The things from which a pilgrim in iḥrām must abstain are few, clearly enumerated and limited, whereas the things that remain lawful are many—indeed countless.

The prohibition of the garments mentioned in the ḥadith applies exclusively to male pilgrims, not to women. Al-Majd Ibn Taymiyyah said: “The scholars unanimously agree that this ruling concerns men.” The proof, drawn from the very wording of the ḥadith, is that the address is directed to them; although the plural pronoun marked by the letter wāw can, by convention, include both sexes, its apparent import here is that it is confined to males.

By citing these specific items, the Prophet ﷺ alerted us to everything that resembles them. Thus, the ban on the burnus and turbans covers anything that directly touches and conceals the head. As for shading the head with something that does not touch it—such as an umbrella or the roof of a carriage—this is permissible for both men and women.

The prohibition of leather socks (khuffayn) encompasses anything that covers the foot and rises above the ankles, and it holds only so long as sandals are available. If one cannot find sandals, he may wear the khuffayn, as stated in the ḥadith of Ibn ʿAbbās reported in the two Ṣaḥīḥs, and he is not required to cut them in the stronger of the two scholarly opinions. This is because Ibn ʿAbbās’s report is later than the ḥadith of Ibn ʿUmar that mentions cutting them, and because those who heard Ibn ʿAbbās’s narration were more numerous than those who heard Ibn ʿUmar’s. Ibn ʿUmar’s report was given in Madinah, whereas Ibn ʿAbbās’s was in ʿArafāt. Therefore, it is unwarranted to restrict the unrestricted text by the restricted one in these two traditions.

The prohibition of the qamīṣ (shirt) extends to any tailored or close-fitting garment that is worn in the usual manner. The intended ban concerns putting on sewn clothing in the ordinary way; draping such a garment over the body or wrapping oneself in it without wearing it conventionally is permissible.

By mentioning trousers, the ḥadith also points to everything that covers a portion of the body, such as short pants or a knitted undershirt (fanīlah).