Etiquette & Sunnahs of Dress & Adornment in the Quran & Sunnah

1. Clothing is given to cover the body and as adornment, and the garment of taqwa is the best.

Allah says:

يَـٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ قَدْ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ لِبَاسًا يُوَٰرِى سَوْءَٰتِكُمْ وَرِيشًا ۖ وَلِبَاسُ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ

O children of Adam, We have sent down to you clothing to cover your private parts, and as adornment; but the clothing of taqwa (piety) is best. (Surah al-A’raf 7:26)

2. Wear fitting, decent clothing when going to the masjid for prayer, and avoid extravagance.

Allah says:

يَـٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ خُذُوا۟ زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ

O children of Adam, take your adornment (wear proper clothing) at every masjid, that is, at every time of prayer. (Surah al-A’raf 7:31)

In the same verse Allah says:

وَلَا تُسْرِفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ

And do not be wasteful; indeed, He does not love the wasteful. (Surah al-A’raf 7:31)

3. Men: lower the gaze and guard chastity.

Allah says:

قُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا۟ مِنْ أَبْصَـٰرِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا۟ فُرُوجَهُمْ

Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their private parts. (Surah an-Nur 24:30)

4. Women: modesty and covering, and drawing the head-covering over the chest.

Allah says:

وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا ۖ وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىٰ جُيُوبِهِنَّ

And let them not display their adornment except what normally appears of it, and let them draw their head-coverings over their chests. (Surah an-Nur 24:31)

5. Women: wearing an outer garment (jilbab) when going out.

Allah says:

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ قُل لِّأَزْوَٰجِكَ وَبَنَاتِكَ وَنِسَآءِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِن جَلَـٰبِيبِهِنَّ

O Prophet, tell your wives, your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their outer garments close around themselves. (Surah al-Ahzab 33:59)

6. Praise Allah after putting on new clothes.

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي كَسَانِي هَذَا الثَّوْبَ وَرَزَقَنِيهِ مِنْ غَيْرِ حَوْلٍ مِنِّي وَلَا قُوَّةٍ

All praise is for Allah who clothed me with this garment and provided it to me without any might or power on my part.

7. Another masnoon dua when putting on new clothes.

It is narrated from Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ put on a new garment, he would name it, such as a turban, a shirt or a cloak, and then say:

اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ، أَنْتَ كَسَوْتَنِيهِ، أَسْأَلُكَ خَيْرَهُ وَخَيْرَ مَا صُنِعَ لَهُ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّهِ وَشَرِّ مَا صُنِعَ لَهُ

O Allah, all praise is for You; You have clothed me with it. I ask You for its good and the good of that for which it was made, and I seek refuge in You from its evil and the evil of that for which it was made.

8. Congratulate a person who has put on a new garment.

Abu Nadrah reported, in the narration of Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), that when any of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) put on a new garment, he would be told:

تُبْلِي وَيُخْلِفُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى

May you wear it out, and may Allah Almighty give you another in its place.

9. Begin with the right side in dress and grooming.

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ loved to begin with the right side when putting on his shoes, combing his hair, purifying himself, and in all his other affairs.

10. Prefer wearing white clothes.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

الْبَسُوا مِنْ ثِيَابِكُمُ الْبَيَاضَ فَإِنَّهَا مِنْ خَيْرِ ثِيَابِكُمْ

Wear white from among your clothes, for it is among the best of your clothes.

11. Wearing good clothes is not arrogance.

Abdullah ibn Masud (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ جَمِيلٌ يُحِبُّ الْجَمَالَ

Indeed, Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty.

A man said that a person likes his clothes and shoes to be good. The Prophet ﷺ made clear that arrogance is rejecting the truth and looking down on people.

12. Avoid extravagance and showing off in dress.

Allah says:

وَلَا تُسْرِفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ

And do not be wasteful; indeed, He does not love the wasteful. (Surah al-A’raf 7:31)

13. Avoid wearing clothes for fame and arrogance.

Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that whoever wears a garment for fame, Allah will clothe him in a similar garment on the Day of Resurrection.

14. Wear clothing that covers the private parts.

Allah says that one purpose of clothing is to cover the parts of the body that must be covered:

يَـٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ قَدْ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ لِبَاسًا يُوَٰرِى سَوْءَٰتِكُمْ وَرِيشًا ۖ وَلِبَاسُ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ

O children of Adam, We have sent down to you clothing to cover your private parts, and as adornment; but the clothing of taqwa (piety) is best. (Surah al-A’raf 7:26)

15. Women: take care to cover the body in dress.

Verse 31 of Surah an-Nur commands women to guard their adornment and to draw their head-coverings over their chests:

وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا ۖ وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىٰ جُيُوبِهِنَّ

And let them not display their adornment except what normally appears of it, and let them draw their head-coverings over their chests. (Surah an-Nur 24:31)

16. Men: avoid silk and gold.

Abu Musa al-Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

أُحِلَّ الذَّهَبُ وَالْحَرِيرُ لِإِنَاثِ أُمَّتِي وَحُرِّمَ عَلَى ذُكُورِهَا

Gold and silk have been made lawful for the women of my Ummah and forbidden for its men.

17. Avoid imitating the opposite sex in dress.

Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ cursed men who imitate women and women who imitate men.

18. Hadiths about men letting the lower garment hang below the ankles.

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

مَا أَسْفَلَ مِنَ الْكَعْبَيْنِ مِنَ الْإِزَارِ فَفِي النَّارِ

The part of the lower garment that is below the ankles is in the Fire.

19. Women: observe covering in the length of their garments.

Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about the hem of women’s garments. He permitted a hand-span first, and then, when she said that the feet would be uncovered, a cubit (dhira’), and no more than that.

20. Put the shoe on the right foot first.

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that when one of you puts on his shoes, he should begin with the right foot.

21. When taking off the shoes, begin with the left foot.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that when one of you takes off his shoes, he should begin with the left foot, so that the right foot is the first to be put on and the last to be taken off.

22. Do not walk in a single shoe.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that none of you should walk in a single shoe; rather, he should wear both of them or take both of them off.