Surah Al-A’raf >> Currently viewing Surah Al-A’raf Ayat 31 (7:31)

Surah Al-A’raf Ayat 31 in Arabic Text

۞يَٰبَنِيٓ ءَادَمَ خُذُواْ زِينَتَكُمۡ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسۡجِدٖ وَكُلُواْ وَٱشۡرَبُواْ وَلَا تُسۡرِفُوٓاْۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُسۡرِفِينَ
Yaa Banneee Adama khuzoo zeenatakum ‘inda kulli masjidinw wa kuloo washraboo wa laa tusrifoo; innahoo laa yuhibbul musrifeen (section 3)

English Translation

Here you can read various translations of verse 31

Sahih International
O children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess.

Yusuf Ali
O Children of Adam! wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer: eat and drink: But waste not by excess, for Allah loveth not the wasters.

Abul Ala Maududi
Children of Adam! Take your adornment at every time of Prayer; and eat and drink without going to excesses. For Allah does not like those who go to excess.

Muhsin Khan
O Children of Adam! Take your adornment (by wearing your clean clothes), while praying and going round (the Tawaf of) the Ka’bah, and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not Al-Musrifun (those who waste by extravagance).

Pickthall
O Children of Adam! Look to your adornment at every place of worship, and eat and drink, but be not prodigal. Lo! He loveth not the prodigals.

Dr. Ghali
O Seeds (Or: sons) of Adam! Take your adornment at every mosque, and eat and drink, and do not be extravagant; surely He does not love the extravagant.

Abdel Haleem
Children of Adam, dress well whenever you are at worship, and eat and drink [as We have permitted] but do not be extravagant: God does not like extravagant people.

Muhammad Junagarhi
اے اوﻻد آدم! تم مسجد کی ہر حاضری کے وقت اپنا لباس پہن لیا کرو۔ اور خوب کھاؤ اور پیو اور حد سے مت نکلو۔ بےشک اللہ حد سے نکل جانے والوں کو پسند نہیں کرتا

Quran 7 Verse 31 Explanation

For those looking for commentary to help with the understanding of Surah Al-A’raf ayat 31, we’ve provided two Tafseer works below. The first is the tafseer of Abul Ala Maududi, the second is of Ibn Kathir.

Ala-Maududi

(7:31) Children of Adam! Take your adornment at every time of Prayer;[20] and eat and drink without going to excesses. For Allah does not like those who go to excess.[21]


20. The word zina which occurs in this verse refers to full and proper dress. While performing Prayer people are required not only to cover the private parts of their body, but also to wear a dress that serves the two-fold purpose of covering and giving one a decent appearance.

The directive to pray in a proper and decent dress is aimed at refuting the misconception entertained by ignorant people down the ages that man should worship God either in a nude or semi-naked state, or at least have a shabby and unkempt appearance while worshipping. In this verse people are being told the opposite of this. At the time of worship they should not only be free from all kinds of nudity and indecency, but should also be in a decent dress.

21. God does not want to subject man to want and misery or starvation or to deprive him as such of the good things of this worldly life. On the contrary, it pleases Him that man should appear in good decent dress and enjoy the clean food provided for him by God. There is nothing sinful in that. As for sin, it consists in transgressing the bounds set by God. This transgression could be committed in both ways: by making the unlawful lawful, or by making the lawful unlawful.

Ibn-Kathir

31. O Children of Adam! Take your adornment to every Masjid, and eat and drink, but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not the wasteful.


Allah commands taking Adornment when going to the Masjid

This honorable Ayah refutes the idolators’ practice of performing Tawaf around the Sacred House while naked. Muslim, An-Nasa’i and Ibn Jarir, (the following wording is that of Ibn Jarir) recorded that Shu`bah said that Salamah bin Kuhayl said that Muslim Al-Batin said that Sa`id bin Jubayr said that Ibn `Abbas said, “The idolators used to go around the House while naked, both men and women, men in the day and women by night. The woman would say, “Today, a part or all of it will be unveiled, but whatever is exposed of it, I do not allow.” Allah said in reply,

﴿خُذُواْ زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ﴾

(Take your adornment to every Masjid,) Al-`Awfi said that Ibn `Abbas commented on:

﴿خُذُواْ زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ﴾

(Take your adornment to every Masjid) o”There were people who used to perform Tawaf around the House while naked, and Allah ordered them to take adornment, meaning, wear clean, proper clothes that cover the private parts. people were commanded to wear their best clothes when performing every prayer.” Mujahid, `Ata’, Ibrahim An-Nakha`i, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Qatadah, As-Suddi, Ad-Dahhak and Malik narrated a similar saying from Az-Zuhri, and from several of the Salaf. They said that this Ayah was revealed about the idolators who used to perform Tawaf around the House while naked. This Ayah (7:31), as well as the Sunnah, encourage wearing the best clothes when praying, especially for Friday and `Id prayers. It is also recommended ﴿for men﴾ to wear perfume for prayer, because it is adornment, and to use Siwak for it is part of what completes adornment. The best color for clothes is white, for Imam Ahmad narrated that Ibn `Abbas said that the Messenger of Allah said,

«الْبَسُوا مِنْ ثِيَابِكُمُ الْبَيَاضَ فَإِنَّهَا مِنْ خَيْرِ ثِيَابِكُمْ، وَكَفِّنُوا فِيهَا مَوْتَاكُمْ وَإِنَّ خَيْرَ أَكْحَالِكُمُ الْإثْمَدُ فَإِنَّهُ يَجْلُو الْبَصَرَ وَيُنْبِتُ الشَّعَر»

(Wear white clothes, for it is among your best clothes, and also wrap your dead with it. And Ithmid (antimony) is among the best of your Kuhl, for it clears the sight and helps the hair grow.) This Hadith has a sound chain of narration, consisting of narrators who conform to the conditions and guidelines of Imam Muslim. Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah also recorded it, and At-Tirmidhi said, “Hasan Sahih.”

Prohibiting Extravagance

Allah said,

﴿وَكُلُواْ وَاشْرَبُواْ﴾

(And eat and drink..). Al-Bukhari said that Ibn `Abbas said, “Eat what you wish and wear what you wish, as long as you avoid two things: extravagance and arrogance.” Ibn Jarir said that Muhammad bin `Abdul-A`la narrated to us that Muhammad bin Thawr narrated to us from Ma`mar from Ibn Tawus from his father who said that Ibn `Abbas said, “Allah has allowed eating and drinking, as long as it does not contain extravagance or arrogance.” This chain is Sahih. Imam Ahmad recorded that Al-Miqdam bin Ma`dikarib Al-Kindi said that he heard the Messenger of Allah saying,

«مَا مَلَأَ ابْنُ آدَمَ وِعَاءً شَرًّا مِنْ بَطْنِهِ بِحَسْبِ ابْنِ آدَمَ أَكَلَاتٍ يُقِمْنَ صُلْبَهُ فَإِنْ كَانَ فَاعِلًا لَا مَحَالَةَ فَثُلُثٌ طَعَامٌ وَثُلُثٌ شَرَابٌ وَثُلُثٌ لِنَفَسِه»

(The Son of Adam will not fill a pot worse for himself than his stomach. It is enough for the Son of Adam to eat a few bites that strengthens his spine. If he likes to have more, then let him fill a third with food, a third with drink and leave a third for his breathing.) An-Nasa’i and At-Tirmidhi collected this Hadith, At-Tirmidhi said, “Hasan” or “Hasan Sahih” according to another manuscript. `Ata’ Al-Khurasani said that Ibn `Abbas commented on the Ayah,

﴿وكُلُواْ وَاشْرَبُواْ وَلاَ تُسْرِفُواْ إِنَّهُ لاَ يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ﴾

(And eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not the wasteful.) “With food and drink.” Ibn Jarir commented on Allah’s statement,

﴿إِنَّهُ لاَ يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ﴾

(Certainly He (Allah) likes not the wasteful.) “Allah the Exalted says that He does not like those who trespass the limits on an allowed matter or a prohibited matter, those who go to the extreme over what He has allowed, allow what He has prohibited, or prohibit what He has allowed. But, He likes that what He has allowed be considered as such (without extravagance) and what He has prohibited be considered as such. This is the justice that He has commanded.”

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surah al-a'raf ayat 31
surah al-a'raf ayat 32
surah al-a'raf ayat 33
surah al-a'raf ayat 34
surah al-a'raf ayat 35

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