Of the etiquettes of clothing

All praise be to Allah and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone who has no partner and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger.

Clothes are one of the great blessings of Allah given to His Servants to cover exposed positions, protect the body from heat, cold, and all harms. Shari`ah texts explained all rulings in details as well as the positions which must be covered; the desired, the prohibited, the reprehensible, and permissible types of garments.

The people of knowledge mentioned the etiquettes of clothing in their books and mentioned the proofs to that, of which are: The obligation of covering the positions which must be covered and is shameful to expose. Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "O Children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to cover yourselves (screen your private parts, etc.)." [Surat Al A`raf: 26].

So, covering private parts with clothes is obligatory. The limit of man's `Awrah (private parts of the body that must be covered in public) is from the navel to the knee, for the Hadith which Imam Ahmad reported in his Musnad from the Hadith of Jarhad (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) passed by him while he was uncovering his thigh, thereupon he said: O Jarhad! Cover your thigh, for thighs are part of `Awrah (private parts of the body that must be covered in public).[1]

Al Bukhari said after mentioning the disagreement in the issue: Acting according to the Hadith of Jarhad is safer.[2]

As for the limit of woman's `Awrah: It was reported form the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he said: "The entire body of a woman is `Awrah (private parts of the body that must be covered in public)."[3]

Details were mentioned in a special speech to women's garments.

Of these etiquettes are: Keeping away from transparent garments which describe the skin color and details of man and women. Ibn Tamim said: Wearing transparent clothes which describe the body is reprehensible.[4] Al Marwadhy said: In the home of Abu `Abdullah, they commanded me to buy a grament to them provided that it will not be transparent which they hate for the living and the dead as well, for thighs are part of the positions that must be covered.[5]

Of these etiquettes also: Men should not imitate women and women should not imitate men. Al Bukhari reported in his Sahih from the Hadith of Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: "Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) cursed those men who are in the similitude (assume the manners) of women and those women who are in the similitude (assume the manners) of men."[6]

Of these etiquettes also: Prohibiting men to lower their garments whether a loincloth, a garment, cloak or suchlike. Abu Dawud reported in his Sunan from the Hadith of Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Hanging down is in lower garment, shirt and turban. If anyone trails any of them conceitedly, Allah will not look at him on the Day of Resurrection."[7]

Imam Ahmad reported in his Musnad from the Hadith of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Beware of lowering the garment, for lowering one's garment is part of self-conceit and Allah does not like self-conceit." [8]

The apparent meaning is that lowering garments indicates self-conceit even if a person does not mean to do so, therefore severe threat came to those who lower their garments below ankles. Al Bukhari reported in his Sahih from the Hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The part of an Izar (loincloth) which hangs below the ankles is in the Fire."[9]

Of these etiquettes, the prohibition of wearing garments on which there are crosses or images. Al Bukhari and Muslim reported in their books of authentic Hadiths on the authority of `A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she purchased a cushion with pictures on it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) (came and) stood at the door but did not enter. I saw repulsion on his face. O Messenger of Allah, I turn to Allah and His Messenger in repentance! What sin have I committed? Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him) remarked: What about this cushion? She said: I bought it for you to sit on and recline on. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him) remarked: The makers of these pictures will be punished (severely) on the Day of Resurrection and it will be said to them, 'Make alive what you have created.' He also added: Angels do not enter a house in which there are pictures."[10]

Al Bukhari reported in his Sahih from the Hadith of `Imran ibn Hittan that `A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) told him that the Prophet (peace be upon him) never used to leave in the house anything carrying images or crosses but he obliterated it.[11]

Al Hijjawy said: "If hanging images on the wall is forbidden, what about wearing them?! It will be more forbidden because it will add more honor to these images which is the reason for prohibition."[12]

The prohibition of wearing garments for fame. Imam Ahmad reported in his Musnad from the Hadith of Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever wears a garment of pride and vanity in this world, Allah will clothe him in a garment of humiliation on the Day of Resurrection."[13]

Al Hijjawy said: "A person should wear the costumes of the people of the his village or city and do not disagree with them so that he would not be back bitted or encourage people to share that sin."[14]

Shaykh-ul-Islam (may Allah bestow mercy on his soul) said: "Unusal clothes are reprehensible as well as short clothes which go against custom, as the Righteous Predecessors used to hate both."[15]

Ibn `Abdul-Bar said: "It was said: Eat of the food as you wish and wear of clothes what people like."[16]

Of these etiquettes also: The prohibition of wearing gold and silk for men except for a Shari`ah-based excuse. Abu Dawud reported in his Sunan from the Hadith of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) grabbed silk in his right hand and grabbed gold in his left and said: These two are prohibited for the men of my nation.[17]

Of these etiquettes: It is part of the Sunnah to start with the right hand upon wearing clothes. Al Bukhari and Muslim reported from the Hadith of `A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) who said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to like using his right hand in his purification, putting off and putting on.[18]

An-Nawawy (may Allah bestow mercy on his soul) said: This is a continuous rule in the Shari`ah that anything requires honoring such as wearing clothes, pants, leather socks and suchlike should be worn from right to left because of the dignity and honor of the right.[19]

Of these etiquettes:  It is part of the Sunnah to say the following invocation after wearing a new garment: "Allahumma lakal-hamdu, Anta kasautanihi, as`aluka khairahu wa khaira ma suni`a lahu, wa a`udhu bika min sharrihi wa sharri ma suni`a lahu (O Allah, all the praise is for You that You have given it to me to put on. I ask You its goodness and the goodness of the purpose for which it was made, and I seek Your Protection from its evil and the evil of the purpose for which it was made)."[20]

Of these etiquettes: The desirability of wearing white clothes. Abu Dawud reported in his Sunan from the Hadith of Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Put on white clothes because they are the best; and use them for shrouding your dead."[21]

Of these etiquettes also: The prohibition of wearing garments dyed with safflower. Muslim reported in his Sahih from the Hadith of `Abdullah ibn `Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: "The Prophet (peace be upon him) saw me wearing two garments that had been dyed with safflower and he said: 'Did your mother tell you to do this?' I said: 'Should I wash them?' He said: 'No, burn them.'"[22]

Ibn Hajar said in Fathul-Bary after he had mentioned the sayings of the people of knowledge regarding wearing red clothes: "As for the forbiddance of wearing red clothes, if it looks like the clothes of disbelievers, the ruling is the same of red saddlecloths[23], but if the reason is: It looks like the garments of women, it goes back to the ruling for not imitating women, so prohibition will not be because of its redness. If the prohibition was for fame and pride, it is prohibited if it is worn for that reason, otherwise it will be permissible as Malik differentiated between wearing them in public places or at homes."[24]

Of these etiquettes:

The desirability of showing Allah's favors in clothes and suchlike. Abu Dawud reported in his Sunan from the Hadith of Abu Al Ahwas on the authority of his father (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: "I came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) wearing a poor garment and he said (to me): Have you got any property? He replied: Yes. He asked: What kind is it? He said: Allah has given me camels, sheep, horses and slaves. He then said: When Allah gives you property, let the mark of Allah's favor and honor to you be seen."[25]

Of these etiquettes: Applying perfume where the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to love. An-Nasa'y reported in his Sunan from the Hadith of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "It made loveable to me of your world, women and perfume."[26]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) used not to reject perfume.[27]

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds [i.e., people]. Peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and all his Companions.