Is it from the Sunnah to unbutton the garment?
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The questioner : Some of the young men, O Shaykh, unbutton the buttons of the garment, so another one said to him, "Close these buttons." He said to him, "There is a text that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was seen
The Shaykh : That there is, that there is.
The questioner : That there is.
The Shaykh : Complete it.
The questioner : That there is a text.
The Shaykh : A text?
The questioner : A text, a text.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is right.
The questioner : That the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was seen unbuttoning the buttons. Is this evidence for that?
The Shaykh : It is authentic that this was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that Mu'awiyah—other than Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan—saw him with this unbuttoned. But did he unbutton it so that people would imitate him? Absolutely not. It is possible that he unbuttoned it because of heat or a sensitivity in his chest; we do not know, or for any other reason. Otherwise, it is not reasonable that the Messenger would put buttons on his garment and not button them except for a reason. And did the Messenger command us to unbutton our buttons? Absolutely not. Therefore, a person should be careful in the matter of imitation. Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to seek out the places where the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) urinated during travel, so he would stop and urinate in them. But Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "None of the Companions agreed with him in that", because these things happen by coincidence without intention. Do we know that the Messenger unbuttoned his chest so that people would imitate him? No.
The Shaykh : That there is, that there is.
The questioner : That there is.
The Shaykh : Complete it.
The questioner : That there is a text.
The Shaykh : A text?
The questioner : A text, a text.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is right.
The questioner : That the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was seen unbuttoning the buttons. Is this evidence for that?
The Shaykh : It is authentic that this was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that Mu'awiyah—other than Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan—saw him with this unbuttoned. But did he unbutton it so that people would imitate him? Absolutely not. It is possible that he unbuttoned it because of heat or a sensitivity in his chest; we do not know, or for any other reason. Otherwise, it is not reasonable that the Messenger would put buttons on his garment and not button them except for a reason. And did the Messenger command us to unbutton our buttons? Absolutely not. Therefore, a person should be careful in the matter of imitation. Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to seek out the places where the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) urinated during travel, so he would stop and urinate in them. But Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "None of the Companions agreed with him in that", because these things happen by coincidence without intention. Do we know that the Messenger unbuttoned his chest so that people would imitate him? No.