Muhammad’s Adornment and Dress
Muhammad (peace be upon him) was commissioned with jurisprudence that favors beauty, calls for purification, and natural adornment – but that renounces exaggeration, and forbids what spoils manners and societies as dress and finery. Muhammad (peace be upon him) called men and women to be clean to the extent that He asked them to make ablution five times a day using clean water, before going to bed and to be clean all the time.
He described those keeping their ablution as believers. In a tradition of His, He says, “Only a mumin is constant in his wudu.”
In a fine comparison, between cleanliness from within and without, the Prophet (peace be upon him) pointed out the value of general purity, “Say, if there were a river at the door of one of you in which he takes a bath five times a day, would any soiling remain on him?”
They replied, “No soiling would left on him.”
He said, “That is the five (obligatory) salat (prayers). Allah obliterates all sins as a result of performing them.”
In public places where people are many, He emphasized washing rather than ablution especially on Friday where Muslims meet for prayers. The Prophet (peace be upon him) put emphasis on the importance of cleanliness and washing heads. He also repeatedly stressed the importance of the use of the siwak and perfuming themselves.”
His wife, Aisha (may Allah bless her), speaks of the Prophet’s emphasis on Friday washing, “The people came for Jumu’a prayer from their houses in the neighboring villages dressed in woolen garments on which dust was settled and this emitted a foul smell. A person among them (those who Were dressed so) came to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) while He was in my house. The Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) said to him, ‘Were you to cleanse yourselves on this day.”
We sense in this instruction the decency and care for people’s feelings on the part of Muhammad (peace be upon him); He did not talk with them about the foul smell, but rather them to wash using a decent phrase “Were you:’
Muhammad (peace be upon him) recommended wearing perfumes and having a good smell everywhere, especially during meetings. He used to take musk for rubbing His head and beard. The Prophet (peace be upon him) never refused a gift of perfume.
His servant, Anas bin Malik (may Allah bless him), said, “The Prophet (peace be upon him) had a sukkah a small bottle used to keep itr in, or a combination of itrs). He used a fragrance from it.”
Muhammad (peace be upon him) urged the exchange of perfume gifts emphasizing that if someone gives a Muslim a gift of perfume the latter ought to accept it and not to refuse it.
He also urged men to be handsome as much as possible. A man once asked the Prophet (peace be upon him), “O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon you), a man likes to wear beautiful clothes and shoes?”
The Messenger of Allah said, “Allah is Beautiful, He loves beauty.”
He always recommended that one look nice and be in good shape among people.
Jabber bin Abdullah (may Allah bless them both) narrated, “The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) paid visit to us, and saw a disheveled man whose hair was disordered. He said, ‘Could this man not find something to make his hair lie down?
He saw another man wearing dirty clothes and said, ‘Could this man not find something to wash his garments with?”
With the emphasis on nice appearance, He set some measures and rules, some of which are that man be distinguished by a dress of his own and woman of hers.
Ibn Abbas (may Allah bless them both) said,”Allah’s Apostle 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.”
In a tradition narrated by Abu Hurairah, the latter said, “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) cursed a man who puts on the dress of women, and a woman who puts on the dress of men.”
Muhammad did not enforce a certain dress on men, neither did He women, but He rather set some rules and measures that encompass anything new.
What is acknowledged as a specific dress for men, women are prohibited to wear and vice versa. Muhammad (peace be upon him) also ordered women to put on decent veiling clothes, prohibiting indecent ones or showing their heir husbands – called in Islam as being in a beauty before another than degree of consanguinity precluding marriage.
Allah the Almighty said in the Glorious Qur’an, “And tell the believing Allah the Almighty card their private parts and not women to reduce (some) of their vision and g expose their adornment except that which (necessarily) appears thereof and to wrap (a portion of) their head covers over their chests and not expose their to wrap except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, adornment p their sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers, their brothers sons, their sisters’ sons, their women, and that which their right hands possess, or those male attendants having no physical desire, or children who are not yet aware of the private aspects of women. And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment. And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers that you might succeed.” (Al-Nur: 31)
Muhammad (Peace be upon him) looked upon clothes as a blessing from Allah to the servant — the same as food and drink. Allah likes to see the proof of His blessing upon His servant without pride or extravagance but rather with modesty and satisfaction. The servant also has to spend out of his wealth to the poor and the needy. The Prophet said in a tradition of His, “Eat, give charity and clothe yourselves, without being extravagant, and without showing off. Allah loves to see His blessings apparent on His believers.”
Before Islam, the Arabs circumambulated the Kaaba naked, meaning to rid themselves of the clothes, in which they disobeyed Allah. Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught them that the crucial factor is purification from inside and putting on the suitable clothes, Allah said,”O children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess” (Ai-Araf: 31).
The verses of the Qur’an clarified the fact that Allah bestowed this blessing upon His servants and ought to thanked for it, but it emphasized that the best veil for man is to be god-fearing, and to keep away from sins as the Almighty said, “O children of Adam, We have bestowed upon you clothing to conceal your private parts and as adornment. But the clothing of righteousness, that is best. That is from the signs of Allah that perhaps they remember.’’ (Al-Araf: 26)
The verses guide to piety that shields man from Allah’s torture and wrath as clothes shield the body from heat and cold.
Muhammad’s Clothes
Muhammad (peace be upon him) was keen on sharing His people’s good habits, and discarding bad and hateful ones. He was also keen on living among them as one of them without setting Himself above them in clothing or anything peculiar to Him. Moreover He did not specify clothes for anyone of His nation to be distinguished from others, even scholars and princes are on equal footing with the rest.
Furthermore, He forbade His nation from wearing a garment for gaining Fame to look different, distinguished and unique from all people.
Also, He forbade blunt colors that leave no good impression on people, He 7, forbade bright red and bright yellow. In a tradition narrated by Ali (may Allah bless him),”The Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade (wearing) garments dyed with safflower.”
Anyone examining His clothes, would see that He willingly wore modest ones keeping away from luxurious clothes as well as ugly and dirty ones Allah’s Apostle (peace be upon him) wore garments, lower garments, rida’s (cloak). turban. He also wore caps under His turbans, and wore the latter without former. When wearing a turban, the Prophet was used to ease it off allowing His hair to hang from behind it.
His clothes were made of cotton, or wool, or linen, or anything accessible.
His companion – Al-Mugheira bin Shuaba narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) wore a Roman Jubbah with tight sleeves.” He turned away from silk and forbade the men of His nation to wear it, Ali bin Abi Talib said, “Allah’s Messenger (May peace be upon him) gave me a garment in the form of silk cloak. I went out wearing it, but saw signs of anger on His face, so I tore it and distributed it amongst my women.”
It is partly because He pays attention to the feelings of the poor, and strikes a gap between Muslim men and meekness or resemblance of women as well as the kind of luxurious life that makes man forget Allah’s rights. Moreover, He always reminds men to turn away from silk and gold reminding them that in the afterlife – if they join paradise – they will have a great blessing beside which that of this life is scanty.
Thus, they have to turn away from anything Allah forbids as it holds them back from worshipping Allah. Anas bin Malik (may Allah bless him) says, “Allah’s Messenger (May peace be upon him) was presented a garment of sundus and He prohibited the use of silk. The persons admired it, whereupon He said, By Him in Whose Hand is the life of Muhammad, the kerchiefs of Sad bin Mu’adh in paradise are better than this.”
The king of Dumat Al-Jandal presented to Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) the garment and made no mention (of the fact) that He prohibited the use of silk.
His favorite color was white, which He recommended so much as it might be indicative of purity, transparency and cleanliness; He (peace be upon him) says, “Put on white clothes because they are the best.”
His preference to white did not prevent Him from putting on another color; it was narrated that He wore a red dress as Al-Baraa bin Azeb (may Allah bless him) said, “I saw the Prophet (peace be upon him) wearing a red mantle. I have never seen anything more graceful than that.”
Muhammad (peace be upon him) liked to wear loose-fitting garments that suited the hot desert environment He lived in, which were no different from His people’s. His wife, Umm Salama (may Allah bless her) said, “Tie most loved garment to the Messenger of Allah (saws) was the qamis (long shirt).”
Perhaps He specified a good dress for Friday, feasts and for meeting Arab delegations and advised His companions to do so. His wife, Aisha, (may Allah bless her) narrated that He (peace be upon him) said, “There is nothing wrong in wearing two garments, which are not work-clothes for jumua.”
He advised against prolonging garments below the heels lest one should be proud and arrogant. His garment was just above the heels.
