“O children of Adam, wear your adornment at every place of prayer, and eat and drink, but do not be excessive. Indeed, He does not love those who are excessive. (31) Say, ‘Who has forbidden the adornment of Allah which He has brought forth for His servants, and the wholesome things of provision?’ Say, ‘They are for those who believe in the life of this world, and exclusively for them on the Day of Resurrection.’ Thus do We set out the signs in detail for a people who know. (32)”

His saying, exalted is He: “A party He has guided”—that is, Allah guided them—“while upon another party misguidance has rightfully fallen”: that is, by the preceding decree. “Indeed, they have taken the devils as allies instead of Allah, thinking that they are rightly guided.” This is evidence that the disbeliever who supposes that his religion is upon the truth is the same as the one who denies and stubbornly rejects it.

His saying, Most High: “O children of Adam, wear your adornment at every place of prayer.” The exegetes said: Banu Amir used to circumambulate the House naked, so Allah, exalted is He, revealed: “O children of Adam, wear your adornment at every place of prayer,” meaning clothing. Mujahid said: Whatever conceals your private parts, even if only a cloak.

Al-Kalbi said: Adornment is that which conceals the private parts at every place of prayer, whether for circumambulation or prayer.

“And eat and drink.” Al-Kalbi said: During the days of their pilgrimage, Banu Amir would eat only enough food to sustain themselves, and would not eat fatty foods, regarding this as a way of venerating their pilgrimage. The Muslims then said, “O Messenger of Allah, we have a greater right to do this.” So Allah, exalted is He, revealed: “And eat,” meaning meat and fat, “and drink,” meaning milk (1), “but do not be excessive”—by declaring forbidden for yourselves the meat and fat that Allah has made lawful for you—“for indeed, He does not love those who are excessive,” namely, those who do so.

Ibn Abbas said: Eat whatever you wish and wear whatever you wish, so long as you avoid two traits: excess and arrogance. Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Waqid said: Allah has encompassed all medicine in half a verse, when He said: “Eat and drink, but do not be excessive.”

His saying, exalted is He: “Say, ‘Who has forbidden the adornment of Allah which He has brought forth for His servants?’” means wearing clothing during circumambulation; “and the wholesome things of provision” means meat and fat during the days of pilgrimage.

It is related from Ibn Abbas and Qatadah that “the wholesome things of provision” refers to the animals which the people of the pre-Islamic period had prohibited, such as the bahirah and the sa'ibah.

“Say, ‘They are for those who believe in the life of this world, and exclusively for them on the Day of Resurrection.’” There is an ellipsis here, its intended meaning being: They are for those who believe and for the polytheists in the life of this world, for the people of polytheism share with the believers in the wholesome things of this world; but in the Hereafter, they will belong exclusively to the believers, and the polytheists will have no share in them.

It was also said: On the Day of Resurrection, they will be exclusively for the believers, free from all that mars them and from grief; for in this world they have them accompanied by what mars them and by grief.

Nafi recited “exclusively” in the nominative case, meaning: Say, they are for those who believe, shared in this world, while in the Hereafter, on the Day of Resurrection, they belong exclusively to the believers. The other reciters read it in the accusative case, as a disjunctive accusative. “Thus do We set out the signs in detail for a people who know.”