Allah commands taking Adornment when going to the Masjid

This honorable Ayah refutes the idolators' practice of performing Tawaf around the Sacred House while naked. Muslim, An-Nasa'i and Ibn Jarir, (the following wording is that of Ibn Jarir) recorded that Shu`bah said that Salamah bin Kuhayl said that Muslim Al-Batin said that Sa`id bin Jubayr said that Ibn `Abbas said, "The idolators used to go around the House while naked, both men and women, men in the day and women by night. The woman would say, "Today, a part or all of it will be unveiled, but whatever is exposed of it, I do not allow." Allah said in reply,

خُذُواْ زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ

In the fourth verse (31), it was said: ` 0 children of 'Adam, take along what looks good on you to every mosque. And eat and drink and do not be extravagant. Surely, He does not like the extravagant'. In the way the ` Arabs of Jahiliyyah used to take the making of the Tawaf of the Ka'bah naked as the correct method of worship and an act of reverence for the House of Allah, they also had a custom that they would skip eating and drinking during the days of Hajj. They would eat no more than what would keep them alive. They particularly abstained from butter oil, milk and other pure eatables. (Ibn Jarir)

The present verse was revealed against this absurd practice. It enjoined that they should abstain from it because making Tawaf naked was an act of immodesty and bad manners. Similarly, doing the re-verse of it, that is, abstaining from good food given by Allah Ta` ala without any valid excuse had hardly anything to do with religion. In fact, forbidding on themselves what Allah had made lawful for them was effrontery and excess in an act of worship, something disliked by Allah. Therefore, eat and drink as you wish during the days of Hajj, but do not be extravagant. Totally abstaining from Halal foods is also included under extravagance. Then, becoming heedless to the real objectives of Hajj and the Dhikr of Allah and remaining busy with nothing but eating and drinking is also included under extravagance.