1The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
"When you dress and when you perform wudu, begin with your right sides."
Reported by Abu Dawud, no. 4141; graded authentic by al-Albani.
When putting on a shirt, insert your right hand first. When putting on trousers or shoes, begin with your right foot. When taking them off, begin with the left side.
Regarding shoes, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, explained the order for putting them on and taking them off, saying:
"When one of you puts on shoes, let him begin with the right, and when he takes them off, let him begin with the left. Let the right be the first to be shod and the last to be unshod."
Reported by al-Bukhari, no. 5855.
2The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
"None of you should walk wearing only one shoe. Let him either go barefoot on both feet or wear shoes on both feet."
Reported by al-Bukhari, no. 5856.
If one shoe breaks or needs repair, a person should not continue walking in the other shoe alone. Rather, the person should repair it or remove the other shoe if walking barefoot is safe. This concerns ordinary circumstances in which a person is able to do so; it does not require someone with an injury or a medical need to do something harmful.
3The hadith of Muadh ibn Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, mentions that a person who puts on a garment says:
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي كَسَانِي هَذَا الثَّوْبَ وَرَزَقَنِيهِ مِنْ غَيْرِ حَوْلٍ مِنِّي وَلَا قُوَّةٍ
"All praise is due to Allah, who has clothed me in this garment and provided it for me without any power or strength on my part."
Reported by Abu Dawud, no. 4023; graded sound by al-Albani, excluding the additional words "and future sins" found at the end of the narration in its mention of forgiveness.
This remembrance applies to putting on a garment and is not limited to new clothing. Its meaning is to acknowledge that clothing is provision from Allah. A person is not independent of Him because of wealth or ability, even though a person is commanded to work and take the necessary means.
This remembrance is recommended; a Muslim does not sin by forgetting it.
4Whenever the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, acquired a new garment, he would mention it by name and then say:
اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ كَسَوْتَنِيهِ أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ خَيْرِهِ وَخَيْرِ مَا صُنِعَ لَهُ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّهِ وَشَرِّ مَا صُنِعَ لَهُ
"O Allah, to You belongs all praise. You have clothed me in it. I ask You for its good and the good for which it was made, and I seek refuge in You from its evil and the evil for which it was made."
Reported by Abu Dawud, no. 4020; graded authentic by al-Albani.
A Muslim thus praises the Lord for the new garment and asks Him to enable its use in permissible matters and obedience, and to protect against any harm it may contain or sinful purpose for which it may be used.
5The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said in the hadith of Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both:
"Wear white among your garments, for they are the best of your garments."
Reported by Abu Dawud, no. 4061; graded authentic by al-Albani. This is part of a hadith that also mentions shrouding the deceased in white.
Wearing white is therefore recommended. This does not mean that all other permissible colors are forbidden or that white clothing is obligatory for every occasion. The color and style of clothing should be appropriate for a man or a woman, while avoiding prohibited imitation and immodest display.
6When a man mentioned to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that he liked his clothes and shoes to look good, he said:
"Indeed, Allah is beautiful and loves beauty. Arrogance is rejecting the truth and looking down on people."
Reported by Muslim, no. 91.
Rejecting the truth means refusing it out of arrogance, and looking down on people means despising them. Good clothes and shoes are not themselves the blameworthy arrogance described here, just as neglecting one's appearance is not evidence of humility. A Muslim wears whatever clean, presentable clothing is available and does not look down on anyone because of poverty or old clothes.
A good appearance does not permit exposing the awrah, extravagance, or wearing prohibited clothing. A Muslim covers the awrah with clothing that is neither transparent nor so tight that it reveals its shape. In front of non-mahram men, a woman observes the prescribed hijab, so her clothing must not be transparent or tight enough to outline the body. Both men and women avoid prohibited imitation in clothing and appearance.
7This includes the prohibition on men wearing gold and natural silk. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, took silk and gold and then said:
"These two are forbidden to the males of my ummah."
Reported by Abu Dawud, no. 4057; graded authentic by al-Albani.
Artificial silk does not take the ruling of natural silk merely because it is called silk. There are specific exceptions concerning natural silk, including an exception for a medical condition: the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, permitted al-Zubayr and Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, may Allah be pleased with them both, to wear it because they suffered from itching, as reported in al-Bukhari, no. 5839. Fabrics blended with silk and small amounts of silk in clothing have detailed rulings that should be referred to qualified scholars.
8Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, would not refuse perfume. Reported by al-Bukhari, no. 5929.
Using perfume is part of a man's good grooming, particularly when going to Friday prayer. Perfume, for whoever has it available, is mentioned in the hadith of Abu Said, may Allah be pleased with him, reported by al-Bukhari, no. 880. A Muslim cares for the cleanliness of the body and clothing and does not use perfume as a substitute for removing unpleasant odors.
A woman may use perfume in her home and for her husband, but she may not go out wearing perfume whose scent reaches non-mahram men. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
"When any of you women attends the mosque, she must not apply perfume."
Reported by Muslim, no. 443.
9The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
"Whoever has hair should care for it."
Reported by Abu Dawud, no. 4163; al-Albani graded it sound and authentic.
A Muslim cares for the cleanliness of the hair and combs it as needed, without neglect or excessive attention that distracts from prayer or other obligations.
One practice to avoid is qaza, which means shaving part of the hair on the head and leaving another part. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, prohibited it, as reported in al-Bukhari, no. 5921. A Muslim should not choose a hairstyle contrary to this prohibition merely because it is popular.
10The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
"The fitrah consists of five things, or five things are from the fitrah: circumcision, removing pubic hair, trimming the nails, plucking underarm hair, and trimming the mustache."
Reported by Muslim, no. 257.
Istihdad means removing pubic hair, originally by shaving. Regular personal care includes trimming the nails, removing underarm and pubic hair, and, for men, trimming the mustache. These practices should be attended to as needed and not neglected until dirt accumulates or causes discomfort.
Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
"A time limit was set for us regarding trimming the mustache, trimming the nails, plucking underarm hair, and shaving pubic hair: we were not to leave them for more than forty nights."
Reported by Muslim, no. 258.
Forty nights is the maximum period for leaving these practices unattended, not an interval one must wait to complete. Whoever needs to attend to them sooner should do so, and this period should not be exceeded without an excuse. This time limit does not include the beard; its ruling is to let it grow, not to shave it every forty nights.
Trimming the nails and removing underarm and pubic hair are prescribed for both men and women. The rulings on circumcision and the details of its performance are a separate subject; its procedure should not be derived from a general article on cleanliness.
For more guidance on purification, read Forgotten Sunnahs of Wudu and Purification.
11The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
"Be different from the polytheists: let the beards grow and trim the mustaches closely."
Reported by al-Bukhari, no. 5892, and by Muslim, no. 259, with similar wording. The wording here is al-Bukhari's.
The stronger view is that letting the beard grow is obligatory and shaving it is prohibited, as explained by Sheikh Ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, in accordance with the Prophetic command. Mentioning it under Sunnahs does not make it a mere custom or a recommended practice that may be omitted without concern.
A man cares for the cleanliness of his beard and combs it, and he trims his mustache. He does not reverse this guidance by shaving the beard and letting the mustache grow long. A man whose beard does not grow or is sparse is not blamed for what Allah has not created for him; he follows the command regarding the beard that does grow.
12Isbal here means a man allowing his clothing to extend below the ankles, whether a waist-wrapper, a long garment, or trousers. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
"Whatever of the waist-wrapper is below the ankles is in the Fire."
Reported by al-Bukhari, no. 5787.
The stronger view is that intentionally letting clothing hang below the ankles is prohibited even without intending pride, as explained by Sheikh Ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, because the warning is general. If arrogance accompanies it, the sin is more severe. A man should therefore adjust the length of his clothing so that it does not extend below the ankles, rather than merely saying, "I do not intend arrogance."
Clothing that slips down unintentionally, while its wearer keeps attending to it and raising it, is not the same as doing so deliberately. Ibn Baz interpreted the account of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, in this way: his waist-wrapper would slip down unless he kept attending to it. The original account is in al-Bukhari, no. 5784.
This limit applies to men's clothing, not women's clothing, for which the specific rulings on covering must be observed.
