Lifting up Garments

“About the meaning of the words of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, . . and cleanse your clothes’, (74:4) abu £ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘It means lift up (cut short) your clothes (instead of dragging them on the ground).”’

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘’Amir al-Mu’minin who lived among you once went to banu Diwan and bought three pieces of clothes for one dinar. One piece was a shirt, which in its length reached above his ankles, a loincloth, which in length reached to the middle of his leg, a gown that reached in his front side up to his breast and from the back down to his rump. He (’Amir al-Mu’minin) then raised his hand to the sky and continued praising Allah for providing him clothes until he (’Amir al-Mu’minin) reached his home and said, “This is the kind of clothes that is proper for the Muslims.’” Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), then said, ‘However, today they (Muslims) are not able to wear that kind of clothes, and if we do so they will say, “They have become insane and show off.” Allah, most Blessed, most High, says, “. . . and cleanse your clothes” meaning do not allow your clothes to be dragged on the ground. When our al-Q’a’im will rise this (the kind of clothes which ’Amir al- Mu’minin (a.s.), would wear) will be kind of his clothes.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), once commanded me to buy a loincloth for him. I said that I could only find wide ones. He (the Imam) said, ‘You must cut it and stitch its borders.’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘My father has said, “Whatever of loincloth passes down the ankles is in the fire.’” Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Faddal from Yunus ibn Ya‘qub a similar Hadith.

“Abu al-Hassan (a.s.), once said to me, ‘Allah, most Blessed, most High, has said, to His Holy Prophet, ‘. . . and your clothes cleanse them,’ (74:4) his clothes were clean but He commanded him to raise them instead of keeping them long (that drag on the ground).”’

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has stated this Hadith. ‘The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, once advised a man from banu Tamim and said to him, ‘You must never allow the loincloth and shirt to hang down to drag; it is the sign of arrogance and Allah does not love arrogance.’”

“’Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), once saw a young man with his loincloths hanging low, and said to him, ‘Son, you must raise your loincloth; it will last longer and help clean your heart (from arrogance).”’

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin when wearing a shirt would extend his hands. If the sleeves reached his fingers he would cut them short.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), once asked me, ‘Do you like to see the shirt of ’Amir al- Mu’minin, Ali (a.s.) in which he sustained the injury, to show his blood (stain)?’ I replied, ‘Yes, I like to see it.’ He (the Imam) asked for it and it was brought in a basket. He (the Imam) opened and spread it out and it was a shirt made of cotton similar to those of al-Sunbalaniy (a place in Rome) and from the spot for its pocket down to the ground there was a white blood mark like the strike of a sword. He (the Imam) said, ‘This is the shirt of Ali (a.s.), in which he was mortally wounded and these are the traces of his blood.’ I measured it around his body; it was three shibr and around its bottom it was twelve shibr (the space between the tip of the thumb and the small finger when they are opened and stretched.”

“I saw the shirt of Ali (a.s.), in which he was mortally wounded. It was with abu Ja‘far (a.s.), its bottom measured twelve shibr and around his body it was three shibr and I saw marks of blood splashed on it.’”

“I once was with abu Ja‘far, when abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), came. Abu Ja‘far, said, ‘You must cleanse your shirt.’ He left and we thought his shirt might have come in contact with something unclean. He came back and he (the Imam) said, ‘It just is as it was.’ We then asked saying, ‘We pray to Allah to keep our souls in service for your cause, what is wrong with his shirt?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘His shirt is long and I commanded him to shorten it; because Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has said, ‘. . . and cleanse (shorten) your clothes.’ (74:4)”

“Once abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), looked at a man who had dressed in a shirt that dragged on the ground. He (the Imam) said, ‘This cloth is not clean.’”

“About the case of a man who was dragging his clothes behind him on the ground, abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), said, ‘I dislike one’s making himself look like a woman.’”

“I once was with abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), and he asked for a piece of cloth. He (the Imam) took five yards from it, cut it, then measured it with his shibr and in width it was six shibr. He (the Imam) then asked to stitch its borders and trim its edges.’”