Ubadah bin al-Samit said: we came to Jabir bin Abdullah. He said: I (Jabir) accompanied the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in a battle. He got up to pray. I had a sheet of cloth upon me, and I began to cross both the ends, but they did not reach (my shoulders). It had fringes which I turned over and crossed the two ends, and bowed down retaining it with my neck lest it should fall down. Then I came and stood on the left side of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He then took and brought me around him and set me on his right side. Then Ibn Sakhr came and stood on his left side. he then took us with his both hands and made us stand behind him. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ began to look at me furtive glances, but I could not understand. When I understood, he hinted at me tie the wrapper. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ finished the prayer, he said (to me): O Jabir. I said; Yes, Messenger of Allah. He said; if it (the sheet) is wide, cross both its ends (over the shoulders); if it is tight, tie it over your loins.
Related hadith on this topic
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:
In another narration, it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) sent Jabir (radi Allahu anhu) and Jabbar bin Sakhr (radi Allahu anhu) on the occasion of the expedition of Buwat with the purpose that they should go ahead and arrange for water and other necessities at the campsite, as is explicitly stated in Sahih Muslim.
Allamah Khattabi (rahimahullah) states:
Since Jabir (radi Allahu anhu) had wrapped the cloth around his body in such a way that his hands and so on could not easily come out, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade it.
(I’lam al-Hadith: 1/253)
Perhaps he has given this explanation due to the manner of ishtimal as-samma’ (wrapping oneself tightly in a garment so that the hands cannot come out); otherwise, in Sahih Muslim, it is clarified in this way: the cloth was extremely tight, and he wore it in such a manner that he pressed both its ends under his chin and bent forward so that his private parts would not become uncovered.
When the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) saw him in this state, he said that turning the edges over and wearing it in that way is only when the cloth is wide; in the case of it being tight, wearing it as an izar (lower garment) alone is sufficient, because the objective is to cover the private parts.
(Fath al-Bari: 1/612)
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 361