The people of God (ahl Allāh) have established four deaths as the foundations of the spiritual journey (sayr sulūk). The first of these is mevt-i ahdar (the green death). This is not ostentatious, but rather wearing a patched garment. The garment worn by ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb had thirteen patches, one of which was made of leather. Yet he was the leader of the believers (amīr al-muʾminīn)... (Futūḥāt, TI, 184)
Mevt-i ahdar (the green death) is to wear a worthless, cast-aside, patched garment. If a person, instead of a fine garment, is content with a humble garment that covers his nakedness sufficiently for his prayer to be valid, he has died the green death (mevt-i ahdar). For by doing so, he has made his life verdant (flourishing, beautiful) through contentment, has become independent of transient beauties, and has brightened his face with the radiance of the Beauty of the One who gives him life. As it is said in poetry:
When one does not stain his honor with blameworthy things,
whatever he wears is beautiful on him.
When al-Shāfiʿī was seen in an old, worthless garment, some ignorant people blamed him. In response, he said:
If my garment had a price above its worth,
my familiarity with mevt-i ahmer (the red death) would increase for my worthless nafs (the lower self).
Your garment is utter darkness
under the rays of the sun,
But my garment is a sun
under the darkness of night.
(Kāshānī, 92; Jāmiʿ, 100)
(See also: khirqa / lubsi khirqa; muraqqaʿa / muraqqaʿāt)