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Saturday 6 July 2024

How and why to thank Allah when putting on a New Garment (Sunnah Prophet Muhammad ﷺ)

We are but very lowly servants, our Creator, our Lord, Allah the Almighty. Nothing that we possess is because of our efforts or endeavours. Rather every single possession of ours is a blessing from Allah, but many of us do not care for thanking Allah for showering His immense bounties on us.

If we look around, we find many a people dressed in rag tags with no place to live and even a morsel of food to eat. And if we have a nice a and decent dress to wear, three times food and a home to shelter us with a wallet enough to  sustain us, we should consider ourselves one of the blessed few and must thank Allah for all we have been blessed with.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ through his many hadiths and sunnah, taught us how to be thankful to Allah for everything that we have and we must follow his sunnah to add "Barakah" to our life. One such sunnag of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is about wearing a new dress.

Whenever the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ put on new garments, he expressed gratitude to Allah with a specific supplication (dua). This act of thanking Allah for new clothing is part of the Sunnah, which encourages Muslims to recognize and appreciate the blessings bestowed upon them. The following hadith illustrates the Prophet's practice:

Narrated by AbuSa'id al-Khudri:

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) put on a new garment he mentioned it by name, turban or shirt, and would then say: O Allah, praise be to Thee! as Thou hast clothed me with it, I ask Thee for its good and the good of that for which it was made, and I seek refuge in Thee from its evil and the evil of that for which it was made.

Abu Nadrah said: When any of the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) put on a new garment, he was told: May you wear it out and may Allah give you another in its place.
Grade: Sahih (Al-Albani)

This Hadith is mentioned in Sunan Abi Dawud (Book # 34  Clothing (Kitab Al-Libas) / كتاب  اللباس / Chapter # 1502 What Is To Be Said When Putting On A New Garment / باب مَا يَقُولُ إِذَا لَبِسَ ثَوْبًا جَدِيدًا
as Hadith number # 4020.

Arabic Text:
حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَوْنٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ، عَنِ الْجُرَيْرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي نَضْرَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذَا اسْتَجَدَّ ثَوْبًا سَمَّاهُ بِاسْمِهِ إِمَّا قَمِيصًا أَوْ عِمَامَةً ثُمَّ يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ كَسَوْتَنِيهِ أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ خَيْرِهِ وَخَيْرِ مَا صُنِعَ لَهُ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّهِ وَشَرِّ مَا صُنِعَ لَهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو نَضْرَةَ فَكَانَ أَصْحَابُ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذَا لَبِسَ أَحَدُهُمْ ثَوْبًا جَدِيدًا قِيلَ لَهُ تُبْلِي وَيُخْلِفُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى ‏.‏

Now let us examine the thankfulness expressed in the above said Suuah and what is the philosophy behind thanking Allah when warning a new adornment:
  • Expression of Gratitude: The Prophet (ﷺ) begins by praising Allah, acknowledging that it is through Allah’s grace that he has been provided with the garment. This shows humility and gratitude for even the seemingly small blessings.
  • Naming the Garment: The Prophet (ﷺ) specifically mentions the type of garment, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and being mindful of the specific blessings one receives.
  • Seeking Goodness and Protection: 
    • He asks Allah for the goodness associated with the garment and what it was made for, which can include comfort, protection, and dignity.
    • He also seeks protection from any harm or evil that might come from it, reflecting a comprehensive approach to seeking Allah’s blessings and refuge.
The Prophet Muhammad's (ﷺ) practice of thanking Allah when putting on new garments teaches Muslims to be grateful for all blessings, big or small. It also underscores the importance of seeking goodness and protection in all aspects of life. This supplication serves as a reminder to recognize Allah's bounties and to approach life's daily activities with mindfulness and gratitude.

Let us, our brothers and sisters in Islam, follow the suit and follow sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ whenever wearing a new garment or any thing new that adds to our possession, and thank Allah for everything that He has bestowed upon us. We must at the same time pray to Allah to provide better provisions, adornment and means of sustenance to those so far deprived of these blessings of His. 
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

Please refer to our reference page: Collection of Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to read more Sunnah attributed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

For more hadiths on varying subjects, refer to our reference page: Sunnah and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to know more about Hadiths and Sunnah of Prophet of Allah. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.


Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references as given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

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