Jabir continued, "We had a friend of ours with us whom we
used to equip to go out to guard our mounts. I gave him what was
necessary and then he turned about to go to the mounts and he was
wearing two threadbare cloaks of his. The Messenger of Allah, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, looked at him and said, 'Does he
have two garments other than these?' I said, 'Yes, Messenger of Allah.
He has two garments in the bag.' I gave them to him. He said, 'Let him
go and put them on.' I let him go to put them on. As he turned to go,
the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
exclaimed, 'May Allah strike his neck. Isn't that better for him?' He
said (taking him literally), 'Messenger of Allah, in the way of
Allah.' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, said, 'In the way of Allah.' " Jabir added, "The man was killed
in the way of Allah."
Yahya said, "I heard Malik say
about men wearing wraps dyed with safflower in their houses and
courtyards, 'I do not know that any of that is haram but I prefer
other garments than that.' "
Malik (the father of Abu Suhayl) said, "I do not
know what the man answered." Kab said, "They were made from the skin
of a dead donkey."