The hadith of Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, came later, for the hadith of Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, was in Medina before the Prophet—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him and his family—travelled for Hajj, whereas the hadith of Ibn Abbas was later, at Arafah.

Moreover, those who heard the Messenger’s words at Arafah were more numerous than those who heard him in Medina. Had cutting the leather socks been obligatory, the Prophet—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him and his family—not have delayed clarification beyond the time when it was needed. Therefore, this is not a case of qualifying an unrestricted text by a restricted one, for that applies only when the circumstances of the unrestricted and restricted texts are the same. In that case, the unrestricted text is qualified by the restricted one; but when the circumstances differ, the unrestricted text cannot be qualified by the restricted one. This is the correct view.

Issue: Are things analogous to these five items specified by the Messenger, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, included under the same ruling?

The answer: Yes. Whatever is analogous to them falls under the same ruling. For example, a coat worn over the chest resembles a shirt, so it takes the same ruling: it is not permissible for a person in ihram to wear it. Likewise, the qaba, a loose, front-opened garment with sleeves, resembles a shirt. However, if he drapes the qaba over his shoulders without putting his arms through its sleeves, does this count as wearing it? The correct view is that it does not count as wearing it, because people do not normally wear it in that manner.

The hooded cloak also includes the abayah, for the abayah resembles the hooded cloak in some respects. Thus, it is not permissible for a person to wear an abayah after entering ihram