Moreover, perhaps the prohibition against wearing a vividly red garment is because it constitutes imitation of the disbelievers, in view of the hadith: “These are among the garments of the disbelievers, so do not wear them.” Muslim narrated it, and its documentation has preceded under no. 1704. Or it may be because it is women’s attire, as indicated by another hadith recorded by him (6/144) from Abd Allah ibn Amr, who said: “The Prophet saw me wearing two garments dyed with safflower and said, ‘Did your mother command you to wear this?!’ I said, ‘Should I wash them?’ He said, ‘Rather, burn them.’” And Allah knows best.

2396 — “He prohibited crimson saddle-cushions.”

Al-Tirmidhi (2789) narrated it from al-Hasan, from Imran ibn Husayn, as a hadith attributed to the Prophet, and said: “A good, singular hadith.” I say: Its narrators are trustworthy, but al-Hasan practised tadlis and related it using an ambiguous ʿan (“from”) formulation. It has a corroborating report in the hadith of Ali, who said: “He prohibited crimson saddle-cushions.” Abu Dawud (2/175) and al-Nasai (2/288) narrated it from Hisham, from Muhammad, from Ubaydah, from him. I say: This is an authentic chain of transmission.

Abu Dawud also narrated it, as did al-Nasai (2/287) and Ibn Majah (3654), from Abu Ishaq, from Hubayrah, from Ali, who said: “The Messenger of Allah prohibited a gold ring, wearing qassi garments (a silk-and-linen fabric), and red saddle-cushions.”