From the lessons of "Al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib," Chapter: "Encouraging the abandonment of arrogance in clothing out of humility and following the noblest of creation, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)

The Shaykh: And our previous lesson reached the seventy-second hadith; which is his saying: And from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: "I saw seventy of the people of the Suffah, and not one of them had a cloak; either an izar or a kiswah, which they tied around their necks. Some of them reached the middle of the shins, and some reached the ankles, so they would gather it in their hand out of dislike for their 'awrah to be seen." It was narrated by al-Bukhari and al-Hakim in a shortened form, and he said: It is authentic according to their conditions.
This hadith is among a number of many hadiths that have come, and will come, explaining the state in which the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) lived, especially in the early days of the call to Islam; so here one of these poor men, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), is speaking. He says: "I saw seventy of the people of the Suffah." And the people of the Suffah, as you know, were the poor Companions who had no wealth and no family to return to, so the Prophet's Mosque was their shelter. But it should not be understood from that, as we have pointed out in a previous occasion or previous occasions, that the people of the Suffah were people of laziness and idleness; meaning that they sat in the mosque waiting for sustenance to descend to them from the sky. They were not like that; rather, they worked with their hands to the extent that they could sustain themselves.
It is well known about 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he once entered the mosque and found a man standing and praying. Every time he entered the mosque, he saw him in the mosque, which suggested to 'Umar that the man did not come to work to earn a living. So he asked him about that; and he said: "I am relying on Allah." So he forbade him from sitting in the mosque for worship only, and said: "Let none of you sit in the mosque saying: 'Allah provides for me,' for you know that the sky does not rain gold or silver." So the people of the Suffah were not of that type who understand Islam in an inverted and reversed way, thinking that if a person relies on Allah (Mighty and Majestic) by leaving the means that lead him to sustenance, that is reliance. This is a false claim, and Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says in His Book: , so reliance is not only a heart action, but rather it is a heart action after preparing for its requirement of physical action. And the authentic hadith has clarified this correct meaning of reliance; which is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): , so the birds' flight in the morning =

The questioner: Peace be upon you.

The Shaykh: And upon you peace.
= and their return in the evening, and they have taken the sustenance that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) wrote for them through their effort. So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) explained reliance by that. So reliance does not mean leaving the taking of means, but rather after taking the means, its owner relies on the Lord of Lords. This is how the people of the Suffah were; and therefore, the lazy Sufis have no argument in relying on the state in which the people of the Suffah were.
And what indicates that is that the people of the Suffah were found in the early time of the migration when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) migrated to Madinah. But after the blessings began to come and continue to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), especially in the last period of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and then afterwards, there were no more people of the Suffah. Allah expanded for all of them, so the poor became rich, and the unmarried got married, and so on.
... So Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) describes the state of individuals from the people of the Suffah in the early migration to Madinah, saying: "Not one of them had a cloak"; as if he means here that not one of them had a cloak and an izar; meaning what is called in the old language of the Arabs by "al-hullah," and that is known or called today in the current terminology by "the set." So previously, the man whose clothing was complete had an izar with which he covered his 'awrah, and a cloak with which he covered the upper part of the body, a two-piece set. So he says: None of them had either an izar of the amount that covers his 'awrah; meaning that he did not own except a short garment that he could not use to cover all his body, but rather it was the izar that he ties here below his waist on his waist, and he covers his 'awrah with it; this is the owner of the izar.
Or the owner of a kiswah. As for an izar and a cloak, there was no one who owned both. Or the owner of a kiswah, and the kiswah, as it appears from this hadith and others, is a garment slightly wider than the izar. If he girds himself with it, it is long and extends to below the ankles, and this is not permissible Islamically as we said. We mentioned that more than once; for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say: .
... The matters by which the masses of Muslim youth are afflicted, and indeed not a few of those who claim to be scholars, who lengthen their jubbahs until they almost drag on the ground, especially in Egypt. This is a calamity by which the shaykhs of Egypt are distinguished from the shaykhs of other countries, as far as I know; where it has become their tradition to lengthen the jubbah until it touches the ground or almost touches the ground. Also, it is among their traditions to widen the sleeves of the jubbahs, and this is, of course, from extravagance and waste, in addition to contradicting the previously mentioned hadith: .
So these seventy from the people of the Suffah, one of whom could not find except an izar with which to cover his 'awrah, or a kiswah which is wider and longer than the izar by a little; such that if its owner girds himself with it, it extends to below the ankles. So they avoided that. What did they do? This kiswah is not the short izar, nor is it the long, flowing garment with which he can wrap himself to cover his upper body and what is below it of the 'awrah and shins. So one of them would tie this kiswah on his 'awrah. It is long—as we said—if he girds himself with it, it extends to below the ankles. So he had no choice but to tie it on his neck. And it is not wide and loose such that he can wrap himself with it—also—so he is forced to gather the two ends of the garment with his hand so that his 'awrah does not appear.
This is how these elite from the people of the Suffah lived, not finding what to wear of garments except the necessary and very necessary, let alone finding what to adorn themselves with, not only to meet his brother, but to stand before his Lord (Mighty and Majestic) to pray and adorn himself for Him. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says in His Book: , and this verse, although it was revealed regarding the circumambulation of the Arabs in the pre-Islamic age, and this custom continued after the revelation of Islam, they used to circumambulate the Ka'bah naked with a philosophy similar to many of the philosophies ... the Book and the Sunnah. He said: They used to say that it is not fitting for us to circumambulate the house of our Lord in garments in which we have disobeyed Him; so we must take off these garments and circumambulate "My Lord, as You created me"!! Thus their Shaytan suggested to them, and they continued with that for a long time, and there was no difference in that between women and men. And this is their immersion in misguidance. If the matter had been limited to men, the calamity would have been somewhat less, but it included—also—even the women, so the woman would circumambulate while naked and say: "Today some of it or all of it is visible," and she was pointing to her organ.
"Today some of it or all of it is visible *** So what is visible of it, I do not make it lawful"
So, this is empty talk that means contradicting what Allah created His servants with, which led them to desire. Therefore, He commanded them to adorn themselves. The first obligatory adornment, in which there is no leniency, is covering the 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered) absolutely, even outside of prayer. In prayer, it is all the more so.
I say that this verse: , even though the reason for its revelation was what I mentioned to you earlier, where they used to circumambulate naked, and they were commanded to circumambulate while covering their 'awrah. Even if this reason is the appropriate one for the revelation of the verse, the scholars say that the consideration is in the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the reason. Especially since there is in the Sunnah (the Prophet's way) what confirms this adornment. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: , ; meaning that none of you should limit himself, when he stands to pray before his Lord, to merely covering his 'awrah from the navel to the knee. This is an obligatory matter even outside of prayer. So the Muslim must dedicate something extra to the prayer beyond the general social etiquette, which is merely covering the 'awrah. But when you enter the prayer and stand before Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), in this case, you must bring another adornment. What is this adornment? It is covering what is not 'awrah, which is the upper part of the body.
Therefore, the Messenger (may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him) emphasized wearing a garment over the shoulders (irtida') in prayer. He said: , , meaning: The Muslim is either in the state of the people of the Suffah (the Prophet's companions who lived in the mosque), finding no more than one garment, and the minimum is an izar (lower garment). In this case, he wears it as a waist wrapper to cover his 'awrah because he finds nothing else. In such a case, there is the hadith of Abu Hurayrah in "Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim" where a man said: "O Messenger of Allah, one of us prays in a single garment," as if asking: Is that permissible and acceptable? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: , specifically in that situation which we are examining and taking as a precedent.
So if he finds no more than a small or short single garment, then at that time he suffices by covering his 'awrah by wearing it as a waist wrapper. If it is wider than that, like a cloak (kiswah) as you heard, he throws it over his shoulders. If it is not long enough to cover the whole body, as is the case with a cloak as we mentioned, he ties it and covers the upper part of his body with it, as well as his 'awrah. If it is a loose, wide garment, then at that time he wraps himself in it so that it covers his entire body. But better than that is to wear a shirt and an izar, or a cloak and the like, which is more covering and more beautiful for the one standing before Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). This last type is what is intended by the previous hadiths: .
All of this is part of the covering that is obligatory to achieve in prayer, and you have learned that it includes the 'awrah and what is above it.
But there is a final adornment that the majority of Muslims, young and old and even the elderly, have neglected, even if the latter are fewer than the former. This adornment is covering the head. This exposure that has spread in these last years is a foreign, Western, disbelieving etiquette. Our Salaf (the earliest generations), neither the early nor the late ones, knew this etiquette. Fifty years ago, no one was seen here walking in the streets with an uncovered head. In fact, it was considered a lack of decency. This lack of decency prevents a judge who rules by the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law) from accepting the testimony of this man with an uncovered head, because this custom was not known among the Salaf. Since the matter is so, it is further from Islamic etiquette for a Muslim to enter prayer with an uncovered head. Add to that that entering worship with an uncovered head is a Christian etiquette: . Perhaps some or many of you have seen, read, or heard that the Westernized Christian, if he wants to enter the church or temple, or if he meets a man he respects, greets him by bowing and lifting his hat or whatever he has on his head. This is a Christian custom that still exists in some Christian countries. Even if they are the ones who introduced this custom to us, the custom of uncovering the head, they themselves, especially in the modern expression which implies a false matter, especially if they are traditionalists, meaning adhering to the etiquette of their community, we are more deserving of adhering to our Islamic customs that the Khalaf (the later generations) inherited from the Salaf, especially prayer.
I am greatly pleased with what Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in his treatise on clothing and covering in prayer. It is a printed treatise with several editions, the last of which I edited and authenticated. Among the narrations he cited in it is that 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: He saw his slave Nafi' praying with an uncovered head. After he finished praying, he said to him: "Do you think that if you went to meet one of these princes, you would go to him with an uncovered head?" He said: "No, I would cover my head." He said to him: "Your Lord is more deserving of you to adorn yourself for Him." Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah mentioned this narration, and it is from his vast circle of memorization of the Sunnah. So it is no surprise that I did not find a trace of it in the books I came across and whose pages I turned over. But if we look at the general meaning of the previous verse: , and the supporting hadith of the izar and the rida' (cloak), and the intended meaning is that one stands before Allah in the most complete adornment; we can take from this collection of texts what supports the meaning mentioned by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah in the story of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar with his slave Nafi'. Especially since 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar is the one who narrated the hadith of the izar and the rida'. He is the one who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
So he argued against Nafi' with what this hadith indicates of general adornment. But perhaps someone will say: This adornment is not adornment now; that is, entering prayer with a covered head is not part of the customary adornment today. One of them goes to the minister, the prince, or the ruler and greets him with an uncovered head. I say: Let no one say this, because it is assumed that the Muslim revives the Islamic customs that have perished, and not the opposite... adhering to Western customs which he has been afflicted with adhering to. So when Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said: , He means the adornment known at that time on one hand, and the adornment that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has legislated, which becomes a Shari'ah custom on the other hand. This is exactly similar and has a close connection to understanding this topic on one hand, and understanding another topic related to the adornment of women on the other hand.
So Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says in two verses: , this is the first, and the other is: to the end of the verse. Our knowledge of this mentioned adornment, and especially in the second verse, helps us to determine the 'awrah of the woman before her mahrams (relatives one may not marry) and before her Muslim women. For example, and I do not want to lengthen this; I have also spoken about it more than once, but I give an example of it:
It was the custom of women when this verse was revealed: to the end; it was their custom that the woman would adorn herself by placing bracelets on her wrists and anklets on the lower part of her leg, and earrings and belts and the like. These are the places of adornment, and these are what Allah permitted the woman to show before her mahrams and before her women. So if we suppose, and perhaps a supposed matter becomes a reality due to the corruption of society; if it was part of the adornment to place something or tie something on the calf of the leg, for example, or above the leg below the knees in a certain era, it is not said: Our Lord says: , so it is permissible for the girl to show this newly occurred adornment, which is adornment on the calf of the leg. Because Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said: , and likewise her sisters, it is not said this. Why? Because this adornment was not customary on the day this verse of adornment was revealed. So it is interpreted in light of the reality when the verse was revealed.
So, once we know what the adornment was that women used to adorn themselves with at that time, it is the adornment that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) permitted women to display to their mahrams and to Muslim women. Likewise, when Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said: ; it means the customary adornment of that time, and the adornment that the Lawgiver legislated in such a hadith: and so on. However, if part of the adornment today is for a person to name, for example, half a year, this adornment is a newly invented innovation that does not fall under the generality of the verse. This is an example of dozens, indeed hundreds, of examples that compel us and force us to place in our methodology of calling to the Book and the Sunnah—namely, the methodology of the righteous Salaf in distinguishing these texts and in understanding them—otherwise, we would bring about a new Islam that they claim is built upon the Book and the Sunnah, but which has no connection whatsoever to the Book and the Sunnah; rather, it is a distorted understanding or an understanding based on following desires, and in that lies corruption...
So, the people of the Suffah, then, were either men who had an izar (lower garment) or a cloak which they would tie around their necks and then use to cover their awrah after gathering it to their bodies.
The second hadith.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Yes?

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : I did not hear.

The Shaykh: ... the hadith?

The Shaykh : Yes, correct.