The Dress

“I once heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, ‘Clean garments put down the enemy.’”

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, dressed in al-Taq, (a certain garment) al-Saj (green pallium) and al-Khama’is (a black gown).”’

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘One who chooses (makes use of) clothes, he must clean it.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), if a believing person can have ten shirts. He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, he can do so.’ I then asked, ‘Can he have twenty.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, he can do so.’ I asked, ‘Can he have thirty?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, he can do so. This is not profligacy and lavishness. Profligacy is when you make your dress to maintain your dignity the cloth of your disgraceful condition.’”

“I once heard al-Rida’ (a.s.), saying, ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, would buy two dresses for summer, each valued at five hundred dirhams.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin sent ‘Abd Allah ibn al-‘Abbas to ibn al-Kawwa’ and his people. He was wearing a shirt of fine fabric and a gown. They looked at him and said, ‘O ibn al- ‘Abbas, you are the better among us in our belief and you wear this kind of clothes.’ He replied, ‘This is the first thing about which I disagree with you. “Who has made it unlawful to maintain beauty and to eat the pure foods which Allah has created for His servants?” (7:32) and He also has said, “dress well when attending the mosques.” (7:31)’”

“I once visited abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), and I was wearing a Jubbah of silk and al-Taylisan (pallium) of silk. He (the Imam) looked at me and I asked saying, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, I am wearing a Taylisan of silk and a Jubbah of silk, what do you say about them?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Silk is not unlawful.’ I then said, ‘Its warp is abrisam (silk from silk worm as opposed to that from certain plant fibers or synthetic). He (the Imam) said, ‘Abrisam is not unlawful because when al-Husayn (a.s.), was murdered, he was wearing abrisam and jubbah of silk.’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘Abd Allah ibn al-‘ Abbas was sent to al-Khawarij by ’Amir al-Mu’minin and he stood before them wearing the best of his dresses with the best perfumes and with the best stumper. They said, ‘O ibn al- ‘Abbas you are the best of people to us but you have come wearing the dress of the tyrants and riding the stumper of the tyrants.’ He read to them this verse, ‘Say, who has made unlawful the beauties that Allah has brought out for His servants and the best sustenance.’ So dress up and beautify; Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty but it must be of the lawful ones.’”

8. Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Bandar Ahmad ibn abu ‘Abd Allah from Muhammad ibn Ali in a marfu‘ manner has said the following: “Once, Sufyan al-Thawriy passed by Masjid al-Haram (the sacred area) and he saw abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), dressed in fine expensive clothes. He decided to meet him (the Imam) and scold him. He went close and said, ‘O son of the Messenger of Allah, the Messenger of Allah did not dress up with this kind of dress, Ali did not dress with this kind of dress nor did any of your ancestors.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), said, ‘The Messenger of Allah (SAW) lived at a time when it was a financially serious and stringent condition. He (the Messenger of Allah) lived according to such conditions but the world thereafter has become financially relaxed. The most deserving in financial opportunities are the virtuous people.’ He (the Imam) then read this verse, ‘Say, who has made unlawful the beautiful things that Allah has brought out for His servants and the fine kinds of means of sustenance.’ (7:32) We are the most deserving of what Allah has granted. However, O Thawriy, what you see I have dressed up with I have done so for people. He (the Imam) pulled his hand to himself and raised the outer layer of his dress. Underneath on his body was a layer of rough textured garment. He (the Imam) said, ‘I wear this for my own soul and what you see (the outer layer) is for people.’ He (the Imam) then raised the outer layer of the garment of Sufyan, which was of rough texture but the layer underneath on his body was of a fine quality. He (the Imam) said, ‘You have dressed up for people with the outer layer and for yourself to enjoy with the fine quality layer underneath.’”

“I once heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, ‘When I was in tawaf (walking around al- Ka‘bah) someone pulled my dress and he was ‘Abbad ibn Kathir al-Basriy saying, “O Ja‘far ibn Muhammad, you wear this kind of dress and your position to Ali (a.s.), is so close.’” I said, ‘It is a material made in Furqubiy (a place in Egypt) which I have bought for a dinar. Ali (a.s.), lived in a time when his kind of dress was suitable for him and if I wear that kind of dress now people will say, “He is another show off like ‘Abbad.’””

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), if a man can have ten shirts, changing them every day. He (the Imam) said, ’It is not unlawful.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), if I can have three shirts. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not unlawful.’ I asked again until I reached ten shirts and he (the Imam) said, ‘Does exchanging give them more durability?’ I said, ‘It does, were I to wear one of them for a longer time, it would become less durable.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not unlawful.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who is affluent and has a great deal of clothes and very fine ones, palliums, many shirts which are used to extend the life of each shirt and beautify himself; if it is profligacy and lavishness. He (the Imam) said, ‘No, it is not lavishness because Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, says, “The affluent can spend according to his affluent condition.” (65:7)’”

“Once abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), was leaning against me or he said, ‘against my father’ when ‘Abbad ibn Kathir al-Basriy met him (the Imam) and he (the Imam) had a dress of fabrics made in Marw (name of place) of fine quality. He (‘Abbad) said, ‘O abu ‘Abd Allah, you are of the family of the Holy Prophet, and your father was (so pious). What is this dress, made in Marw, on you? I wish you dressed in a lower quality dress.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), said to him, ‘Woe on you, O ‘Abbad! Who has made unlawful the beautiful things that Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has brought out for His servants and the very fine kinds of means of sustenance. When Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, grants bounties on His servant He loves to see it on him and it is not harmful. Woe on you, O ‘Abbad, I am a piece of the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, do not trouble me.’ ‘Abbad wore two pieces of clothes made in Qitr (name of a place).”’

’Amir al-Mu’minin (as) has said, "Clean clothes remove worry and sorrow, and they are purifying for prayer."

“Once I was with abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), when a man said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep you well, you have mentioned that Ali ibn abu Talib wore very rough-textured clothes. He wore a shirt valued at four dirham and similar items and we see you wear fine clothes.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), said to him, ‘Ali ibn abu Talib wore that kind of clothes in a time when it was not disliked. Were he to wear such clothes today he would have been defamed. The best dress in every period of time is what the people of that time use, however, when our al-Qa’im will rise, he will wear the kind of dress Ali (a.s.), wore and follow his way of life.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘It is not unlawful if one has twenty shirts. 5 ”