Dress and Appearance

His preferred colour for clothing was white. He said: "Wear white garments, for they are the best of your garments, and shroud your dead in them." He also wore garments of green, and striped Yemeni cloaks (burdah). His garments were simple and clean, and he disliked excess in clothing just as he disliked excess in all things. His lower garment (izar) reached to the middle of his shins, and he warned against dragging garments below the ankles out of pride. He wore a turban (imamah), which he would wind around his head, sometimes letting the tail hang between his shoulders. He wore the turban over a cap. The turban was among the distinguishing marks of his appearance, and he wore it in different styles depending on the occasion. He also wore a simple cap at times when not wearing the turban. His ring was made of silver with an Abyssinian stone, and it bore the inscription "Muhammad Rasul Allah" (Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah) in three lines. He wore it on his right hand, and he used it as a seal for his letters to kings and rulers. He forbade his Companions from making a replica of his ring, as it served as his unique seal of correspondence. He applied kohl (ithmid) to his eyes before sleeping, applying it three times to each eye. He said: "Use ithmid, for it clears the vision and makes the eyelashes grow." He was attentive to his hair, combing it and oiling it, and he forbade shaving part of the head while leaving the rest. He applied oil to his hair and combed his beard. He used perfume regularly and loved good scent, saying that perfume was among the things made dear to him in this world. The miswak (tooth-stick) was among his most constant practices. He used it upon waking, before prayer, before entering his home, and at various other times. He said: "Were it not that I would impose hardship on my community, I would have commanded them to use the miswak before every prayer." Aisha reported that the first thing he did upon entering his home was to use the miswak. His emphasis on cleanliness and grooming reflected the broader Islamic principle that outward cleanliness is connected to inner purity.