This excerpt is taken from Dr. Yusuf al-Qaradawi's book Halal and Haram in Islam, whose Urdu translation has been done by Muhammad Tahir Naqqash Sahib.
Clothing and Adornment
In Islam, it is not only permissible but also desirable that a Muslim benefits from the adornment created by Allah, such as clothing and fine garments, to enhance their appearance and beauty. Some scholars of the Salaf have used Surah Al-A'raf, verse (157) to argue for the prohibition of tobacco. Allah Almighty said:
وَ يُحِلُّ لَهُمُ الطَّيِّبٰتِ وَ يُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبٰٓىٕثَ
And He makes lawful for them the good (pure) things and prohibits for them the evil (impure) things.
Reference: (Al-A'raf: 157)
Whereas, according to people worldwide, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, tobacco is an impure and harmful herb. No sensible person would call it good or pure; therefore, according to this noble verse, tobacco is absolutely forbidden.
Islam considers two purposes for clothing:
◈ One is to cover the private parts.
◈ The other is adornment.
Accordingly, Allah Almighty has described the provision of clothing and adornment for humankind as a favor:
يٰبَنِيٓ ءَادَمَ قَدْ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ لِبَاسًا يُوَٰرِى سَوْءَٰتِكُمْ وَرِيشًا
O children of Adam! We have bestowed upon you clothing to cover your private parts and as an adornment.
Reference: (Al-A'raf: 26)
Therefore, excessiveness in either covering or adornment is a deviation from the path of Islam and leads to the way of Satan. This point is implicit in these two verses of the Holy Quran, in which Allah Almighty warns not to follow the footsteps of Satan by adopting nudity and abandoning adornment:
يٰبَنِيٓ ءَادَمَ خُذُوا زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا وَلَا تُسْرِفُوا
"O children of Adam! Let not Satan tempt you as he caused your parents to slip out of Paradise, stripping them of their clothing to expose their private parts."
Reference: (Al-A'raf: 31)
Islam obliges a Muslim to cover the private parts of the body, which a decent person naturally feels ashamed to expose, distinguishing themselves from naked animals. Also, Islam instructs to keep the private parts covered even in seclusion so that modesty and shame become a habit and character.
Bahz bin Hakim, may Allah have mercy on him, narrates from his father, who narrates from his grandfather that:
قلت يا رسول الله! عوراتنا ما نأتي منها وما نذر؟ فقال: احفظ عورتك إلا من زوجتك أو ما ملكت يمينك. قلت يا رسول الله فإذا كان القوم بعضهم فى بعض؟ قال: فإن استطعت أن لا يراها أحد فلا يرينها. قلت فإذا كان أحدنا خاليا؟ قال: فالله تبارك وتعالى أحق أن يستحيی عنه
I said: O Messenger of Allah, to what extent should we guard our private parts and to what extent not? He said: Protect your private parts except from your wife and your slave woman. I said: O Messenger of Allah, when people are together (such as during travel), what then? He said: As much as possible, cover your private parts. I said: When one of us is relieving himself? He said: Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, is more deserving that a person should feel shame before Him.
Reference: Musnad Ahmad (3/4-5), Abu Dawood, Book of Baths, Chapter on Nudity, Hadith: 4017; Tirmidhi, Book of Manners, Chapter on Guarding the Private Parts, Hadith: 2769; Ibn Majah, Book of Marriage, Chapter on Covering during Intimacy, Hadith: 1920
A Religion of Cleanliness and Beauty:
Islam has made it necessary to ensure cleanliness before adornment because cleanliness is the foundation and basis for every kind of beauty and decoration. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
تنظفوا فإن الإسلام نظيف
"Adopt cleanliness, for Islam is a religion of cleanliness."
Reference: Ibn Hibban in Al-Majruhin (3/57) and Ibn al-Jawzi in Al-‘Ilal al-Mutanahiyah (2/224) and in it Na'im bin Muza' said Ibn Hibban is a sheikh who narrates from trustworthy people strange things, so it is not permissible to use him as evidence in any case, and Al-Bukhari called the hadith weak, it was transmitted by Al-'Aqili, Tabarani in Al-Awsat (7307) as in Al-Majma' (1/236) and At-Targhib (1/169), and he agreed with Ibn Mas'ud in Al-Kabir with a good chain and it is more likely
النظافة تدعوا إلى الإيمان والإيمان مع صاحبه فى الجنة
"Cleanliness is a caller to faith, and faith will take its companion to Paradise."
Reference: And Akhbar Isfahan (1/183) in it Ibrahim bin Hibban and Ibn 'Adi said his hadiths are fabricated
The Prophet, peace be upon him, encouraged the cleanliness of the body, clothes, home, and roads, and especially instructed to keep the teeth, hands, and head clean and tidy. The importance of cleanliness is not surprising in a religion that has given purity the key status for the foremost act of worship, prayer. Indeed, a Muslim’s prayer is not accepted unless his body, clothes, and place of prayer are clean. This cleanliness is in addition to the purity obtained through ghusl (full ablution) and wudu (partial ablution).
The Arabs lived in villages and desert environments, under whose influence many people were negligent regarding cleanliness and adornment. Therefore, the Prophet, peace be upon him, continuously instilled the sense of cleanliness in them and trained them in such a way that they progressed and became a civilized nation, leaving behind their lowly and miserable condition. And a suitable kind of beauty developed in their state.
A man came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, whose hair and beard were disheveled. The Prophet, peace be upon him, gestured to him as if commanding him to fix his hair, so he fixed his hair and then came back. The Prophet, peace be upon him, looked at him and said:
أليس هذا خيرا من أن يأتى أحدكم ثائر الرأس كأنه شيطان
"Is this better, or for you to come in this state with your hair disheveled like Satan?"
Reference: Muwatta Imam Malik (949/2) Book of Hair: Chapter on fixing hair, Marasil. Sheikh Al-Albani said: Weak in this wording and the hadith that follows it suffices (Ghayat al-Maram - p. 62)
Similarly, once the Prophet, peace be upon him, saw a man whose hair was disheveled and said:
أما وجد هذا ما يسكن به شعره ورای اخر علیہ ثیاب وسخۃ فقال أما كان هذا يجد ما يغسل به ثوبه؟
"Did he not find anything to fix his hair?" The Prophet, peace be upon him, saw another man wearing dirty clothes and said: "Did he not find anything to wash his clothes?"
Reference: Abu Dawood, Book of Clothing: Chapter on hair and washing clothes, Hadith: 4062 - Nasa'i: Book of Adornment, Chapter on settling hair, Hadith: 5238
Another man came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, whose body was covered with worn-out (dirty and tattered) clothes. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
ألك مال؟ قال: نعم. قال: من أى المال؟ قال: من كل المال قد أعطاني الله تعالى. قال: فإذا آتاك الله مالا فلير أثر نعمة الله عليك وكرامته
"Do you have wealth?" He said: Yes. He said: What kind of wealth do you have? He said: Allah has granted me all kinds of wealth. He said: When Allah has blessed you with wealth, He also wants to see the effect of His favor and bounty on you."
Reference: Abu Dawood, Book of Clothing, Chapter on hair, Hadith: 4063. Nasa'i, Book of Adornment: Chapter on turbans, Hadith: 5226
The Prophet, peace be upon him, especially encouraged cleanliness and adornment on occasions of gatherings such as Friday and the two Eids. He said:
ما على أحدكم إن وجد سعة أن يتخذ ثوبين ليوم الجمعة غير ثوبي مهنته
"If possible, what is the harm in having a separate set of clothes for Friday besides the work clothes?"
Reference: Sahih Sunan Abi Dawood, Book of Prayer, Chapter on clothing for Friday, Hadith number: 1087; Sunan Ibn Majah, Book of Prayer, Chapter on adornment on Friday, Hadith number: 1095; Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah, Hadith number: 1765; Sahih Ibn Hibban (16/15, 17), Hadith number: 2777; Sahih with its chain
