Wearing red and sleeping in red blankets
Fatwa No: 350974

Question

Assalaamu alaykum. Is sleeping in red blankets haram? Secondly, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, forbade wearing red. I read somewhere that the word Labisa, which means 'to wear' in Arabic, also refers to flooring. So, if wearing red clothes is forbidden, is the use of red carpets or flooring also forbidden? May Allaah reward you.

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

There is no harm in sleeping in red blankets and using red carpets and the like. The basic principle in this regard is permissibility, and there is no religious text that forbids it. Rather, there is no harm in wearing red if it is not intended for (gaining) fame or in imitation of women. It was authentically reported that the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, wore red garments. Abu Juhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "...and the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, came out in a red cloak..." [Al-Bukhaari]

Al-Bukhaari allocated a chapter in his book Saheeh Al-Bukhaari entitled: "Prayer in a Red Garment", in which he cited this hadeeth.

Moreover, Al-Baraa', may Allah be pleased with him, reported, "The Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was of medium stature. I saw him wearing a red mantle, and I have never seen anything more graceful than that." [Al-Bukhaari]

As for the hadeeth that reads, "I was forbidden to wear the red garment..." [An-Nasaa'i], first of all, it applies to wearing red clothes and not using red covers and blankets. Secondly, some scholars interpreted it to denote dislike and not prohibition. Al-Haafith Ibn Hajar, in his book Fat-h Al-Baari, gave preponderance to the opinion of Imaam Maalik, who saw that it is disliked to wear red in general if it is with the purpose of adornment and gaining fame, yet it is permissible to wear it at home or while working.

Allah knows best.

Related Fatwa