Part 59

dio of a df gt of oJ ia

“Whoever wears a garment of Shuhrah (one that is ostentatious or showy and that is worn to attract the attention of others) in this world, then Allah % will attire him with a garment of humiliation on the Day of Resurrection.’

And the best of matters are the middle ones.”

6) The Prohibition Of Men Wearing Gold And Silk, Except For Those Who Have A Valid Excuse

Though both are permissible for women, [the wearing of] gold

and silk are prohibited for men. A woman adds to her beauty by wearing gold and silk, an effect that is in no way achieved for a man, whose natural masculinity and suitable roughness are compromised when he wears gold or silk. But this is not reason enough for the prohibition; reason enough is the fact that the Prophet #% declared the prohibition, and to his words we must submit without question and without hesitation. ‘Alee Ibn Abee Taalib # said, “Verily, the Prophet # took some silk and placed it in his right hand, and he #¢ took some gold and placed it in his left hand. He 2 then said,

“Verily, these two are Haram (forbidden) upon the males of my Nation,”

In another hadith, Abu Umaamah 4 reported that the Messenger of Allah 2 said,

“Whoever wears gold in this world will not wear it in the Hereafter (here referring to men, of course).’"!

And Abu Hurairah # related that the Prophet #% forbade the wearing of a gold ring.) And though the preceding narrations make it clear that men are not permitted to wear gold or silk, there are exceptions to the prohibition: A man may wear silk if he is afflicted with a severe case of itching or some other illness that has to do with extremely sensitive skin, an illness that requires him to wear very soft material. Anas 4 reported that the Prophet #% permitted ‘Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn ‘Aouf and Az-Zubair & to wear shirts made of silk because they were both afflicted with Hikkah (a skin disease, and it is said to refer to scabies).!4] Likewise, one may

"I Related by Abu Daawood (4057), and Al-Albaanee declared it to be authentic (3422); by An-Nassaaee (5144); and by Ibn Maajah (3595).

'] Related by Bukhaaree (5864), Muslim (2089), Ahmad (9709), and AnNassaaee (5273).

Related by Bukhaaree (2919), Muslim (2076), Ahmad (11821), At-

Chapter - 15 The Manners Of Adornment And Attire 361

wear silk during battle; or when one finds no other material with which he can cover his private areas; or when he needs to wear silk to protect himself from bitter cold weather (because he has nothing else to cover himself with). Also, if the amount of silk ona person's clothing is the size of four fingers or smaller, then it is permissible to wear that clothing. ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab & said, ‘The Prophet of Allah #¢ forbade the wearing of silk, except for the place of two fingers, or three, or four”)

And if need be, a man may use gold as a prosthesis for a wound or physical defect. ‘Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Turfah related that his grandfather, ‘Arfajah Ibn As‘ad, had his nose cut off on the Day of Al-Kulaab. He took a nose of silver, but then a foul odor began to issue from the place of his nose, and so the Prophet # gave him an order, after which he took a nose made of gold.?!

Question: Is it permissible to dress young boys in clothing made of silk?

Answer: Shaikh Al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah said, “Concerning this issue...there are two well-known views held by scholars, yet the stronger of those views is that it is not permissible to dress‘young boys in silk. If a deed is Haram (prohibited) for adult males, it is consequently Haram for them to facilitate the doing of that deed for children. After all, when a child becomes seven years old, he should be ordered to pray; and when he becomes ten years old, he should be beaten if he does not pray. This being the case, how can one say that it is permissible to dress young boys in silk? When ‘Umar # saw that one of Az-Zubair’s young sons was wearing a garment made of silk, he tore it apart and then said, ‘Do not dress them in silk.’ Similarly, bn Mas’ood tore up a

Tirmidhee (1722), An-Nassaaee (5310), Abu Daawood (4056), and Ibn Maajah (3592).

"I Related by Abu Daawood (4232), and Al-Albaanee declared it to be Hasan (3561); by Ahmad (18527); by At-Tirmidhee (1770); and by An-Nassaaee

garment made of silk that his son was wearing...”

7) It Is Sunnah For Men To Wear Short Clothing (i.e., Clothing That Does Not Fall Below The Ankles) And For Women To Wear Long Clothing

In terms of shortness and length, Islam differentiates between the attire of men and women. A man’s clothing must fall somewhere between the middle of his claves and above his ankles. And as a woman must cover her feet - for her every part of her body is a source of Fitnah (trial and temptation) for man, and,so her entire body is ‘Auraa (‘Auraa is that part of the body which must be covered) - her garment should be long. Men should raise their garments so that neither pride nor self-admiration enters their hearts. Also, for a man to let his garment fall below the ankles is a kind of soft and effeminate action that is not in keeping with the inborn masculinity of men.

These days especially, it is sad to see that many people are acting contrary to the Sunnah in this regard: men wear long pants that drag on the ground - nay, that sweep the ground clean, and women wear short pants or skirts, thus revealing their ankles and legs.

Though the narrations that establish this ruling are clear and authentic, people continue to let their desires, and not the Prophet's Sunnah, be their guide. Nonetheless, we will now mention some of those narrations, perhaps so that those who read them will take heed. Abu Hurairah 4 reported that the Prophet # said,

“Whatever is lower than the ankles from the lower garment is in the Hellfire.”

Ahmad related the hadith thus: “The lower garment of the believing, man is from the middle of the claves downward until what is above the ankles. Whatever is below that is in the Hellfire") And in the hadith of Abu Dharr 4, the Prophet # said,

"] Related by Bukhaaree (5787), Ahmad (10177), and An-Nassaaee (5330).

Chapter - 15 The Manners Of Adornment And Attire 363

“As for three people, Allah will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He look at them, nor will He purify them; and for them is a painful punishment.”

SNe tla 4S YG pa Sh Vo

Abu Dharr related that the Messenger of Allah 2% repeated that three times, after which Abu Dharr # said, “They have failed and [truly] lost. Who are they, O Messenger of Allah?” The Prophet #¢ said,

wrSi ise GL Gey Stig de

“Al-Musbil (a person who allows his garment to hang below the level of his ankles), Al-Mannaan (a person who reminds others of his favors and of his generosity), and a person who promotes his piece of merchandise with a false oath.’”"")

And when the Prophet # mentioned the [ruling for the] lower garment, his wife, Umm Salamah 4, said, “And what about a woman, O Messenger of Allah?” He 3 said,

“She may let [her garment hang down] the span of the hand.”’ Umm Salamah % said, ‘Then something from her will be exposed.” He #% said,

ile 43 VEG) Bp

“Then the span of the arm, but she should not increase more than that,"

' Related by Muslim (106), Ahmad (20811), At-Tirmidhee (1211), AnNassaaee (2563), Abu Daawood (4087), Ibn Maajah (2208), and AdDaarimee (2605).

A woman must keep her garment long, so that her feet remain covered. It is permissible for her to wear clothing that does not cover her feet if she is wearing proper socks that serve the same purpose. Ibn ‘Uthaimeen said, “It is legislated for a woman to cover her feet; in fact, many scholars hold that it is compulsory for her to cover her feet, [an effect that can be achieved with a very long garment or a long garment accompanied by the wearing of proper socks]...”

Some people argue that a man may allow his garment to fall down below his ankles. To prove their claim, they cite Abu Bakr’s example and how his garment would hang down. Yet there is no validity to their argument, and the proof they mention, when properly understood, actually disproves their claim. Here is the hadith: Ibn ‘Umar reported that the Prophet 2 said,

cath 55 aly an by oS ott Gy Se bn

“As for he who drags his garment from pride and haughtiness, Allah will not look at him on the Day of Resurrection.”

Abu Bakr said, ““O Messenger of Allah, one of the two sides of my lower garment hangs down unless I [constantly] take care to keep it up.” The Prophet #% said, “You are not from those who do it from pride and selfadmiration."

Based on this hadith, we say the following to someone who lets his clothing hang down below him ankles: You may let your clothing fall down below your ankles if three conditions are

Nassaaee (5327); by Ibn Maajah (3580); by Maalik (1700); and by AdDaarimee (2644).

"l Related by Bukhaaree (5784), Muslim (2085), Ahmad (5328), At-Tirmidhee (1730), An-Nassaaee (5335), Abu. Daawood (4085), Ibn Maajah (3569), and Maalik (16696). And the wording mentioned above is from Bukhaaree’s narration of the hadith.

Chapter - 15 The Manners Of Adornment And Attire 365

Only one of the two sides of your lower garment, and not both sides, is hanging down.

You take care to raise your lower garment every time it slides down or falls, for this is what Abu Bakr 4 did. Ibn Hajr said, “The following is from Ahmad’s narration of the hadith: ‘Verily, my lower garment loosens sometimes.’ It seems as though his belt or string would loosen when he was walking, and he would not intend for that to happen. He 4 would remain attentive, and every time it loosened, he would tie it.”