At the advent of Islam, the disbelievers of Makkah used to take rounds around Ka'bah without clothes and attributed their inhuman act to their ancestors and even Allah to justify their acts. It is to nullify the false claim of implicating Allah that the following 28th verse from Surah 7. Al A'raf was specially revealed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and to shun in wrong notions that were brewing in the minds of the disbelievers.
وَاِذَا فَعَلُوۡا فَاحِشَةً قَالُوۡا وَجَدۡنَا عَلَيۡهَاۤ اٰبَآءَنَا وَاللّٰهُ اَمَرَنَا بِهَا ؕ قُلۡ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يَاۡمُرُ بِالۡفَحۡشَآءِ ؕ اَتَقُوۡلُوۡنَ عَلَى اللّٰهِ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ
(7:28) And when such people commit an indecent act they say: 'We found our fathers doing that, and Allah has enjoined it on us. Say: 'Surely Allah never enjoins any indecency. Do you say things regarding Allah that you do not know?'
This refers to the custom of the Arabs of going round the Ka`abah in perfect nudity, considering it to be a religious act, enjoined by Allah. (Please refer to explanation of the same Surah 7 Al A'raf:26 for more on nudity and Allah's commandment for outer garment to cover one's shame).
This brief sentence ("Allah never enjoins a shameful thing") contains a very forceful argument against their beliefs and customs of ignorance. In order to understand the force of the argument, it is necessary to understand two basic things:
(1) Though the Arabs practiced nudism in the performance of certain religious rituals, they considered nakedness itself a shameful thing. That is why, in spite of this custom, no respectable Arab ever chose to practice nudism in a civilized gathering, in the bazaar or before one's kith and kin.
(2) Even though they considered nudism to be a shameful thing, they said that they practiced it because this custom had been enjoined by Allah. This claim was based on the wrong notion that their religion was from Allah. But the Qur'an refutes their claim by arguing like this: "You yourselves consider nudism to be an indecent thing. Therefore your claim that Allah has enjoined the practice of nudism is absolutely false. As a corollary to this, if this indecent custom is approved by your religion, it is a clear proof of the fact that your religion is not froth Allah.
Tafsir Ibn-Kathir:
Disbelievers commit Sins and claim that Allah commanded Them to do so! Mujahid said, "The idolaters used to go around the House (Ka`bah) in Tawaf while naked, saying, `We perform Tawaf as our mothers gave birth to us.' The woman would cover her sexual organ with something saying, `Today, some or all of it will appear, but whatever appears from it, I do not allow it (it is not for adultery or for men to enjoy looking at!).'''
Allah sent down this Ayah,
(And when they commit a Fahishah (sin), they say: "We found our fathers doing it, and Allah has commanded it for us.''(7:28)
I say, the Arabs, with the exception of the Quraysh, used to perform Tawaf naked. They claimed they would not make Tawaf while wearing the clothes that they disobeyed Allah in. As for the Quraysh, known as Al-Hums, they used to perform Tawaf in their regular clothes. Whoever among the Arabs borrowed a garment from one of Al-Hums, he would wear it while in Tawaf. And whoever wore a new garment, would discard it and none would wear it after him on completion of Tawaf. Those who did not have a new garment, or were not given one by Al-Hums, then they would perform Tawaf while naked. Even women would go around in Tawaf while naked, and one of them would cover her sexual organ with something and proclaim, "Today, a part or all of it will appear, but whatever appears from it I do not allow it.'' Women used to perform Tawaf while naked usually at night. This was a practice that the idolaters invented on their own, following only their forefathers in this regard. They falsely claimed that what their forefathers did was in fact following the order and legislation of Allah.
Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explanation:
The actual word is: فَاحِشَة. It is evident from the succeeding verses that it refers to those vulgar acts that are done in the name of religion. Such practices have remained very common in the places of worship of the Idolaters and the abodes and worship habitats of the followers of Sophistic religions. They come into being through the evil-doing of religious leaders and the custodians of graveyards. It is evident from historical narratives that one such religious innovation was also in currency in the Arab jāhiliyyah: circumambulating the House of God in a naked state. People regarded this to be a religious practice and a directive of God. The Quraysh were the custodian chiefs of the House of God and they had issued an edict according to which all Arabs who did not belong to their tribe could not circumabulate it wearing their own clothes. They could only do it either by borrowing clothes from the people of Quraysh or being naked. In other words, the Quraysh thought that the clothes of others are a type of filth that such an extraordinary ritual of worship could not be carried out while wearing them.
How can the pure God tolerate something which an upright person cannot, let alone direct people to follow it. All His directives are based on His attributes and on the requisites of human nature. He cannot direct people to do something vulgar.
Wiki Qur'an:
That was indeed what the pagan Arabs used to do and say. They performed ţawāf around God’s sacred house in the nude, accompanying their women. This they claimed God had ordered them to do, just as He had ordered their fathers: in other words, they inherited the practice from them. Despite their paganism, the Arabs did not make boastful claims similar to those used by people of latter day ignorance who wonder why religion should interfere with human life. They claim that they are the only ones who have any authority to enact laws, develop values and standards, and endorse habits and traditions while the pagan Arabs used to make their false inventions and claim that God ordered them to do so. That may be a more sly and cunning method because it deceives those who still maintain some religious sentiment to the extent that they imagine that their practices are acceptable to God. Nevertheless, it is less impudent than the attitude of those who claim that they have the right to enact legislation in preference to God’s.
God commands the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to make it clear to them that their inventions are false and that their claims to have God’s endorsement are insupportable. He is further ordered to declare that God’s law is incompatible with indecency. God would not command anything that is indecent: “Say: ‘Never does God enjoin what is indecent. Would you attribute to God something of which you have no knowledge?’” (Verse 28)
Having denounced their claims that God has ordered them to follow such indecent practices, God tells them that His commandments run in the opposite direction. God has enjoined justice and moderation in all matters, not indecency. He has also ordered people to follow what He has laid down in matters of worship, and to derive their laws and values from what He has revealed to His Messenger. He has not left matters disorganized, allowing everyone to state what he wants and then claim that his prejudices are endorsed by God. He has also commanded that submission to Him should be pure and complete so that no one submits to anyone else.
Please listen to the Tafsir/explanation of the above quoted verse/ayat by eminent Muslim scholar Nauman Ali Khan:
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others life miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with Non Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Qur'ān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In order to augment and add more explanation as already provided, additional input has been interjected from following sources:
- Towards Understanding the Quran
- Tafsir Ibn Khatir
- Muhammad Asad Translation
- Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
- Al-Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation
- Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle
In addition the references of other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites.
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