(117) Chapter: The Excellence of Wearing White Clothes and the Permissibility of Wearing Red, Green, Yellow and Black Clothes Made from Cotton and Linen but not Silk

Bara' (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was of medium stature. I saw him wearing a red mantle. I have never seen anything more graceful than that. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. Commentary: On the basis of this Hadith, some argue that red dress is also allowed to men. Imam An-Nawawi seems to hold the same view. However, many `Ulama' believe that the dress of Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was not all red but had red stripes. They, therefore, maintain that the red clothes which women wear are not permissible to men. Some `Ulama' think that a ruling on this issue will be on condition of space and time. If at some place disbelievers or women are fond of this colour, it will be banned for Muslim men because of its relevance to disbelief and womanishness. Yet, it will be allowed to Muslim men in a contrary situation. Opinions also exist that the indoor wear of red clothes is permissible to men but forbidden in public. To sum up, the red- coloured dress is not itself a taboo with regard to men. A ruling on it will be conditional in accordance with the situation. For example, in the Eastern society the red-coloured dress is usually worn by women and is peculiar to brides on the occasion of wedding. Men are, therefore, banned to wear it. Allah Alone has the true knowledge.