Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Brief Comments on Riyaadh al-Saaliheen #104

It is prohibited for men to wear pure red clothes

بسم الله والحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله ، وبعد

Al-Baraa’ ibn `Aazib رضي الله عنه narrated: “The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was of a modest height. I saw him wearing a red Hullah* (mantle or cloak), and I did not see anything better than him.” [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (3551, 5848) and Saheeh Muslim (5770)]

*Note: Hullah is a suit of two Yemeni garments which are woven with red and black stripes, or red and green stripes. It is described as red because of the apparent red stripes in it.


Shaikh Muhammad Ibn Saaleh al-`Uthaymeen رحمه الله said:

The most preferred choice of color, in clothes, is white but if a person wears some other color then there is nothing wrong with that - except for the red color because the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم prohibited the red color, i.e. if it is made entirely of red color. But if it is red and it contains white, then there is nothing wrong with that. This is what the author (Imaam al-Nawawee) mentioned (in his book, Riyaadh al-Saaliheen) that “the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was of a modest height and that he was wearing a red Hullah (mantle or cloak)…”

The red Hullah doesn’t mean that it was entirely made of red color, but it means that the most obvious color in it is red – like how one says: “the red Shimaagh” (the head scarf), whereas it is not entirely made up of red, but rather, it has a lot of white in it as well (i.e. it is woven or stitched with red and white threads); but it is still referred to as red because the points and the patterns are made with red (colored threads). Similarly, the red Hullah, meaning: the most obvious color in it is red. But as for men wearing clothes made purely in red, in which there is no white color, such clothes have been prohibited by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

[Sharh Riyaadh al-Saaliheen of Shaikh Ibn al-`Uthaymeen (4/270-271)]


Note: The Ahaadeeth which forbid wearing plain red:

1. Al-Baraa’ ibn `Aazib رضي الله عنه said: “The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم forbade us to use red Mayaathir (saddlecloths or mattresses) and Qasiy (garments with woven stripes of silk).” [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (5838, 5863)]


2. Ibn `Abbaas رضي الله عنهما said: “I was forbidden (to wear) red garments and gold rings, and to recite the Qur’aan in Rukoo`.” [Sunan al-Nasaa’i, (5266) and Shaikh al-Albaanee said: “its Isnaad is Saheeh”]

3. Ibn Hajr reported in al-Fath al-Baaree that whenever `Umar رضي الله عنه saw someone wearing clothes dyed red with safflower, he would pull him side and say: “Leave this for the women.” [al-Fath al-Baaree (10/305)]

2 comments:

  1. Assalaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah, Two questions:
    1. Is it that any individual piece of clothing worn should not be red, as in an all red shirt while the pants is a different colour? Or is it that a complete outfit should not be all red?
    2. Is it also forbidden for women to not wear all red clothing?

    Jazaak Allahu Khairan

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  2. Wa `alaikum assalaam wa rahmaullaahi wa barakaatuh.

    1. It is any individual piece of clothing either be it a shirt / T-shirt or trousers.

    2. As for women, they are permitted to wear red clothing, as this prohibition is limited to men only. Kindly see the narration of `Umar رضي الله عنه which was added later to the post.

    Baarak Allaahu feek.

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