Thursday, January 28, 2016

Adam's Clothes

MSA & IQ discussing the previous reply to MSA's query regarding Head Cover
IQ: "If Allah wants women to hide themselves with hijab, why are women not born with one?"
MSA: Good question. I would have also placed the same question before Allah, if I could reach Him!!

Answer: According to my study of the Quran, Adam and his wife were indeed clothed before they ate off the forbidden tree. I understand that if we are forgiven and eligible for the Garden of Eden, our DNA will be repaired and our original clothing (libas-ut-taqwa) restored on the Day of Judgement. 
Following are excerpts from my blogpost

Mission of the Messengers - III
No change should there be in the creation of Allah [Quran 30:30] 
Adam's Attempt to Improve upon Allah's Creation
Outcome: Mutated, Non-Functional Genes  

The Garden
Quran 20:118 informs us that there was enough in the Garden for Adam and his wife to neither go naked nor hungry.
The popular belief across religions is that Adam and his wife were naked, but only not aware of it. The Quran clearly states that they were not naked. I think this is a key to understanding what happened and the lesson for us in the story of Adam.  

Satan’s Deception: Desire and Temptation
Quran 20:120 informs us of Satan (Iblis)’s attempt to seduce Adam: Then whispered to him Shaitaan, he said, "O Adam! Shall I direct you to (the) tree (of) the Eternity and a kingdom not (that will) deteriorate?"  

The verses of the Quran are very clear that Adam sought Immortality and A Kingdom that Never Decays. According to scientific knowledge, we now know that changes in the genome cause fundamental changes in the organism. Modern science promises to increase longevity and eradicate disease by making sufficient advances in genomics.  EugenicsTranshumanismPosthuman and eventually Posthumanism all seek to transcend the human into a utopian superbeing, who will then no longer be a ‘human’. However, as illustrated by Adam’s example, efforts in this direction can only cause depletion and loss. God’s perfect creations cannot be improved upon!

Clothing Stripped Off
[Quran 20:121, Translation: Sahih International]  And Adam and his wife ate of it, and their private parts became apparent to them, and they began to fasten over themselves from the leaves of Paradise. And Adam disobeyed his Lord and erred.

When Adam and his wife were placed in the Garden, they were not naked. When they ate the fruit of the forbidden tree, their clothing was stripped off them and thus their nakedness became apparent. Consequently, they started covering themselves with leaves, repentantly praying that they had wronged themselves. They were forgiven and clothing was then again bestowed upon humans to cover themselves. 
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Humans are among the rare creatures whose skins are bare and not covered with fur, feather, shell or some other form of covering to hide their body.

Scientists have discovered pseudogenes (mutated, inactive genes) in humans, which indicate that perhaps sometime in the distant past, human skin was covered in fur or feather.

Scientists have also discovered a faint glow (bioluminescence) being emitted from the human body. 

Perhaps before Adam and his wife ate of the cursed tree, the clothes were growing upon or glowing off their body, and were shed off due to mutation caused in the genes upon eating the forbidden fruit? Or perhaps, the clothes were not connected to their body, but were to be worn externally like we do here on Earth.  Either way, perhaps this is what is meant by ‘libas-ut-taqwa’, the one that Allah designed for humans. After all, nothing can excel Allah’s design – it has to be the best! Regarding the Hereafter, the Quran provides imagery of clothes made of silk and brocade, and adornments of gold and silverNoteworthy is the fact that the imagery given is of only one kind of dress, that the ‘muttaqi will be adorned with in the Garden. There is no mention of any fancy wardrobe to pick and choose from. Therefore, I infer, that the libas-ut-taqwa’ that the ‘muttaqi’ will be wearing in the Garden will be part of their body, covering and attached to their skins.  

Warning for the Progeny of Adam
Quran 7:27 warns us that: O Children (of) Adam! (Let) not tempt you [the] Shaitaan as he drove out your parents from Paradise, stripping from both of them their clothing to show both of them their shame. Indeed, he sees you - he and his tribe from where not you see them. Indeed, We have made the devils friends of those who (do) not believe.

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