for the non-Arabs. Thus he forbade it for that reason, not because it was silk per se; for had the prohibition been due to its being silk, it would have applied to the entire garment rather than being limited to those two places. Hence he said, “in imitation of the non-Arabs.”
The basic rule for an adjectival clause is that it serves to restrict the subject, not merely to clarify it. On this basis one may interpret the ḥadīth that Abū Dāwūd transmits with an authentic chain from Saʿīd ibn Abī ʿArūbah, from Qatādah, from al-Ḥasan, from ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn, that the Prophet of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:
“I do not ride upon crimson saddlecloth, I do not wear safflower-dyed clothes, and I do not wear a shirt trimmed with silk.”
Al-Ḥasan then pointed to the opening of his own shirt and said, “Behold: the fragrance of men is a scent without color, while the fragrance of women is color without scent.” Saʿīd added, “I think he said that they understood his words regarding women’s perfume to apply when she goes outside.”
(1) In MS A the wording is: “kadhalika” (likewise).
(2) In MS B the reading is: “al-manhi ʿanhu” (the forbidden matter).
(3) He is Saʿid ibn Abi ʿArubah, Mehran al-Yashkuri— their freedman—Abu al-Nadr of Basra. Ibn Hajar writes: “Reliable, a ḥāfiẓ, the author of several works; he engaged frequently in tadlīs and later became confused, yet he was one of the most accurate transmitters from Qatādah.” He belongs to the seventh generation, died in 156 AH, and all six canonical collections narrate from him. See: Taqrib al-Tahdhib 1/302, no. 226.
(4) In MS A the chain reads: “from al-Ḥasan ibn ʿImrān,” which is a copyist’s error.
(5) Al-arjuwān may denote: a tree with red blossoms, a red dye, or a garment dyed red—the last is what is meant in this ḥadith. Al-Khattabi states in Maʿālim al-Sunan: “I take it that the intention is the red saddle-cushions, sometimes made of silk brocade, for which there is an explicit prohibition.” See: Maʿālim al-Sunan, margin of Sunan Abi Dawud 4/324; al-Muʿjam al-Wasīṭ 1/13, s.v. hamza.
(6) The verb “qāla” (he said) is missing from the printed edition.
(7) In MS A the phrase reads: “illā ṭīb” (except perfume), with the conjunction “wa” omitted.