obedient believers only. Contrary is the case of disbelievers and sinners who, though they too receive these blessing in their mortal life, rather receive more of it, but these blessings of theirs are going to become their nemesis in the Hereafter bringing punishment which will last forever. Therefore, as the outcome shows, this is not the kind of comfort and honour one would wel-come. Some other commentators have determined its meaning by saying that all blessings and comforts of the world are laced with ceaseless striving, the apprehension of decline and never-ending anxiety. Pure blessing and pure comfort simply do not exist here. However, whoever gets these blessings on the day of Judgment, they will have them in the state of absolute purity. There will be no striving for it, no apprehension of decline or loss in it, nor any worries after it. The three explanations of the sense of this sentence in this verse as given above could be accommodated therein and that is why commentators among the Sahabah and Tabi` in have gone by them. At the end of the verse, it was said: كَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ (This is how We elaborate the verses for people who understand). This verse carries a refutation of the excessive deeds and ignorant views of people who suggested that Allah Ta` ala is pleased with the practice of abandoning good dress and good food.

After that, the second verse takes up the description of some of the things declared unlawful by Allah Ta` ala forsaking which really brings His pleasure. The hint given here is that these people were suffering from a twofold ignorance. On the one hand, they deprived themselves of the good things of life Allah had made lawful for them by denying to use them as if they were unlawful - and did so for no reason. Then, on the other hand, there were things genuinely and really unlawful, things the use of which was to result in the wrath of Allah and the punishment of the Hereafter, these they embraced with both arms only to discover that they had embraced what was to be their undoing in the life-to-come. Thus, they were doubly deprived, deprived of the blessings they had in the mortal world and deprived of the blessings they had the chance of having in the Hereafter. After that, says the Qur'an: إِنَّمَا حَرَّ‌مَ رَ‌بِّيَ الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ‌ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَالْإِثْمَ وَالْبَغْيَ بِغَيْرِ‌ الْحَقِّ وَأَن تُشْرِ‌كُوا بِاللَّـهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَانًا وَأَن تَقُولُوا عَلَى اللَّـهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ Say, "My Lord has prohibited only the shameful things, what is apparent from them and what is hidden, and sin and unjust aggression, and that you associate with Allah something for which He has not sent any authority, and that you say about Allah what you do not know - 33. In the detail given above, the word: اِثم (ithm : sin) covers all sins which fall on one personally - and in: بَغیَ ; (baghy : injustice) included there are sins which relate to rights and dealings as concerning others. Then come Shirk, the associating of partners with Allah, and the forging of lies against Him. That they are grave sins is quite evident. This particular detail was mentioned here also because it covers almost all kinds of prohibitions and sins - whether they pertained to belief or conduct, or were done personally, or related to rights of others which were usurped. This was done also because these people of the Jahiliyyah were involved with all these crimes and prohibitions. Thus, exposed here was another demonstration of their ignorance which was that they would abstain from what was made lawful for them and would not even hesitate to use what was declared to be unlawful. Unfortunately, it is a necessary outcome of excess (ghuluww) in religion and introduction of self-invented practices (bid` at) in it that people who get involved with this type of activity become habitually heedless to the root of religion and its essential requirements. Therefore, the Haram caused by excess in religion and innovation in established faith is twofold. First of all getting involved with such Ghuluww and Bid'ah is a sin in itself. Then, seen in contrast, far too grave is the very deprivation from the true religion of Allah and the genuine way of the Holy Prophet ﷺ .Refuge with Allah (from such a fate) !