CHAPTER 10 – Hadiths Regarding Wearing Dresses Made of Pure Silk
Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) saw a silk garment being sold near the Masjid an-Nabawi and said, “O Messenger of Allah, if you were to purchase this silk garment, you could wear it on Fridays and when delegations come to visit.” Thereupon the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) said, "Those who have no share in the Hereafter wear such garments." Then a silk garment was presented as a gift to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him), and he gave it to Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “O Messenger of Allah, you are giving me this silk, whereas you had spoken to me about the silk from Utarid?” The Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) replied, "I did not give it to you so that you would wear it.” Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) then had the garment worn by his Mushrik brother in Mecca. [584]
COMMENTARY
The Mushrik brother of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) is an uterine brother. It is said that his name is Osman ibn Hakim. However, his paternal brother, Zayd ibn al-Khattab, became Muslim before Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).
The same story was narrated through Salim's father, Abdullah, as in the preceding account. In that narration, it mentioned a garment of thick silk. Then, a garment of fine silk was presented as a gift to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Omar: “You sell it and spend its proceeds on your needs.”
Abu Osman an-Nahdi, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated:
That Omar, may Allah be pleased with him, wrote a letter to Utba bin Farqad, stating that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade (men) from silk except for two, three, or four fingers’ width. [585]
Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) related:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) had a silk garment gifted to him.
He sent it to me, and I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him), wearing the silk. I began to see displeasure on his face. He said, “I did not send this for you to wear.” Then I distributed it among the womenfolk of my relatives. [586]