As for treating a disbeliever kindly and showing him goodwill, there is nothing wrong with this if they do not fight us on account of religion or drive us from our homes, for Allah, Exalted is He, says:

“Allah does not forbid you from dealing kindly and justly with those who have neither fought you on account of religion nor driven you from your homes. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.” [al-Mumtahanah]

His statement, “or stuffing,” is in the accusative as the predicate of an omitted kāna (was); that is, “or if it is stuffing.” In other words, it is permissible for a person to wear a garment padded with silk. Thus, if a man sees a garment for sale which has silk stuffing and buys it to wear, there is nothing wrong with that. Likewise, if he sees bedding whose stuffing is silk and buys it to sleep on, there is nothing wrong with that.

Or if it is a stripe measuring four fingers or less …

His statement, “or if it is a stripe,” is coordinated with what preceded it. That is, wearing silk is permissible when it forms a stripe on a garment. A stripe is an embroidered band on the garment. A garment may be embroidered along its lower edge, at its collar opening, on its sleeves, or, if it is open at the front, along its sides.

The point is that if a garment has a stripe—that is, a band of silk—it is permissible, but subject to the condition mentioned by the author in his statement, “measuring four fingers or less.” That is, the stripe must be no wider than four fingers. What is meant is the fingers of an average person. Matters such as this are referred back to the average. For this reason, the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Beware of taking the choicest of their wealth” (1), so that one does not take the highest grade, nor the lowest grade either; rather, we take the average.

Thus, if the stripe is four fingers or less in one place, then this