Amama (Head Gear)

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

THE SUNNAH OF THE AMAMA

(Head Gear)

O Allah (The Exalted) bless our master Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) as many times as there are stars in the sky and You alone are their counter.

To wear an Amama is a beautiful Sunnah, especially for Salaah as the reward is great. Respected brother! Try to practise this Sunnah as there are many virtues and benefits.

Shawl, Amama & a white cap

His blessed shawl was four yards in length and a quarter in width to cover his blessed body. He would wear an Amama, the length of which was minimum seven arms length and maximum twelve, and he would wear a white hat. i

The Difference

Rakana (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “The difference between us and the polytheists is that we wear a hat under our Amama.” ii

The Crown of the Arabs

Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said that, “The Amama is the crown of the Arabs, when they leave this, they will loose their respect.” iii

Wearing a hat and Amama

‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said that, “When you enter the mosque wear a hat and tie the Amama, because the Amama is the crown of the Muslims.” iv

Increase in Wisdom

‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said that, “Tie the Amama your wisdom will increase.” v

10,000 rewards

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said that, “Salaah with an Amama is equivalent to 10,000 rewards.” vi

Subhanallah! If these rewards had been in the form of money, we will do anything to get at it, however, this is better then money and the reward will be seen in the hereafter, Insha-Allah!

Greater Rewards

Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said that, “A voltentry or obligatory Salaah with the Amama is better then twenty-five Salaah without the Amama and one Jumu’ah with a Amama is equivalent to seventy Jumu’ah without a Amama.” vii

Subhanallah! What more can be said about the reward of wearing the Amama.

Twenty-Seven Times More Reward

Jabir bin ‘Abd-Allah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said that, “Two cycles of Salaah with the Amama is more virtuous then seventy cycles without the Amama.” viii

Black Amama

Amr bin Hurais (may Allah be pleased with him) said that, “I still have the scene before my eyes when the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) delivered a sermon from the pulpit and that he was wearing a black Amama with its end hanging between the two shoulders.” ix

Meaning between his shoulders on his back. 2 www.GardensOfSunnah.co.uk

Angels send Salaam on you

Saalim bin ‘Abd-Allah bin ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) states that, “I was present in front of my father ‘Abd-Allah bin ‘Umar when he was tying the Amama, when he completed tying, he looked at me and said, “Do you keep the Amama as a friend?” I asked why not? He said, “keep it a friend, you will be respected and when the devil looks at you he will turn his back, O son! Tie the Amama, as the angels on the day of Jumu’ah tie the Amama and until the sunsets they continue to send salaam.”

x Subhanallah!

Crown of the angels

Abaado bin Samat states that, “Make a practice of tying the Amama as it is the crown of the angels and hang it (the Shimla-tail) at the back.” xi

Jabir Ibn ‘Abd-Allah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that, “Allah’s Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) entered Mecca. Qutaybah (another sub-narrator) stated that he entered Mecca in the Year of Victory, wearing a black Amama, but not wearing the Ihram.” xii

Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that, “When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) fastened an Amama, he would put the shimla between his shoulders (i.e. he would put it on the back).” xiii

‘Abdur-Rahman bin ‘Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that, “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) put a Amama on me and let the ends hang in front of him and behind me.” xiv

Length of the tail -Shimla

The length of the shimla, meaning the tail was approximately one arm’s length. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) wore black or grey like coloured Amama (Turban) which has been mentioned in the hadith. However, the companions wore different colours i.e. Red, Yellow and Green. The practises of the companions are also known as the Sunnah as long as it was not condemned by the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

Red, Yellow and Green

In the battle of ‘Uhud Abu Dujanah (may Allah be pleased with him) was wearing a Red Amama, Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him) was wearing a bright Yellow Amama and Husab (may Allah be pleased with him) was wearing a Green Amama. xv

Shawl in Salaah

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said that, “Allah (The Exalted) does not look at such a society with mercy whom do not tie there shawls under there Amama.” xvi

The scholars state that if you wear a shawl in Salaah then tie it on the head and have the hope of the mercy of Allah (The Exalted).

Manners of Amama

1. Wear the Amama whilst standing facing the Qibla & take it off whilst sitting. xvii

2. It is the Sunnah of the angels. xviii

3. Wearing a hat is proven by the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). xix

4. Tie the Amama from the right (Clockwise).

5. Do not have the length more than twelve arms as it is against the Sunnah.

6. Take the Amama of the same manner you put it on but do not pull it off. xx

7. The angels make salaam to those who wear an Amama.

8. Wear the Amama as it is a sign of Islam and it distinguishes between a Muslim and non-believers. xxi

9. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, when I ascended the sky (Me’raj) I saw that most of the angels were wearing Amamas. xxii

10. Make a practice of tying Amamas since it is a hallmark of the angels. Furthermore, tie them back in such a manner that the tail hangs at the back. xxiii

3 www.GardensOfSunnah.co.uk

i Mirqat Sharah Mishqat. Akhlaaq-aur-Aadaab, p. 72

ii Abu Dawud. Hakim. Abu Ya’la. Qurtubi. Jam’i-ul-Hadith, Vol: 1, p. 639

iii Jami Saghir. Jam’i-ul-Hadith, Vol: 1, p. 639

iv Kamil. Jam’i-ul-Hadith, Vol:1, p. 640

v Hakim. Fat-hul-Bari. Kanzul Ummal. Jam’i-ul-Hadith, Vol: 1, p. 640. Tarikh Baghdad.

vi Musnad Firdos. Jam’i-ul-Hadith, Vol: 1, p. 643

vii Jami Saghir. Jam’i-ul-Hadith, Vol: 1, p. 644. Fatawa-e-Razawiyya, Vol: 3, p. 73

viii Musnad Firdos, Vol: 6, p. 625. Jam’i-ul-Hadith, Vol: 1, p. 648. Fatawa-e-Razawiyya, Vol: 3, p. 78

ix Muslim & Nisai

x Daimi, Kanzul Ummal. Jam’i-ul-Hadith, Vol: 1, p. 644. Fatawa-e-Razawiyya, Vol: 3, p. 79-80

xi Baihaqi

xii Muslim

xiii Tirmidhi

xiv Abu Dawood

xv Life of the Prophet by Hamza Yusuf

xvi Fatawa-e-Razawiyya, Vol: 7, p. 299. Chadar Ke Madani Phool, p. 2

xvii Faizan-e-Sunnat, Amama. p. 737

xviii Jam’i-ul-Hadith, Vol: 1, p. 643

xix Alamgiri. Akhlaq-aur-Aadaab, p. 72. Bahar-e-Shariat.

xx Faizan-e-Sunnat, Amama. p. 737. Akhlaq-aur-Aadaab, p. 72

xxi Ainee & Baihaqi

xxii Tabrani

xxiii Baihaqi & Mishkat

xxiv Akhlaq-aur-Aadaab, p. 72

xxv Alamgiri. Akhlaq-aur-Aadaab, p. 72

xxvi Tirmidhi

xxvii Faiz ul Qadeer

xxviii Daimi. Firdos. Jam’i-ul-Hadith, Vol: 1, p. 643

xxix Barad. Majmu’a Zawaid. Jam’i-ul-Hadith, Vol: 1, p. 643

xxx Barad

11. It is against the Sunnah not to have a tail (Shimla) for the Amama. xxiv

12. The shimla can either be a minimum of four finger lengths and the maximum is that it doesn’t give you any problems whilst sitting. xxv Meaning it dose not cause any inconvenience.

13. The difference between the polytheists and us is that we wear a hat under our Amama while the polytheists do not. xxvi

14. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah be pleased with him) would not venture out without an Amama.xxvii

15. Salaah with an Amama is equivalent to 10,000 cycles. xxviii

16. Those who wear the Amama on Friday Allah (The Exalted) and His angels send Durood on that person. xxix

17. Every round you tie on your head of the Amama, on the day of Resurrection you will be given light (Noor). xxx

18. Tie the Amama, as your wisdom will increase. xxxi

19. Amama is the respect and the sign of Islam. xxxii

20. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) pointed to the Amama and said, “There are only forty crowns of angels.” xxxiii

21. With the Amama one Jumu’ah is equivalent to seventy Jumu’ahs. xxxiv

22. To stay bear head is not the Sunnah, you should try to put on the angels crown from time to time as it is the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

23. Shaykh Ahmad Raza (may Allah have mercy upon him) would tie the Amama and leave the tail over the right shoulder. xxxv

May Allah (The Exalted) give us the ability to wear the Amama and revive a Sunnah and receive the reward of one hundred martyrs, Ameen. 4 www.GardensOfSunnah.co.uk

xxxi Tabarani

xxxii Daimi

xxxiii Ibn Shadhan

xxxiv Daimi

xxxv Hayat-e-Ala Hazrat