Surah 7 Al-A'raaf — Ayah 26
يَٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ قَدْ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ لِبَاسًۭا يُوَٰرِى سَوْءَٰتِكُمْ وَرِيشًۭا ۖ وَلِبَاسُ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌۭ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ ءَايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ
O children of Adam, We have bestowed upon you clothing to conceal your private parts and as adornment. But the clothing of righteousness - that is best. That is from the signs of Allah that perhaps they will remember.
yābanī ādama qad anzalnā ʿalaykum libāsan yuwārī sawātikum warīshan walibāsu l-taqwā dhālika khayrun dhālika min āyāti l-lahi laʿallahum yadhakkarūna
Word by word
- يَـٰبَنِىٓ yābanī O Children
- ءَادَمَ ādama (of) Adam
- قَدْ qad Verily
- أَنزَلْنَا anzalnā We have sent down
- عَلَيْكُمْ ʿalaykum to you
- لِبَاسًۭا libāsan clothing
- يُوَٰرِى yuwārī it covers
- سَوْءَٰتِكُمْ sawātikum your shame
- وَرِيشًۭا ۖ warīshan and (as) an adornment
- وَلِبَاسُ walibāsu But the clothing
- ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ l-taqwā (of) [the] righteousness
- ذَٰلِكَ dhālika that
- خَيْرٌۭ ۚ khayrun (is) best
- ذَٰلِكَ dhālika That
- مِنْ min (is) from
- ءَايَـٰتِ āyāti (the) Signs
- ٱللَّهِ l-lahi (of) Allah
- لَعَلَّهُمْ laʿallahum so that they may
- يَذَّكَّرُونَ yadhakkarūna remember
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
Bestowing Raiment and Adornment on Mankind
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 purposes of beautification. Therefore, the first type is essential while the second type is complimentary. Ibn Jarir said that Rish includes furniture and outer clothes. `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam commented on the Ayah,
(and the Libas (raiment) of Taqwa...) "When one fears Allah, Allah covers his errors. Hence the `Libas of Taqwa' (that the Ayah mentions)."