have been a striped garment. Rather, it had red stripes like Yemeni striped garments, and was called red because of those stripes. His prohibition against wearing safflower-dyed and red clothing is authentically established, with no contrary evidence (1). When he saw ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr wearing two red garments, he ordered him to burn them (2). He would not have regarded red with such (3) intense aversion and then worn it himself. The evidence establishes that wearing red is either forbidden or strongly disliked (4).
Before going out on Eid al-Fitr, he would eat some dates, always an odd number (5). On Eid al-Adhā, however, he would not eat until he returned from the prayer ground, when he would eat from his sacrificial animal (6).
He would bathe for Eid, if (7) the hadith concerning this is authentic (8). There are two weak hadiths on this:
(1) Reported by Muslim (2078), from ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib.
(2) Reported by Muslim (2077/28). The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, described the two garments as clothing worn by disbelievers.
(3) The word “hādhihi (such)” is omitted in ق.
(4) “Karāhatuhu (its being disliked)” is omitted in ص. In ق, م, and مب, the reading is “karāhiyatuhu karāhiyatan,” with a yā’ in both words.
(5) Reported by al-Bukhārī (953), from Anas ibn Mālik.
(6) Reported by al-Tayālisī (849), Ahmad (22983, 23042), al-Tirmidhī (582), Ibn Mājah (1756), Ibn Khuzaymah (1426), Ibn Hibbān (2812), al-Dāraqutnī (1715), al-Hākim (1/294), and al-Bayhaqī (3/283), from Buraydah ibn al-Husayb. Its chain contains Thawāb ibn ‘Utbah al-Mahrī, on whose account al-Tirmidhī judged the hadith weak. Thawāb was followed in this transmission by ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Asamm al-Rāfi‘ī, in the reports of Ahmad (22984), al-Dārimī (1641), al-Tabarānī in al-Awsat (3065), and al-Bayhaqī (3/283). This ‘Uqbah is weak, and his reports cannot be relied upon as evidence. Al-Tirmidhī said: “There are also reports on this subject from ‘Alī and Anas.” See Nuzhat al-Albāb by al-Wā’ilī (2/1042).
(7) Some read it as “li-l-‘īdān,” then corrected it to “li-l-‘īdayn (for the two Eids),” as in the printed editions!
(8) The word “al-hadīth (the hadith)” is omitted in ص.