He was asked:

Regarding someone who refrains from costly fabrics, such as silk, lavishly finished linen, and similar materials: is there a reward for abstaining from these or not? Give us a ruling; may you be rewarded.

He answered:

Praise be to Allah, Lord of all worlds. As for what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, such as silk, one is rewarded for abstaining from it, just as one is punished for using it. It is authentically established that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Whoever wears silk in this world will not wear it in the Hereafter.”

He also said concerning silk and gold:

“These are forbidden to the males of my ummah and permissible for its females.”

As for permissible things, one is rewarded for forgoing what is superfluous—that is, what one does not need for the good of one’s religion—just as extravagance in permissible things is prohibited. Allah Most High says:

“And those who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor miserly, but follow a middle course between the two.”

Allah Most High says of the inhabitants of the Fire:

“Indeed, before this they lived in luxury.”

“And they persisted in the great sin.”

Allah Most High also says:

“Do not keep your hand chained to your neck, nor extend it completely, lest you be left blameworthy and destitute.”

And Allah Most High says: “And give