Men Abaya

Question: Is the ﻋﺒﺎء that the Imams of the Haramain wear a sunnah or ﺑﺪﻋﺔ? Answer: ﺑﺴﻢ اﷲ اﻟﺮﺣﻤﻦ اﻟﺮﺣﯿﻢ In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

The word ﻋﺒﺎءة does appear in some Hadiths, however the details of its description have not been mentioned. [1] It is said that the cloak of the Prophet ﷺ is preserved in Hırka-i Şerif Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey [2]. The abaya (traditional men’s cloak that is popular in the Arab world) which the Imams of the Haramain wear today (in modern-day Arabic also referred to as bisht or mishlah) [3] slightly resembles the shape of the cloak which is kept in Hırka-i Şerif Mosque. However, due to the absence of strong evidence we cannot say with certainty that the cloak which is kept in the Hırka-i Şerif Mosque is, in actuality, the cloak of the Prophet ﷺ. But for argument’s sake, if that really is the cloak of the Prophet ﷺ, then the most we can say about today’s abayas is that they somewhat resemble the cloak of the Prophet ﷺ in terms of structure. In conclusion, one cannot categorize today’s abayas as sunnah due to lack of evidence nor call them a bidat (innovation), however they will be permissible to wear. Only Allah knows best Written by Maulana Mohammad Ahsan Osmani Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah Darul Ifta Birmingham

[1] Al-Adabul Mufrad: p. 946 (Daru Ibn Katheer) [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C4%B1rka-i_%C5%9Eerif_Mosque

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisht_(clothing)