“Wearing fine clothes is following desires and soul.”
al Qurtubi said:
فإن قال قائل : تجويد اللباس هوى النفس وقد أمرنا بمجاهدتها ، وتزين للخلق وقد أمرنا أن تكون أفعالنا لله لا للخلق . فالجواب ليس كل ما تهواه النفس يذم ، وليس كل ما يتزين به للناس يكره ، وإنما ينهى عن ذلك إذا كان الشرع قد نهى عنه أو على وجه الرياء في باب الدين . فإن الإنسان يحب أن يرى جميلا . وذلك حظ للنفس لا يلام فيه . ولهذا يسرح شعره وينظر في المرآة ويسوي عمامته ويلبس بطانة الثوب الخشنة إلى داخل وظهارته الحسنة إلى خارج . وليس في شيء من هذا ما يكره ولا يذم . وقد روى مكحول عن عائشة قالت : كان نفر من أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ينتظرونه على الباب ، فخرج يريدهم ، وفي الدار ركوة فيها ماء ; فجعل ينظر في الماء ويسوي لحيته وشعره . فقلت : يا رسول الله ، وأنت تفعل هذا ؟ قال : نعم إذا خرج الرجل إلى إخوانه فليهيئ من نفسه فإن الله جميل يحب [ ص: 178 ] الجمال . وفي صحيح مسلم عن ابن مسعود عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال : لا يدخل الجنة من كان في قلبه مثقال ذرة من كبر . فقال رجل : إن الرجل يحب أن يكون ثوبه حسنا ونعله حسنة . قال : إن الله جميل يحب الجمال الكبر بطر الحق وغمط الناس . والأحاديث في هذا المعنى كثيرة ، تدل كلها على النظافة وحسن الهيئة . وقد روى محمد بن سعد أخبرنا الفضل بن دكين قال حدثنا مندل عن ثور عن خالد بن معدان قال : كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يسافر بالمشط والمرآة والدهن والسواك والكحل . وعن ابن جريج : مشط عاج يمتشط به . قال ابن سعد : وأخبرنا قبيصة بن عقبة قال حدثنا سفيان عن ربيع بن صبيح عن يزيد الرقاشي عن أنس بن مالك قال : كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يكثر دهن رأسه ويسرح لحيته بالماء . أخبرنا يزيد بن هارون حدثنا عباد بن منصور عن عكرمة عن ابن عباس قال : كانت لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم مكحلة يكتحل بها عند النوم ثلاثا في كل عين .
If someone were to say: ‘Wearing fine clothing is just following the desires of the soul, and we have been commanded to struggle against it; and it is beautification for people, while we have been commanded that our actions be for Allah and not for people.’
The answer is: Not everything the soul desires is blameworthy, and not everything by which one beautifies himself before people is disliked. This is only forbidden if the Shari‘ah has forbidden it, or if it is done out of ostentation in matters of religion.
Indeed, a person naturally loves to appear beautiful and this is a share of the soul for which he is not blamed. For this reason he combs his hair, looks in the mirror, arranges his turban, and wears a garment with the rough lining inward and the fine outer surface outward. None of this is disliked or blameworthy.
Makhul narrated from ‘A’isha who said:
“A group of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ were waiting for him at the door. He came out intending to meet them, and in the house there was a water container. He began to look into the water and arrange his beard and hair. I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, do you do this as well?’ He said: ‘Yes, when a man goes out to meet his brothers, let him prepare himself, for Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty.'” (this hadith is not authentic)
And in Sahih Muslim, from Ibn Mas‘ud, from the Prophet ﷺ:
“No one shall enter Paradise who has in his heart an atom’s weight of arrogance.”
A man said: “But a man loves to have fine clothes and good shoes.” He ﷺ replied:
“Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty. Arrogance is rejecting the truth and despising people.”
There are many hadiths with this meaning, all of which point to cleanliness and good appearance.
Muhammad ibn Sa‘d narrated: al-Fadl ibn Dukayn told us, he said: Mandal narrated to us, from Thawr, from Khalid ibn Ma‘dan, who said:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to travel with a comb, a mirror, oil, a toothstick, and kohl.”
And from Ibn Jurayj:
“He had an ivory comb with which he combed his hair.”
Ibn Sa‘d said: Qabisah ibn ‘Uqbah narrated to us, he said: Sufyan narrated from Rabi‘ ibn Subayh, from Yazid al-Raqashi, from Anas ibn Malik:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to frequently oil his hair and arrange his beard with water.”
Yazid ibn Harun narrated to us: ‘Abbad ibn Mansur narrated from ‘Ikrimah, from Ibn ‘Abbas:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ had an applicator with which he applied kohl to his eyes before sleeping three times in each eye.”
[Tafsir al Qurtubi 7/176]Wearing fine clothes is only not allowed when done out of boasting , show off, or conceit etc. Everything which is within the guidelines of Islam is permissible.
Note: Please consult the scholars regarding the authenticity of the ahadith cited by al-Qurtubi