garments dyed with safflower. It is well known that this dye produces a red colour.
Some of the Sunan collections report that they were travelling with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when he saw coverings with red woollen threads (1) on their mounts. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Do I not see that this redness has spread over you?” At his words, we sprang up so quickly that some of our camels bolted, and we took the coverings and pulled them off the animals. Reported by Abū Dāwūd (2).
The permissibility of wearing red garments, thick woollen cloth (3), and the like is open to question. As for wearing red, it is very strongly disapproved of. How, then, could anyone suppose that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, wore a vivid red garment? Certainly not! Allah protected him from it. The confusion arose only from the expression “the red outfit” (4). Allah knows best.
He wore cloaks (5), both patterned and plain. He also wore a garment (6) that was black.
He wore a fur garment edged with fine silk. Thus, it was related (7) by Imām Ahmad and Abū Dāwūd (8)
(1) The printed editions read: “with red stripes.”
(2) No. 4070. Also transmitted by Ahmad (15807) and al-Tabarānī (4:288), all from Rāfi‘ ibn Khadīj. Its transmission hinges on an unnamed man from Banū Hāritha.
(3) Jūkh: densely woven woollen cloth. See Mu‘jam Dūzī (2:329) and al-Mu‘jam al-‘Arabī li-Asmā’ al-Malābis (p. 119).
(4) See also Tahdhīb al-Sunan (3:60) and Sharh al-‘Umda by Shaykh al-Islām (2:386–389).
(5) Abū ‘Ubayd, in Gharīb al-Hadīth (1:283), quotes al-Asma‘ī: “Khamā’is (cloaks) are garments made of khazz or patterned wool. They are black and were worn by people.”
(6) Sād, Jīm: “burdan (a cloak).” Someone altered this in Sād to “thawban (a garment).”
(7) Kāf, ‘Ayn: “wa-rawā (and narrated).”
(8) Ahmad (13400, 13626) and Abū Dāwūd (4047). The hadith’s transmission hinges on ‘Alī ibn Zayd ibn Jud‘ān, who is a weak transmitter. Ahmad also transmitted it (13148) through Qatāda from Anas, and Ibn Hibbān graded it authentic (7038). This version states “that Ukaydir of Dūma presented a gift”—a detail also cited by al-Bukhārī (2616) without providing its complete chain of transmission, using a definitive form of attribution. It also explains that the garment was worn before wearing silk was prohibited. Al-Bukhārī (2615) and Muslim (2469) also transmitted it, but without mentioning who presented the gift or that he wore it. The additional statement that he wore it may be inauthentic. This is supported by the wording in al-Bukhārī and Muslim: “A tunic of fine silk was presented to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he used to prohibit silk. The people marvelled at it, and he said: …” Al-Bukhārī (3802) and Muslim (2468) likewise transmitted, from al-Barā’ ibn ‘Āzib, a report similar to that of Anas ibn Mālik, without mentioning who presented the gift or that he wore it.