They also indicate, as noted earlier, that a person may wear whatever he wishes of garments that are white, black, green, yellow, or red—except for solid red, for the Prophet ﷺ explicitly forbade that colour when it is pure. Thus, red is unobjectionable only when it is mixed with another colour; if it is entirely red, it is impermissible.

In the report of ʿAmr ibn Ḥurayth he saw the Prophet ﷺ wearing a black turban, and it has already been mentioned that the Prophet ﷺ entered Mecca with a black turban. Both narrations prove that a black turban is permissible. The same ruling applies to a shamagh whose pattern is black, green, or red; all of these are allowed.

The narrations further show the permissibility of wearing a turban in general and that it is preferable to leave a thuʾābah—a tail—so that one end hangs down the back, just as the Prophet ﷺ did. A turban without such a tail is called a ṣammāʾ because no part of it hangs loose. Both styles are lawful, and according to the sounder opinion one may wipe over either of them in ablution.

ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was shrouded in three white Sahūlī cotton wraps, with no shirt and no turban. This shows that it is best to shroud the deceased in white cloth when that is available. If white is not obtainable, the body may be wrapped in whatever the living customarily wear, regardless of colour—except for solid red.