He made what is in the earth a dwelling from the sky, because He decreed and then wrote. From it is: 'And He has sent down to you from the animals eight pairs.' And feathers are a garment of adornment, borrowed from the feathers of birds, because it is their clothing and adornment. That is, We have sent down to you two garments: a garment that covers your private parts, and a garment that adorns you, because adornment is a proper aim, as He said: 'So that you may ride them and for adornment.' And for you in them is beauty. And Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, read: 'and adornments,' the plural of feather, like 'shab' and 'sha'ab.' And the garment of piety and the garment of righteousness and fear of Allah, glorified and exalted is He, and its elevation is by the beginning and its news is either the sentence which is: 'That is better,' as if it were said: 'And the garment of piety is better,' because demonstrative names are close to pronouns in relation to the return of the mention. As for the singular which is better, that is an attribute of the subject, as if it were said: 'And the garment of piety referred to is better.' And the reference is pleasing to indicate the greatness of the garment of piety, or to be a reference to the garment that covers the private parts, because covering the private parts is from piety, preferring it over the garment of adornment. It was said: The garment of piety is the news of a deleted subject, that is, 'and it is the garment of piety,' then it was said: 'That is better.' And in the reading of Abdullah and Ubayy: 'And the garment of piety is better.' And it was said: The intended meaning of the garment of piety is what is worn from armor, and jowshans, and maghafir, and other things that are used for protection in wars. And it was read: 'And the garment of piety,' in the accusative, in conjunction with 'a garment and adornments.' That is from the signs of Allah indicating His favor and mercy upon His servants. It means the sending down of clothing so that they may remember and recognize the great blessing in it. And this verse is mentioned as a digression following the mention of the exposure of private parts and the covering of leaves over them, showing the favor in what He created from clothing, and what is in nudity and the exposure of the private parts of humiliation and disgrace, and indicating that covering is a great door of piety.