سُوْرَةُ الْاَعْرَافِ
Surah Al-A'raaf (7) — Ayah 28
وَإِذَا فَعَلُوا۟ فَـٰحِشَةً قَالُوا۟ وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهَآ ءَابَآءَنَا وَٱللَّهُ أَمَرَنَا بِهَا ۗ قُلْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَأْمُرُ بِٱلْفَحْشَآءِ ۖ أَتَقُولُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿28﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And when they commit a Fâhishah (evil deed, going round the Ka‘bah in naked state, and every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse), they say: "We found our fathers doing it, and Allâh has commanded it on us." Say: "Nay, Allâh never commands Fâhishah. Do you say of Allâh what you know not?"
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِذَا
wa-idhā
And when
فَعَلُوا۟
faʿalū
they do
فَـٰحِشَةًۭ
fāḥishatan
immorality
قَالُوا۟
qālū
they say
وَجَدْنَا
wajadnā
We found
عَلَيْهَآ
ʿalayhā
on it
ءَابَآءَنَا
ābāanā
our forefathers
وَٱللَّهُ
wal-lahu
and Allah
أَمَرَنَا
amaranā
(has) ordered us
بِهَا ۗ
bihā
of it
قُلْ
qul
Say
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
لَا
lā
(does) not
يَأْمُرُ
yamuru
order
بِٱلْفَحْشَآءِ ۖ
bil-faḥshāi
immorality
أَتَقُولُونَ
ataqūlūna
Do you say
عَلَى
ʿalā
about
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
Allah
مَا
mā
what
لَا
lā
not
تَعْلَمُونَ
taʿlamūna
you know
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
And when they commit an indecent act, they say, "We found our forefathers doing this [26], and Allah has commanded us to do it." Say, "Allah never commands indecency. Do you attribute to Allah what you do not know?"
[26]
Performing Tawaf Naked; Nudity is a Part of Every Ignorant Civilization:
In the era of ignorance, the Arabs did not consider becoming naked to be a shameful act. Bathing naked without any covering or screen, sitting on the roadside without hesitation to relieve themselves, or someone’s private parts being exposed in a gathering—these were not considered faults by them. And not only the Arabs, but in every ignorant society, this was the condition. Among the Arabs, an even more shameful act was that they would perform Tawaf of the Ka’bah while naked, and they had given this act a religious sanctity. In this shameful act, women were even ahead of men, as is evident from the following hadith. Abdullah bin Abbasؓما narrates that in the days of ignorance, a woman would perform Tawaf of the Ka’bah naked and would say, “Is there anyone who can lend me a cloth so that I may cover my private parts with it?” Then she would say, “Today, either some part of my private area will remain uncovered or all of it will remain uncovered; in any case, however much remains uncovered, I will not make it lawful for anyone.” The verse ﴿خُذُوْا زِيْنَتَكُمْ عِنْدَ كُلِّ مِسْجِدٍ﴾ [الاعراف: 31] was revealed regarding this [مسلم۔ كتاب التفسير], and this evil custom was abolished by the command of Allah after the conquest of Makkah. In 9 AH, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ as the leader of Hajj, and later, for further emphasis, sent Sayyiduna Ali ؓ. Thus, in the gathering of Hajj, the general announcement that was made had two important points: after this year, no polytheist can enter the House of Allah, and secondly, from now on, no one can perform Tawaf of the Ka’bah naked. [بخاري۔ كتاب المناسك۔ باب لايطوف بالبيت عريانا]
Any Act Involving Indecency Cannot Be a Command of Allah:
Although the polytheists of Makkah did not consider nudity to be a source of shame or a disgraceful act, they did admit that such nudity and indecency were not good deeds. Then, when they were stopped from this act, they would reply that their forefathers and elders also used to perform Tawaf of the Ka’bah naked; those elders were more religious than them, so why should they not do it? In response to this blind following of ancestors, Allah gave this answer: when your greatest father and elder, Adam ؑ, was led astray by Satan, then why could these elders not fall prey to Satan? And since they considered this Tawaf to be sacred and a command of religion, they would immediately say that this must be Allah’s command, as our elders performed Tawaf naked. Allah gave this answer: Allah forbids indecent acts; how could He command such a thing? In other words, anything that involves indecency can never be a command of Allah.
[26]
Performing Tawaf Naked; Nudity is a Part of Every Ignorant Civilization:
In the era of ignorance, the Arabs did not consider becoming naked to be a shameful act. Bathing naked without any covering or screen, sitting on the roadside without hesitation to relieve themselves, or someone’s private parts being exposed in a gathering—these were not considered faults by them. And not only the Arabs, but in every ignorant society, this was the condition. Among the Arabs, an even more shameful act was that they would perform Tawaf of the Ka’bah while naked, and they had given this act a religious sanctity. In this shameful act, women were even ahead of men, as is evident from the following hadith. Abdullah bin Abbasؓما narrates that in the days of ignorance, a woman would perform Tawaf of the Ka’bah naked and would say, “Is there anyone who can lend me a cloth so that I may cover my private parts with it?” Then she would say, “Today, either some part of my private area will remain uncovered or all of it will remain uncovered; in any case, however much remains uncovered, I will not make it lawful for anyone.” The verse ﴿خُذُوْا زِيْنَتَكُمْ عِنْدَ كُلِّ مِسْجِدٍ﴾ [الاعراف: 31] was revealed regarding this [مسلم۔ كتاب التفسير], and this evil custom was abolished by the command of Allah after the conquest of Makkah. In 9 AH, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ as the leader of Hajj, and later, for further emphasis, sent Sayyiduna Ali ؓ. Thus, in the gathering of Hajj, the general announcement that was made had two important points: after this year, no polytheist can enter the House of Allah, and secondly, from now on, no one can perform Tawaf of the Ka’bah naked. [بخاري۔ كتاب المناسك۔ باب لايطوف بالبيت عريانا]
Any Act Involving Indecency Cannot Be a Command of Allah:
Although the polytheists of Makkah did not consider nudity to be a source of shame or a disgraceful act, they did admit that such nudity and indecency were not good deeds. Then, when they were stopped from this act, they would reply that their forefathers and elders also used to perform Tawaf of the Ka’bah naked; those elders were more religious than them, so why should they not do it? In response to this blind following of ancestors, Allah gave this answer: when your greatest father and elder, Adam ؑ, was led astray by Satan, then why could these elders not fall prey to Satan? And since they considered this Tawaf to be sacred and a command of religion, they would immediately say that this must be Allah’s command, as our elders performed Tawaf naked. Allah gave this answer: Allah forbids indecent acts; how could He command such a thing? In other words, anything that involves indecency can never be a command of Allah.
