are few and specifically delineated, falling under clear criteria that restrict and confine them, such as:

First: Gold, silver, and silk for men. Explicit scriptural texts forbid them, and the wisdom behind barring men from these items is evident.

Second: Imitation. This is of two kinds: either imitation of the disbelievers in matters that are uniquely theirs and have become their distinctive mark—such imitation is forbidden, for “whoever imitates a people is one of them”—or the imitation of men by women or vice-versa. Each gender has its own particular dress and appearance, and it is unlawful for the other gender to copy it. The texts on this are clear, and the manifestations of Allah’s wisdom in the matter are plain to see.

Third: Extravagance, wastefulness, and squandering wealth on clothing. This too is prohibited, for Allah has condemned such conduct, saying, “Indeed, the squanderers are brothers of the devils” (17:27).

These and similar guidelines are what shift customary practices from their default permissibility to prohibition. The textual evidences we have hinted at are well known and widely transmitted; our task is simply to comply and to stop at the limits of what Allah has made lawful.