Clothing as a Divine Gift

Although clothing may be considered merely a covering for the body with no obvious connection to religion, clothing is afforded great importance in many religious traditions. In Islam it is viewed as a gift of God to humanity. Aside from a means of satisfying people’s physical needs, some Qurʾānic passages also note its important cultural role. Two Qurʾānic verses (Q 16:81 and Q 7:26) use the verbs jaʿala lakum (‘He made for you’) and anzalnā (‘We sent i…