Quranic theme
Cover
الغطاء
13 verses
The Quran describes covering (ghita) as a physical shield for human dignity, a natural phenomenon of the universe, and an invisible encasement that seals a stubborn heart. When Satan seduced the first parents in the Garden, his immediate victory was stripping them of their garments to expose their nakedness (7:27). In the natural world, covering provides physical and emotional shelter, such as the night that grew dark over him before he observed a rising star (6:76), or the intimacy of spouses created from one soul to find comfort in each other, leading to the concealed “light burden” of a pregnancy (7:189). Yet the text reserves its strongest warnings for the covers that humans pull over their own intellects.
How does a heart become covered? The most dangerous veils mentioned in the text are those placed over the unseen faculties of understanding. When individuals continually turn their backs on their Lord’s messages, ignoring the consequences their own hands are storing up for the Hereafter, they are struck with a specific affliction (18:57). God places covers over their hearts so they cannot grasp the Quran, accompanied by a heaviness or deafness in their ears (6:25). Those who reject the truth eventually claim this condition proudly, telling the Prophet that their hearts are encased against his call and that a solid barrier exists between him and them (41:5). God formed the human soul and inspired it with an understanding of its own rebellion and piety, declaring that only the one who actively purifies his soul will succeed (91:7-9). When purification is abandoned, the heart becomes so insulated that even witnessing every sign would not produce belief, leading the disbelievers to argue that revelation is nothing but ancient fables (6:25).
What are the physical rules for covering? While spiritual covers block out guidance, physical covers are legislated to protect believers. Following the warning about Satan stripping humanity's parents of their garments, the Quran issues precise instructions to believing women regarding their public dress. They are commanded to lower their glances, guard their private parts, and let their headscarves fall to explicitly cover their necklines (24:31). The text details exactly who is exempt from this boundary, listing husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, and nephews, alongside slaves, male attendants lacking sexual desire, and children who are not yet aware of women's nakedness. Beyond just the arrangement of fabric, this modesty extends to physical motion; women are told not to stamp their feet in a way that draws attention to hidden charms.
What happens when the final veil is lifted? The spiritual blindness that individuals construct in this world is abruptly shattered in the next. On the Day of Judgment, God tells the resurrected soul: "You paid no attention to this [Day]; but today We have removed your veil and your sight is sharp" (50:22). As Mustafa Muslim notes (Mabahith fi al-Tafsir al-Mawdu'i, 327), this removal exposes the realities previously obscured by the darkness of disbelief, leaving no room to deny the fire. For those who persistently did evil, the final consequence manifests as an inescapable enclosure. Hell itself becomes both their resting place below and their covering from above, trapping them layer upon layer (7:41).
Verses
All 13 verses, in mushaf order.
وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَسْتَمِعُ إِلَيْكَ ۖ وَجَعَلْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً أَن يَفْقَهُوهُ وَفِىٓ ءَاذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا ۚ وَإِن يَرَوْا۟ كُلَّ ءَايَةٍ لَّا يُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِهَا ۚ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءُوكَ يُجَـٰدِلُونَكَ يَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِنْ هَـٰذَآ إِلَّآ أَسَـٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
Among them are some who [appear to] listen to you, but we have placed covers over their hearts- so they do not understand the Quran- and deafness in their ears. Even if they saw every sign they would not believe in them. So, when they come to you, they argue with you: the disbelievers say, ‘These are nothing but ancient fables,’
فَلَمَّا جَنَّ عَلَيْهِ ٱلَّيْلُ رَءَا كَوْكَبًا ۖ قَالَ هَـٰذَا رَبِّى ۖ فَلَمَّآ أَفَلَ قَالَ لَآ أُحِبُّ ٱلْـَٔافِلِينَ
When the night grew dark over him he saw a star and said, ‘This is my Lord,’ but when it set, he said, ‘I do not like things that set.’
يَـٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ لَا يَفْتِنَنَّكُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ كَمَآ أَخْرَجَ أَبَوَيْكُم مِّنَ ٱلْجَنَّةِ يَنزِعُ عَنْهُمَا لِبَاسَهُمَا لِيُرِيَهُمَا سَوْءَٰتِهِمَآ ۗ إِنَّهُۥ يَرَىٰكُمْ هُوَ وَقَبِيلُهُۥ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا تَرَوْنَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا ٱلشَّيَـٰطِينَ أَوْلِيَآءَ لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
Children of Adam, do not let Satan seduce you, as he did your parents, causing them to leave the Garden, stripping them of their garments to expose their nakedness to them: he and his forces can see you from where you cannot see them: We have made evil ones allies to those who do not believe.
لَهُم مِّن جَهَنَّمَ مِهَادٌ وَمِن فَوْقِهِمْ غَوَاشٍ ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
Hell will be their resting place and their covering, layer upon layer- this is how We punish those who do evil.
۞ هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَٰحِدَةٍ وَجَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا لِيَسْكُنَ إِلَيْهَا ۖ فَلَمَّا تَغَشَّىٰهَا حَمَلَتْ حَمْلًا خَفِيفًا فَمَرَّتْ بِهِۦ ۖ فَلَمَّآ أَثْقَلَت دَّعَوَا ٱللَّهَ رَبَّهُمَا لَئِنْ ءَاتَيْتَنَا صَـٰلِحًا لَّنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلشَّـٰكِرِينَ
It is He who created you all from one soul, and from it made its mate so that he might find comfort in her: when one [of them] lies with his wife and she conceives a light burden, going about freely, then grows heavy, they both pray to God, their Lord, ‘If You give us a good child we shall certainly be grateful,’
وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن ذُكِّرَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ رَبِّهِۦ فَأَعْرَضَ عَنْهَا وَنَسِىَ مَا قَدَّمَتْ يَدَاهُ ۚ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً أَن يَفْقَهُوهُ وَفِىٓ ءَاذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا ۖ وَإِن تَدْعُهُمْ إِلَى ٱلْهُدَىٰ فَلَن يَهْتَدُوٓا۟ إِذًا أَبَدًا
Who could be more wrong than the person who is reminded of his Lord’s messages and turns his back on them, ignoring what his hands are storing up for him [in the Hereafter]? We have put covers over their hearts, so they cannot understand the Quran, and We put heaviness in their ears: although you call them to guidance [Prophet] they will never accept it.
وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَـٰرِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا ۖ وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىٰ جُيُوبِهِنَّ ۖ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ ءَابَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ ءَابَآءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَآءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ إِخْوَٰنِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِىٓ إِخْوَٰنِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِىٓ أَخَوَٰتِهِنَّ أَوْ نِسَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَـٰنُهُنَّ أَوِ ٱلتَّـٰبِعِينَ غَيْرِ أُو۟لِى ٱلْإِرْبَةِ مِنَ ٱلرِّجَالِ أَوِ ٱلطِّفْلِ ٱلَّذِينَ لَمْ يَظْهَرُوا۟ عَلَىٰ عَوْرَٰتِ ٱلنِّسَآءِ ۖ وَلَا يَضْرِبْنَ بِأَرْجُلِهِنَّ لِيُعْلَمَ مَا يُخْفِينَ مِن زِينَتِهِنَّ ۚ وَتُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
And tell believing women that they should lower their glances, guard their private parts, and not display their charms beyond what [it is acceptable] to reveal; they should let their headscarves fall to cover their necklines and not reveal their charms except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers, their brothers’ sons, their sisters’ sons, their womenfolk, their slaves, such men as attend them who have no sexual desire, or children who are not yet aware of women’s nakedness; they should not stamp their feet so as to draw attention to any hidden charms. Believers, all of you, turn to God so that you may prosper.
وَقَالُوا۟ قُلُوبُنَا فِىٓ أَكِنَّةٍ مِّمَّا تَدْعُونَآ إِلَيْهِ وَفِىٓ ءَاذَانِنَا وَقْرٌ وَمِنۢ بَيْنِنَا وَبَيْنِكَ حِجَابٌ فَٱعْمَلْ إِنَّنَا عَـٰمِلُونَ
They say, ‘Our hearts are encased against [the faith] you call us to; our ears are heavy; there is a barrier between us and you. So you do whatever you want, and so shall we.’
لَّقَدْ كُنتَ فِى غَفْلَةٍ مِّنْ هَـٰذَا فَكَشَفْنَا عَنكَ غِطَآءَكَ فَبَصَرُكَ ٱلْيَوْمَ حَدِيدٌ
‘You paid no attention to this [Day]; but today We have removed your veil and your sight is sharp.’
وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّىٰهَا
by the soul and how He formed it
فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَىٰهَا
and inspired it [to know] its own rebellion and piety!
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّىٰهَا
The one who purifies his soul succeeds
وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّىٰهَا
and the one who corrupts it fails.