Surah Al-A'raaf (7) — Ayah 31

(Ayah 31) ➊ {خُذُوْا زِيْنَتَكُمْ …… : } By adornment is meant clothing, that is, it is obligatory to cover the parts that must be concealed during tawaf and prayer; for men, from the navel to the knees (and in prayer, in addition, something should be on the shoulder), and for women, the entire body except the face and hands. Thin clothing through which the body and hair are visible is not valid, meaning it is as if it does not exist. (Muwaddih) However, on Friday in particular, it is commanded to bathe, apply perfume, and wear one's best clothes. Friday is the weekly Eid for Muslims. Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are annual Eids, so this should be observed there even more so.

➋ Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says that a woman used to perform tawaf of the House of Allah naked and would say, "Who will give me a cloth for tawaf?" She would put it over her private part and say:
{اَلْيَوْمَ يَبْدُوْ بَعْضُهٗ أَوْ كُلُّهٗ}
{وَمَا بَدَا مِنْهُ فَلَا اُحِلُّهٗ}
"Today, some part or all of it will become exposed, and whatever becomes exposed, I do not make it lawful for anyone to look at." [ مسلم، التفسیر، باب فی قولہ تعالٰی : « خذوا زينتكم عند كل مسجد» : ۳۰۲۸ ] Many men also used to perform tawaf naked. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), during that Hajj (i.e., in the 9th year of Hijrah), in which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent him as leader before the Farewell Hajj, sent me with a few men on the Day of Sacrifice to announce among the people that after this year, no polytheist will perform Hajj and no one will perform tawaf naked. [ بخاری، الحج، باب لا یطوف بالبیت عریان…… : ۱۶۲۲ ]

➌ {وَ كُلُوْا وَ اشْرَبُوْا وَ لَا تُسْرِفُوْا:} When in the above verse the command of justice (equity) was given, then along with other things, the command of "equity" was also given in clothing and eating and drinking, so extravagance in these was also prohibited. (Kabir) Extravagance is when a person declares the lawful to be unlawful, as the polytheists used to do, or as some Sufis do, or exceeds the lawful and eats the unlawful or spends on unlawful things, even a little of which is extravagance. Extravagance, that is, exceeding the limits, is disliked in anything, especially carelessness in eating and drinking is often the root of diseases and harmful in both this world and the Hereafter. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Eat, drink, wear, and give charity without extravagance and without arrogance." [ بخاری، اللباس، باب قول اﷲ تعالٰی : { قل من حرم زينة اﷲ التي……} قبل ح : ۵۷۸۳، تعلیقًا ] Jabir bin Salim (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates a long hadith that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "And raise your lower garment up to the shin, if you do not accept, then to the ankles, and beware of letting the lower garment hang down, for this is from arrogance, and Allah does not like arrogance." [ أبو داوٗد، اللباس، باب ما جاء فی إسبال الأزار : ۴۰۸۴۔ ترمذی : ۱۷۸۳ و صححہ الألبانی ] The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever drags his garment out of arrogance, Allah will not look at him." [ بخاری، اللباس، باب قول اﷲ تعالٰی : { قل من حرم زينة اﷲ التي…… :} ۵۷۸۳، عن ابن عمر رضی اللہ عنہما ] It is clear that not only the lower garment, but any clothing deliberately hung below the ankles is arrogance and unlawful; if it happens unintentionally or by mistake, that is a different matter.

Miqdam bin Ma'dikarib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "The son of Adam has not filled any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat a few morsels to keep his back straight; if he must eat more, then a third for food, a third for drink, and a third for breath." [ أحمد : 132/4، ح : ۱۷۱۹۱۔ ترمذی : ۲۳۸۰، صحیح ] Yes, occasionally or if one is very hungry, one may eat more, as is proven from some occasions in the hadiths.

31. 1 In the verse, "Zeenat" refers to clothing. Its reason for revelation is also related to the idolaters performing tawaf naked. Therefore, they were told to wear clothes while worshipping Allah and performing tawaf.

31. 2 "Israf" (exceeding the limits) is disliked in anything, even in eating and drinking. In a hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said, "Eat whatever you wish, drink whatever you wish, wear whatever you wish, but avoid two things: israf and arrogance." (Sahih Muslim, Sahih Bukhari) Some of the Salaf have said that Allah Almighty has gathered all of medicine in this half verse of (وَّكُلُوْا وَاشْرَبُوْا وَلَا تُسْرِفُوْا ۚ اِنَّهٗ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِيْنَ) 7. Al-A'raf:31 (Ibn Kathir). Some say that "zeenat" refers to the clothing worn for adornment, from which, according to them, the command for adornment during prayer and tawaf is derived. This verse is also used as evidence for the obligation of covering the 'awrah during prayer, and according to hadith, it is necessary in all circumstances to cover the area from the knees to the navel, even if a person is alone. (Fath al-Qadeer) The use of perfume on Fridays and Eid days is also recommended, as it is also a part of adornment. (Ibn Kathir)

O children of Adam! Dress well whenever you attend a mosque, and eat and drink, but do not be extravagant [30], for Allah does not like those who are extravagant.

[29]
How Many Garments Should Be in the Prayer Attire:

Here, "adornment" refers to clothing, and this clothing should be clean and pure so that it becomes a means of adornment. Which garments should be included in this attire? For the answer to this question, consider the following hadiths:
1. Amr bin Abi Salamah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ prayed in (only) one garment. He ﷺ placed its two ends on his shoulders in opposite directions. [بخاري۔ كتاب الصلوٰة، باب عقد الازار على القفا فى الصلوة]
2. Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: "None of you should pray in a single garment in such a way that nothing is on his shoulders." [بخاري۔ كتاب الصلوة، باب إذا صلى فى الثوب الواحد فليجعل على عاتقيه]
3. Sayyiduna Anas ؓ says that Sayyidah Aisha ؓ had a curtain which she had hung on one side of her house. The Prophet ﷺ (upon seeing this curtain) said: "Remove this curtain from here, for its pictures distract me in my prayer." [بخاري۔ كتاب الصلوة۔ باب ان صلى فى ثوب مصلب او تصاوير]
4. Abu Maslamah Sa'id bin Yazid Azdi says: I asked Anas bin Malik ؓ: "Did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ pray with his shoes on?" Sayyiduna Anas ؓ said: "Yes." [بخاري، كتاب الصلوة، باب الصلوة فى النعال]
From these hadiths, it is understood that:
1. Prayer can be performed in at least one garment, provided it is large enough that after placing it on the shoulders in opposite directions, it can still cover the body down to the shins on both sides.
2. It is necessary to have a garment on both shoulders; it is not necessary to have anything on the head.
3. No garment should have such designs or pictures that divert attention from Allah and attract it to themselves.
4. There is no limit to the number of garments; whether it is a turban or cap, etc., even prayer can be performed with shoes on, provided their soles are clean, and prayer can be performed with shoes both at home and in mosques, as especially when wearing new shoes, the prayer of gratitude is offered. Despite such clear commands in the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, some people have made praying bareheaded a matter of dispute. One group has gone to the extreme of saying that prayer is not valid at all if performed bareheaded, while the other group has gone to the opposite extreme, not limiting the issue to mere permissibility but making it their distinctive practice. The wrong approach of the first group is obvious, because in the state of Ihram, all prayers and even Tawaf, etc., are performed bareheaded; if prayer could not be performed bareheaded, then certainly a command would have been given to cover the head in the state of Ihram, as is the case for women. As for the second group, their reasoning is based on the following hadith:

The Issue of Praying Bareheaded:

Muhammad bin Munkadir says: "Jabir ؓ (bin Abdullah) prayed in a single lower garment, which he tied on his nape, and his clothes were placed on a stool. Someone (Ubadah bin Walid) said to him: 'Do you pray in a single lower garment (while you have other clothes)?' Jabir ؓ replied: 'This is so that a fool like you may see me, and during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, which of us had two garments?'" [بخاري۔ كتاب الصلوة، باب عقد الازار على القفا فى الصلوة]
From this hadith, the following points are understood:
1. Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah ؓ, who prayed in only one garment (i.e., bareheaded) while having other clothes, did not do this as a daily routine. Otherwise, the questioner would not have needed to ask such a question.
2. Sayyiduna Jabir ؓ did this deliberately so that it would become clear to uninformed people that prayer is permissible even in a single garment, even if the head remains uncovered.
3. Sayyiduna Jabir ؓ also explained the reason for this: in the time of the Prophet ﷺ, most people did not even have two garments.
The summary of these clarifications is that, to the extent of permissibility, there is no objection or dislike in performing prayer bareheaded, but if a cap or turban, etc., is available, then wearing it is better, as this was the practice of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the noble Companions, because covering the head is also a part of adornment. Therefore, praying bareheaded should not be made a distinctive practice. However, even in the presence of clothes, there is no harm in occasionally praying bareheaded due to some need or benefit.

[30]
The Harm of Extravagance in Eating and Drinking:

Some physicians say that Allah Almighty has expressed half of the knowledge of medicine in this brief sentence, because most diseases arise from overeating or carelessness in food. Extravagance can mean overeating, eating at improper times, and lack of dietary discipline. These are the physical harms of extravagance, and the moral harms are even greater. For example, a person who is only concerned about his own food and drink will not only fail to do favors for others, but will also be unable to fulfill the legitimate rights of others. Furthermore, Allah and His Messenger ﷺ have strictly forbidden the waste of wealth, and its consequences are far-reaching.