Spiritual Raiment
Spiritual Raiment means to live in fear of God, acknowledge the Truth, be modest and lead a principled life.
Chapter 7of the Quran states: “O children of Adam! We have sent down to you clothes to cover your nakedness, and to be pleasing to the eye; but the raiment of righteousness is the best. That is one of the signs of God, so that people may take heed. Children of Adam, do not let Satan seduce you, just as he turned your parents out of the Garden: he deprived them of their garment in order to make them aware of their nakedness. He and his forces watch you from where you do not see them! We have made the devils friends of those who do not believe.” (7:26-27)
God has created the system of the world in such a way that its externals are the signs of an inner reality. By pondering over outward things, a pe can arrive at hidden truths. One such outer emblem is human attire.
Clothes protect a person and are also a means of improving his looks and prestige. This is indicative of the fact that a form of clothing is necessary for a person’s spiritual existence as well. This clothing is righteousness born of the fear of God (taqwa), which represents the inner personality of a human being. This vestment of taqwa on the one hand protects a person from the attacks of Satan and, on the other, enhances his inner self and makes him capable of inhabiting the fine and aesthetic world of Paradise. What is this righteousness, or taqwa? It is fear of God, acknowledgment of the Truth, adhering to uniform criteria for oneself and others, considering oneself a subject of God, behaving with modesty and humility, leading a Hereafter-oriented life instead of going astray in the world. When a person develops these virtues, he ‘dresses’ his inner self. While the outer body is covered by a garment made of cloth, the inner self, the soul, is clad in taqwa. But if his behaviour is the opposite, he is, as it were, laying his inner self bare.
The way that Satan leads a person astray is by misinforming him. He shows the prohibited tree as the fountainhead of all advantages. He approaches a person in such innocuous ways that he has no suspicion that he is about to be misled. Satan knows all the weak points, delicate places in the moral armour of human beings and he takes care to attack those very spots.
Which people is Satan successful in misguiding? He is successful with those who are unable to give proof of faith on occasions of trial; with those who do not carefully ponder over the signs of God; with those who reject valid arguments; and with those who cannot abide by the demands of truth in preference to their own personal inclinations. They do not recognize the truth as such if it does not promote their interests.
