“O Children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to cover your shame, as well as to be an adornment to you, but the raiment of righteousness, that is the best. Such are among the Signs of Allah, that you may remember”
— (Surat Al-Araf, Verse 26)
The religion of Islam, as revealed by the Creator to His final Messenger, Muhammad ibn Abdullah (may Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him) invites us to reflect on the universe around us and to take a deeper look into our own lives. The Creator promises and He never breaks His promise that His Signs will become evidently clear for us when we consider; when we choose to let His Words open our minds, our hearts, our hands and our eyes.
As grown men, we look to our own mothers to find a clear sign through muta’shabihat (resemblance or similitude of concepts from this life in the Next) and see that the promise of a new life through a new method (i.e. recreation/resurrection) is not at all a very far-fetched miracle from the miracle of our own birth and growth. We also look at our own bodies, commodities and clothing- how it all came from the earth and how it all returns to it- how what covers our nakedness and serves as a beautification came from the end of a plant stem, from a larvae and from the back of a lamb. The Creator asks us to reflect on this phenomenon in the 16th chapter of the Holy Qur’an, saying, “And from their wool, fur and hair is furnishing and convenience for a time.” 2
In the same way that we find protection and adornment in our clothing in this life, Allah (Exalted is He) and His Messenger have also given mankind the good tidings of clothing in Paradise, where both the tidings and the source of clothing are known as Tooba (طوبى). The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him) said, “Tooba is a tree in Paradise, as big as a hundred year’s journey. The clothes of the people of Paradise are made from its calyces (outer casing of its flowers).” 3
Tooba (طوبى) is also translated as “glad tidings” and means a type of good which has an everlasting and blissful nature. The word has been used in many authentic traditions of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him) and remains as an expression of inspiration as well as a reminder for all of us that the final end is good for those who believe and perform righteous deeds. Tooba University invites you on a journey of deep reflection and learning, offering you the authentic knowledge that perfects our deeds, increases our sustenance and strengthens our relationship with our Creator.
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1Qur’an, Surrat Al-Araf, Verse 26
2Qur’an, Surrat An-Nahl, Verse 80
3Sahih Muslim, Silsilat al-Hadith as-Saheehah, 4/639