بسم ال الرحمن الرحيم

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ISLAMIC DRESS CODE AND THE QAMĪṢ OF ﷺ THE MESSENGER OF ALLĀH

Abu Asim Badrul Islam

Introduction

The precursor of this article was written in 1997 during my student days at the madrasah of Shaykh Muhammad Fayzullah (may Allah have mercy on him), located in his village in Chittagong, Bangladesh. At the time, it was a direct translation of a brief discussion in Shaykh Izharul Islam’s Urdu commentary of Shaykh Muhammad Fayzullah’s Persian poetry, Pand Nāma-e-Khāki. This was a book that we had to study during our first year of naḥw (Arabic grammar) studies1 - perhaps as more of a pleasure pursuit than serious study, as it was Persian poetry; most students were good at this and enjoyed it. Shaykh Muhammad Fayzullah was the grand mufti of Bangladesh and was one of the finest scholars and ascetic spiritual masters produced by that land. He died in 1396/1976.

When the original was written, it was written in a particular polemic setting in Chittagong (and in other parts of Bangladesh at the time). It was written with the objective of proving that the long qamῑṣ that does not have slits to the sides is the sunnah garment for Muslim men, and that the shorter qamῑṣ that has slits of varying lengths to the sides is not the sunnah. Today, eighteen years later, I no longer believe this to be the case. What this article, in its current rewritten and extended form, does, however, seek to establish is that, if anything, the long qamῑṣ that has no slits to the sides may be the closest to what was worn by the Messenger of .and his companions ﷺ Allāh

Islamic dress code

ʿAllāmah Shaykh Muhammad Taqi Usmani (b. 1362/1943), in his popular commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, states that Islām does not specify what type of clothing a Muslim must wear. That is, it does not dictate specific descriptions of items of clothing. It acknowledges that man has been created with a disposition to love variety in food and clothing. Therefore, Islām does not seek to curb this disposition by restricting it to specific items of clothing or to a specific attire. Islām simply lays down universal mandatory principles that must be abided by in the matter of clothing. As long as these principles are conformed to, every Muslim man and woman is left free to choose what he or she wears. The core of these principles are:

• Clothing must cover the area of the body that is considered ʿawrah. This varies between man and woman significantly. The ʿawrah of a man is the region from his navel to his knees (including the knees). The ʿawrah of a woman is her entire body with the

1 The madrasah had four years of naḥw studies.

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exception of her face, hands and feet.2 The covering of the ʿawrah is the most important purpose of clothing. Allāh Most Magnificent says:

يَا بَنِي آدَمَ قَدْ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ لِبَاسًا يُوَارِي سَوْآتِكُمْ وَرِيشًا ۖ “O Children of Ādam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to cover your shame, as well as to be an adornment to you.”

(Sūrah Al-Aʿrāf: 26)

• Clothing must adorn the wearer. Beauty and adornment are desired by Islām, as long as they are kept within the limits of the Sharīʿah and, very importantly, the laws of ḥijāb are not violated. Allāh Most Magnificent says:

يَا بَنِي آدَمَ خُذُوا زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِ مَسْجِدٍ “O Children of Ādam! Wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer.”

(Sūrah Al-Aʿrāf: 31)

قُلْ مَنْ حَرَمَ زِينَةَ اللَـهِ الَتِي أَخْرَجَ لِعِبَادِهِ وَالطَيِبَاتِ مِنَ الرِزْقِ “Say: Who has prohibited the adornment Allāh has brought forth for His servants, and the wholesome things of sustenance?”

(Sūrah Al-Aʿrāf: 32)

Imām Al-Nasāʾī reports from Abu ‘l-Aḥwaṣ, who reports from his father, who said:

عن أبي الحوص عن أبيه قال: كنت جالسا عند رسول ال صلى ال عليه وسلم – يعني – فرآني رث الثياب. فقال: ألك مال؟ قلت: نعم يا رسول ال، من كل الال. قال: فإذا آتاك ال مالفلير أثره عليك. (سن النسائي) He saw me wearing old tattered clothes and asked, ‘Do .ﷺ I was sitting near the Messenger of Allāh“

2 It must be noted here that there is a difference between ʿawrah and ḥijāb. Many confuse one with the other, or draw no distinction between both. For a detailed discussion on this see: Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (2010), The Hijab of Women and its Boundaries. [Online] Available from: http://www.deoband.org/2010/06/hadith/hadith-commentary/the-hijab-of- women-and-its-boundaries/. [Accessed: 26 July 2015]; Mufti Husain Kadodia (2009), The Niqab And its Obligation in The Hanafi Madhhab. [Online] Available from: http://www.deoband.org/2009/04/contemporary-voices/the-niqab-and-its-obligation- in-the-hanafi-madhhab/. [Accessed: 26 July 2015].

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you have wealth?’ I replied, “Yes, O Messenger of Allāh – from every type of wealth.” He said, “When Allāh has granted you wealth, its signs should be visible on you.”3

:said ﷺ Imām al-Tirmidhī reports that the Messenger of Allāh

عن عمرو بن شعيب عن أبيه عن جده ، قال: قال رسول ال صلى ال عليه وسلم: إن ال يحب أن يرى أثر نعمته على عبده. (سن الترمذي)

“Allāh loves that the signs of His blessings be visible4 upon His servant.”5

• Clothing must not be such that, by wearing it, the Muslim resembles non-Muslims. Imām Ibn Nujaym (d. 970/1563) states:

“Know that resemblance with the People of the Book (Christians and Jews) is not disliked in everything. For, we eat and drink just as they do. Resemblance is ḥarām in only those things that are blameworthy and with which resemblance is intended. This is how Qāḍī Khān has mentioned it in Sharḥ al-Jāmiʿ al-Saghīr. Based on this, if resemblance is not intended, it will not be disliked.”

• Clothing of silk is ḥarām for men, but not for women. Likewise, wearing the lower garment below the ankles is ḥarām for men, but not for women.6

Bearing the above basic principles in mind, let us now look at what type of qamῑṣ the .and his companions may have worn ﷺ Messenger of Allāh

and his companions ﷺ The qamῑṣ of the Messenger of Allāh

favourite item of ﷺ It is reported in the books of ḥadῑth that the Messenger of Allāh’s clothing was the qamῑṣ. Imāms Nasāʾῑ, Abū Dāwūd, Tirmidhῑ and Ibn Mājah report in their respective books of Sunan:

3 Abu ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Aḥmad ibn Shuʿayb al-Nasāʾī, Sunan al-Nasāʾī (Al-Mujtabā), 8 vols. (Cairo: Dār al-Taʾṣīl, 1436/2015) 8:159, ḥadīth 5267.

4 The wording of the actual ḥadīth may also be read: “Allāh loves to see […]”.

5 Abu ʿĪsā Muḥammad ibn ʿĪsā ibn Sawrah al-Tirmidhī, Al-Jāmiʿ al-Kabīr (Sunan al-Tirmidhī), 6 vols. (Beirut: Al-Risālat al- ʿĀlamiyyah, 1430/2009), ed. Shuʿayb al-Arnaʾūṭ, 5:100, ḥadīth 3029.

6 For the full discussion, see: Muḥammad Taqī al-ʿUthmānī, Takmilat Fatḥ al-Mulhim bi Sharḥ Saḥīḥ Muslim, 6 vols. (Damascus: Dār al-Qalam, 1427/2006) 4:53.

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7 عن أم سلمة i قالت: كان أحب الثياب إلى رسول ال ﷺ القميص.

”.favourite item of clothing was the qamῑṣ ﷺ Umm Salamah (ra) said: “The Messenger of Allāh’s

The word ‘qamῑṣ’ is still used for items of clothing in Arabic and various other Muslim cultures. For example, in south Asia the word ‘kameez’ is used for the upper flowing shirt that women wear, usually with a matching pair of trousers called ‘shalwar’. Arabs, today, call a shirt a ‘qamῑṣ’. This includes the long robe that is worn by Arab men (for example, the popular national white robe worn by Saudi Arabian men) as well as the western, much shorter, shirt that is worn with suit and tie. The qamῑṣ of south Asian Muslim men, usually referred to as the ‘kurta’ – which, due to historical reasons, is also worn by other faith communities of India – is much different to that of the Arabs. Likewise, the shirt that accompanies the traditional Turkish salvar is different to the Arab qamῑṣ and the south Asian kameez or kurta. A study of the history of the clothing worn by various nations reveals that, with the passing of time, their clothing underwent a process of evolution. Often, the specific clothing that a nation, or communities within a nation, adopted was influenced by religion, social and economic factors, geography, the materials available and, importantly, climate.

Imām ʿAlī al-Qārī (d. 1014/1605), in his commentary on the Shifā of Qāḍī ʿIyāḍ (d. 544/1149), quotes Ibn Khallikān (d. 681/1282) as stating regarding Imām Abū Yūsuf (d. 182/798), who was the most senior student of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah (d. 150/767):

8 هو أول من دعي بقاضي القضاة ويقال إنه أول من غير لباس العلماء إلى هذه الهيئة التي هم عليها الن ، وكان ملبوس 9 الناس قبل ذلك شيئا واحدا، ل يتميز أحد عن أحد بلباس .

“He was the first to be given the title of Qāḍi ’l-quḍāt (lit. judge of judges – i.e. chief judge). It is said that he was the first to change the attire of the ʿulamāʾ to what it is today. Prior to that, people’s clothing used to be the same; there was no distinction by virtue of clothing.”10

7 رواه الترمذي (1860) وأبو داود (4025) و(4026) والنسائي في «الكبرى» (9668) وابن ماجه (3575) وأحمد (26695)

8 وفي طبعة دار إحياء التراث العربي لكتاب «وفيات العيان وأنباء أبناء الزمان» لبن خلكان 3\389: التي هم عليها في هذا الزمان.

9 وفي طبعة دار إحياء التراث العربي لكتاب «وفيات العيان وأنباء أبناء الزمان» لبن خلكان 3\389: بلباسه.

10 ʿAlῑ ibn Sulṭān Muḥammad al-Qārῑ, Sharḥ al-Shifā 2 vols. (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, no date), 2:471.

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There is much debate within some circles as to what exactly the qamῑṣ worn by the Messenger looked like. As has been illustrated above, the qamῑṣ can mean different forms of ﷺ of Allāh upper garment to different cultures and nations. The garment that is known as the qamῑṣ to the Arabs of today is not the same as the garment known as the qamῑṣ (or kameez) to the south Asians. Regarding this, Imām Sayyid Muḥammad Anwar Shāh Kashmῑrῑ (d. 1352/1933) states in his Fayḍ al-Bārῑ ʿalā Ṣaḥῑḥ al-Bukhārῑ:

والشيء إذا انقطع رواجه في الناس ل تكاد تدرى حقىقته (...) وكالقميص فإنها عند العرب ثوب سابغ يضرب الكعبي، وفي ديارنا قصير جداً يضرب الفخذين، ومن ل يدري الصطلحي يظن أنّ قميص صحابة النبي ﷺ أيضاً 11 كان إلى الفخذين.

“When a thing ceases to be prevalent in a society, [gradually,] its specific nature becomes almost unknown. […] [An example of one such thing that was previously prevalent is] the qamῑṣ. To the Arabs, it is a long garment that extends to the ankles. In our [south Asian] countries, it is very small and extends to the thighs. He who is not familiar with the two different usages of the word ‘qamῑṣ’ in the two societies (Arab and south also extended to only the ﷺ Asian) will think that the qamῑṣ of the companions of the Prophet of Allāh thighs (whereas this was not the case).”12

Imām Sayyid Muḥammad Anwar Shāh Kashmῑrῑ is not just highlighting the length of the rather, he is clarifying the fact - ﷺ qamῑṣ of the companions (ra) of the Messenger of Allāh that the qamῑṣ of the south Asian Muslims is different to that of the Arabs. The qamῑṣ that was is the qamῑṣ of the Arabs. This ﷺ the favourite item of clothing to the Messenger of Allāh qamῑṣ is without slits to the sides and extends to the calves, above the ankles.

This is further substantiated by the reason that has been given for the qamῑṣ being the Imām ʿAlī al-Qārī and ʿ Allāmah .ﷺ favourite item of clothing to the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ Ibrāhῑm ibn Muḥammad al-Bājūrῑ (d. 1277/1860) both state that the Prophet’s preference for the qamῑṣ was due to its being better in covering the body, compared with the izār (lungi/waist-wrapper) or cloak. Also, it is cheaper and lighter on the body, and better in

11 فيض الباري على صحيح البخاري 6\75 – كتاب اللباس، ط. دار الكتب العلمية، بيروت

12 Sayyid Muḥammad Anwar Shāh Kashmῑrῑ, Fayḍ al-Bārῑ ʿalā Ṣaḥῑḥ al-Bukhārῑ, 6 vols. (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1426/2005), 6:75.

Page | 6 safeguarding the one wearing it from haughtiness and pride.13 It is obvious that the body would be covered most fully when the qamῑṣ is without slits to the sides.

Imām Abu Dāwūd reports from the companion, Salamah ibn al-Akwaʿ (ra):

عن سلمة بن الكوع قال: قلت: يا رسول ال ، إني رجل أصيد ، فأصلي في القميص الواحد؟ قال: نعم ، وازرره ولو بشوكة. (سن أبي داود)

“I asked, O Messenger of Allāh! I am a hunter. May I pray wearing just a qamīṣ? He replied, ‘Yes, but button it, even if it be with a thorn’.”14

The performance of ṣalāh wearing only the qamῑṣ is possible when it is without slits and extends to the calves. Otherwise, the body will not be fully covered.

Quoting Imām ʿAlī al-Qārī, ʿAllāmah Khalīl Aḥmad Sahāranpūrī (d. 1346/1927), in his commentary on the Sunan of Imām Abu Dāwūd, explains this ḥadīth to mean that the neck opening of the qamῑṣ was so wide that the ʿawrah was visible through it.15

It is mentioned in the books of fiqh that if a person performs ṣalāh wearing only a qamῑṣ and any part of his body between the navel and knees16 is visible through the neck opening, it does not affect the validity of his ṣalāh.17 From this, it is understood that in the terminology of the fuqahāʾ (jurists) the qamῑṣ is without slits and extends to the calves. Otherwise, the performance of ṣalāh wearing only the qamῑṣ will not be valid.

A very important, and perhaps obvious, proof is that since the time of the Messenger of the qamῑṣ that extends to the calves (above the ankles) and is without slits to the sides ﷺ Allāh has been the prime item of clothing of the Arabs.

13 ʿAlῑ ibn Sulṭān Muḥammad al-Qārῑ, Mirqāt al-Mafātῑḥ Sharḥ Mishkāt al-Maṣābῑḥ, 11 vols. (Beirut: Dār al-Fikr, no date), 8:138; Ibrāhῑm ibn Muḥammad al-Bājūrῑ al-Shāfiʿῑ, Al-Mawāhib al-Laduniyyah ʿalā ‘l-Shamāʾil al-Muḥammadiyyah (li ‘l-Imām al- Tirmidhῑ), (Jeddah/Riyadh: Dār al-Minhāj, 1432/2011).

14 Abu Dāwūd Sulaymān ibn al-Ashʿath al-Azdī al-Sijistānī, Kitāb al-Sunan (Sunan Abī Dāwūd), 5 vols. (Jeddah: Dār al-Qiblah, 1427/2006), ed. Muḥammad ʿAwwāmah, 1:444, ḥadīth 632.

15 Khalīl Aḥmad al-Sahāranfūrī, Badhl al-Majhūd fi Ḥalli Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 14 vols. (Beirut: Dār al-Bashāʾir al-Islāmiyyah, 1427/2006), ed. Taqī al-Dīn al-Nadwī, 3:565, ḥadīth 630.

16 This portion of the body of a male is considered the ʿawrah in the ḥanafῑ school of sacred law and is, therefore, compulsory to keep covered.

17 See: Muḥammad Amῑn ‘ibn ʿĀbidῑn’, Radd al-Muḥtār ʿalā ’l-Durr al-Mukhtār Sharḥ Tanwῑr al-Abṣār, 14 vols. (Beirut: Dār al- Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, no date), 2:83.

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Some have argued that the fact that, historically, such a qamῑṣ has always been the prime item of clothing of the pious servants of Allāh Most High is sufficient to prove its excellence and praiseworthiness over the slit and shorter one – and to emulate the pious is the path to success. The objection to this argument is quite obvious.

Some of the most compelling descriptions of the length of the qamῑṣ of the Messenger of and his companions (ra) can be found in the monumental twenty six-volume ḥadīth ﷺ Allāh and athar corpus of Imām Abu Bakr ibn Abī Shaybah (d. 235/850) – the Muṣannaf. Most of these narrations are also found in some of the other major ḥadīth collections, as Imām Abu Bakr ibn Abī Shaybah was the shaykh of most of the other major imāms of ḥadīth, including Al-Bukhārī and Muslim. The following is a selection of narrations from the Muṣannaf. Some narrations regarding the izār (lungi/waist-wrapper) have also been included due to their relevance. I have translated the recurring word ‘izār’ as ‘lower garment’ in order to include every type of garment that a Muslim man may wear in order to cover the lower part of his body. Needless to say, the prohibition of covering the ankles with the lower garment applies only to men. Women are commanded to cover up to and including their ankles.

عن ابن عباس قال: قال رسول ال صلى ال عليه وسلم: إن ال ل ينظر إلى مسبل. (مصنف ابن أبي شيبة)

Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allāh be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allāh (may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: ‘Allāh shall not look at [the one who wears his garment below his ankles].’”

عن عائشة قالت: قال رسول ال ﷺ: ما تت الكعب من الزار: في النار. (مصنف ابن أبي شيبة)

ʿĀʾishah (may Allāh be pleased with her) said: “The Messenger of Allāh (may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: ‘Whatever portion of the lower garment is below the ankle is in the Fire.’”

عن أبي سعيد قال: قال رسول ال ﷺ: إزرة الؤمن إلى نصف الساق ، فما كان إلى الكعب فل بأس ، وما كان تت الكعب ففي النار. (مصنف ابن أبي شيبة)

Abu Saʿīd (may Allāh be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allāh (may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: ‘The lower garment of the believer extends to his mid-calves. There is no problem with whatever extends to the ankles. Whatever extends to below the ankles is in the Fire.’”

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عن مجاهد قال: كان يقال: من مس إزاره كعبيه لم تقبل له صلة ، قال: وقال ذر: من مس إزاره الرض لم تقبل له صلة. (مصنف ابن أبي شيبة)

Mujāhid said: “It used to be said: ‘The ṣalāh of the one whose lower garment touches his ankles is not accepted.’ He [also] said: Dharr said: ‘The ṣalāh of the one whose lower garment touches the ground is not accepted.’”

عن ابن مسعود قال: دخل شابّ على عمر ، فجعل الشابّ يثني عليه ، قال: فرآه عمر يجرّ إزاره ، قال: فقال له: يابن أخي ، إرفع إزارك ، فإنه أتقى لربّك ، و أنقى لثوبك ، قال: فكان عبد ال يقول: يا عجبا لعمر أن رأى حق ال عليه ، فلم ينعه ما هو فيه أن تكلم به! (مصنف ابن أبي شيبة)

Ibn Masʿūd (may Allāh be pleased with him) said: “A youth came to visit ʿUmar (may Allāh be pleased with him) and began praising him. ʿUmar noticed that the youth was dragging his lower garment. He said, ‘O my brother’s son! Raise your garment. For, doing so is [indicative of] more taqwā for your Rabb and cleaner for your garment.’” ʿAbd Allāh [Ibn Masʿūd] used to say: “How amazing was ʿUmar! He saw Allāh’s right upon him (that is, Allāh’s command to enjoin virtue and forbid vice) – the condition in which he was [at the time] did not prevent him from speaking about it.”18

عن أبي يعفور قال: رأيت ابن عمر وإن إزاره إلى نصف ساقيه ، أو قريب من نصف ساقيه. (مصنف ابن أبي شيبة)

Abu Yaʿfūr said: “I saw Ibn ʿUmar (may Allāh be pleased with him). His lower garment extended to his mid- calves or thereabouts.”

عن أنس قال: الزار إلى نصف الساق أو إلى الكعبي ، ل خير فيما هو أسفل من ذلك. (مصنف ابن أبي شيبة)

18 This incident occurred on the day in which Sayyiduna ʿUmar was stabbed several times by Abu Luʾluʾ the fire worshipper. Sayyiduna Ibn Masʿūd may have expressed his profound admiration for, and astonishment at, Sayyiduna ʿUmar ibn al- Khaṭṭāb due to several subtle points. Firstly, he was in what later transpired to be his death bed, as Sayyiduna ʿUmar’s multiple stab wounds, sustained while leading the believers in the Fajr ṣalāh at Al-Masjid al-Nabawī, did not heal. He eventually succumbed to these wounds and passed away. He was known for his meticulous and uncompromising adherence to the commands of Allāh. His commitment to enjoining virtue and forbidding vice was equally uncompromising and unrelenting. Even on his death bed, in such a critical condition, he is mindful of his duties to Allāh. Secondly, the youth had come to visit him in his sick bed and, as such, Sayyiduna ʿUmar would have undoubtedly felt indebted to the youth and seen his visit as a gesture of goodwill and kindness. Under such a feeling of indebtedness, one would normally feel natural reluctance to rebuke or reprimand such a kind visitor – but not so Sayyiduna ʿUmar. Even in such a condition and under such circumstances, he did not fail to give good counsel to the youth. Thirdly, the gentle and affectionate manner in which he addressed the youth. Instead of addressing him angrily, Sayyiduna ʿUmar addressed him as “O my brother’s son”. Fourthly, the beautiful wisdom in the words with which he advised the youth, and the extremely eloquent style of Arabic used in his very succinct yet comprehensive advice – something that only those well-versed in Arabic eloquence can appreciate, and the beauty of which is lost in translation (“Fa innahū atqā li Rabbika wa anqā li thawbika”). Only Allāh Most Magnificent knows best.

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Anas (may Allāh be pleased with him) said: “The lower garment is [to be extended to] the mid-calves or the ankles. There is no good in what falls below that.”

عن خرشة: أن عمر دعا بشفرة فرفع إزار رجل عن كعبيه ، ثم قطع ما كان أسفل من ذلك ، قال: فكأني أنظر إلى ذباذبه تسيل على عقبيه. (مصنف ابن أبي شيبة)

Kharshah narrated: “ʿUmar (may Allāh be pleased with him) asked for a knife/pair of scissors and raised the lower garment of a man to above his ankles by cutting whatever portion of it fell below the ankles. It is as if I am still seeing the edges of his garment flowing over his heels.”

عن أبي إسحاق قال: رأيت ناسا من أصحاب النبي صلى ال عليه وسلم يأتزرون على أنصاف سوقهم ، فذكر أسامة بن زيد ، وابن عمر ، وزيد بن أرقم ، والبراء ابن عازب. (مصنف ابن أبي شيبة)

Abu Isḥāq said: “I saw many from amongst the companions of the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) wearing their lower garments to their mid-calves.” He then mentioned Usāmah ibn Zayd, Ibn ʿUmar, Zayd ibn Arqam and Al-Barāʾ ibn ʿĀzib (may Allāh be pleased with them all).

حدثنا أبو سليمان الكتب ، عن أبيه قال: رأيت عليّا عليه إزار نرانيّ إلى أنصاف ساقيه. (مصنف ابن أبي شيبة)

Abu Sulaymān al-Muktib narrated from his father, who said: “I saw ʿAlī (may Allāh be pleased with him), wearing a Najrānī lower garment, which extended to his mid-calves.”

عن موسى بن دهقان قال: رايت أبا سعيد وابن عمر أزرهما إلى أنصاف سوقهما. (مصنف ابن أبي شيبة)

Mūsā ibn Dahqān said: “I saw Abu Saʿīd and Ibn ʿUmar (may Allāh be pleased with them). Their lower garments extended to their mid-calves.”

عن إياس بن سلمة ، عن أبيه ، أن عثمان بن عفّان كان إزاره إلى نصف ساقيه ، قال: فقيل له في ذلك ، فقال: هذه إزرة حبيبي. يعني النبي صلى ال عليه وسلم. (مصنف ابن أبي شيبة)

Iyās ibn Salamah narrated from his father, who said: “The lower garment of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān (may Allāh be pleased with him) extended to his mid-calves. He was asked about it. He replied: ‘This is the lower garment

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of my beloved’ – meaning the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him).”

حدثنا ابن مهدي ، عن سفيان ، عن داود بن قيس قال: رأيت القاسم قميصه إلى الكعب. (مصنف ابن أبي شيبة)

D āwūd ibn Qays said: “I saw Al-Qāsim – his qamīṣ [was] extended to his calves.”

حدثنا وكيع ، عن محمد بن عمير قال: رأيت قميص سالم مشمّرا فوق الكعبي ، فقال إني رأيت ابن عمر كان قميصه هكذا. (مصنف ابن أبي شيبة ) Muḥammad ibn ʿUmayr said: “I saw the qamīṣ of Sālim raised, above his calves. He said: ‘I saw Ibn ʿUmar; his qamīṣ was like this.’”

حدثنا علي بن مسهر ، عن الجلح ، عن عبد ال بن أبي الهذيل قال: رأيت عليا عليه قميص مدريّ أو رازقيّ ، إذا أرسله بلغ نصف ساقيه ، وإذا مدّه لم يجاوز ظفريه. (مصنف ابن أبي شيبة)

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī ‘l-Hudhayl said: “I saw ʿAli. He was wearing a madariyy or rāziqiyy qamīṣ. When he let it drop, it reached his mid-calves. When he stretched it, it did not stretch beyond the nails [of his fingers].”

حدثنا وكيع ، عن أبي البختري قال: رأيت أنس بن مالك وكمّ قميصه إلى الرصغ. (مصنف ابن أبي شيبة)

Abu ‘l-Bakhtarī said: “I saw Anas ibn Mālik. The sleeve of his qamīṣ extended to his wrist.”

حدثنا وكيع ، عن موسى العلّم ، عن بديل العقيلي قال: كان كمّ النبي ﷺ إلى الرصغ. (مصنف ابن أبي شيبة)

extended to his wrist.”19 ﷺ Budayl al-ʿUqaylī said: “The sleeve of the qamīṣ of the Messenger of Allāh

Conclusion

With or without slits to the sides, there is no disagreement about the fact that the qamīṣ was It is not clear whether his qamīṣ .ﷺ the favourite item of clothing to the Messenger of Allāh had any slits at all - long (as in the common kurta of south Asians) or short (as in the prevalent

19 Abu Bakr ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Abī Shaybah al-ʿAbsī al-Kūfī, Al-Muṣannaf, 26 vols. (Jeddah: Dār al-Qiblah, 1427/2006), ed. Muḥammad ʿAwwāmah.

Page | 11 qamīṣ of some North African Arab nations). The evidences indicate that it most probably did not have any slits. What is very clear, though, is that his qamīṣ was long.

.ʿAllāmah Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (d ,ﷺ In describing the attire of the Messenger of Allāh 751/1350) writes in his magnum opus, Zād al-Maʿād fī Hadyi Khayri ‘l-ʿIbād:

وكان أكثر لبسه الردية والزر ، وهي أخف على البدن من غيرها ، وكان يلبس القميص ، بل كان أحب الثياب إليه . وكان هديه في لبسه لا يلبسه أنفع شيء للبدن ، فإنه لم يكن يطيل أكمامه ، ويوسعها ، بل كانت كم قميصه إلى الرسغ ل يجاوز اليد ، فتشق على لبسها ، وتنعه خفة الركة والبطش ، ول تقصر عن هذه ، فتبرز للحر والبرد ، وكان ذيل قميصه وإزاره إلى أنصاف الساقي لم يتجاوز الكعبي ، فيؤذي الاشي ويؤوده ، ويجعله كالقيد ، ولم يقصر عن عضلة ساقيه ، فتنكشف ويتأذى بالر والبرد .

“The garments that he most frequently wore were cloaks/shawls and izārs (lungis/waist-wrappers). Compared with other garments, they are the lightest on the body. He used to also wear the qamīṣ. In fact, it was his favourite item of clothing.

His practice was to wear that which was the most beneficial for the body. He did not wear [excessively] long or wide sleeves. The sleeves of his qamīṣ used to extend to the wrists, without extending beyond the hand. For, such long sleeves would be cumbersome on the wearer, hindering his movement and grip. Equally, the sleeves of his qamīṣ were not shorter than this, so as to expose the body to heat and cold. The lower portion of his qamīṣ and izār extended to his mid-calves, without going beyond the ankles, so as to impede walking and cause difficulty, and render the wearer as if entrapped by it. Equally, it was not so short that the fleshy portion of his calf remained exposed and discomforted by heat and cold.”20

Abu Asim Badrul Islam Northampton, ENGLAND 9th Shawwāl 1436/25th July 2015

20 Shams al-Dīn Abū ʿAbdillāh Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr ibn Ayyūb ‘ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah’, Zād al-Maʿād fī Hadyi Khayri ’l-ʿIbād, 6 vols. (Beirut: Muʾassat al-Risālah, 1433/2012), ed. Shuʿayb al-Arnaʾūṭ and ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Arnaʾūṭ, 4:217.

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