There are specific hadiths that are deemed to be sound (sahih) according to Sunni standards, which teach that Allah literally wears a robe/cloak and has a garment (izhar) covering his waist/loins.
For instance, specific narrations claim that Allah’s cloak happens to be his pride and that his lower garment/waist wrapper (izhar) is his greatness/majesty/might:
34 Clothing (Kitab Al-Libas)
(1530) Chapter: What Has Been Reported About Pride
Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Prophet said: Allah Most High says: Pride is my cloak and majesty is my lower garment (izhari), and I shall throw him who view with me regarding one of them into Hell.
Grade: Sahih (Al-Albani)
Reference: Sunan Abi Dawud 4090
In-book reference: Book 34, Hadith 71
English translation: Book 33, Hadith 4079 (https://sunnah.com/abudawud:4090; emphasis mine)
And:
30 General Behavior
(251) Chapter: Pride
Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet said that Allah Almighty said, “Might is My wrapper (izhari) and pride is My cloak. I will punish anyone who contends with Me over either of them.”
Grade: Sahih (Al-Albani)
Reference: Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 552
In-book reference: Book 30, Hadith 15
English translation: Book 30, Hadith 552 (https://sunnah.com/adab:552; emphasis mine)
Finally:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, who said that the Messenger of Allah said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said:
Pride is my cloak and greatness My robe (izhari), and he who competes with Me in respect of either of them I shall cast into Hell-fire. It was related by Abu Dawud (also by Ibn Majah and Ahmad) with sound chains of authority. This Hadith also appears in Muslim in another version.
Reference: Hadith 19, 40 Hadith Qudsi (https://sunnah.com/qudsi40:19; emphasis mine)
According to one of Salafi Islam’s greatest modern scholars, the late Muhammad ibn Saleh al-Uthaymin, the robe and lower garment of Allah cannot be explained away as simply metaphors but must be taken literally:
ما توجيه أهل السنة للحديث القدسي:”العزة ردائي”.?
الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين
الشيخ : قول الله إيش ؟
الطالب : … ما توجيه أهل السنة لهذه ؟
الشيخ : يؤمنون به كما جاء في الحديث
الطالب : … الله عز وجل
الشيخ : نعم يثبتون ما أثبته الله لنفسه .
الطالب : ما يقال أن هذا أسلوب من أساليب العرب أن العزة متلبس بها ؟
الشيخ : يعني قصدك أن تكون إزارا معنويا ورداء معنويا .
لو أن أحدا بل لو أن الله عز وجل يوم القيامة سألك ما تقول ؟ ماذا تقول لله ؟ المسألة ما هي احتمال اللفظ للمعنى المسألة كيف تقابل الله عز وجل يوم القيامة إذا كان ظاهر كلامه أنه إزار حقيقي ورداء حقيقي ولكن كيف ارتدى به كيف اتزر به ؟ هذا علمه عند الله أفهمت ؟
لاحظوا هذه يا جماعة المسألة ما هي شطارة من الإنسان يستطيع أن يصرف النصوص كما شاء أو كما يعقل لا المسألة خبر محض أخبر الله بها عن نفسه لا يمكن يوم القيامة أن نقول يا ربنا ليس إزارا لك ولا رداء لك ما يمكن نعم .
The decrees (fatwas)
What is the interpretation of the people of the Sunnis about the Hadith Qudsi “Glory is my cloak.”?
Sheikh Muhammad bin Saleh Al-Uthaymeen
Sheikh: What does Allah say?
Student: … What is the interpretation of the people of the Sunnis to this?
Sheikh: They believe in it as it came in the Hadith.
Student: … Allah to him the glory and the majesty.
Sheikh: Yes, they affirm what Allah affirmed to Himself.
Student: what is said that this is a style of many of the Arab styles that the glory He wears it?
Sheikh: Do you mean that it is a spiritual garment (izhara) (to wear as underpants) and a spiritual cloak (something to wear over the underpants)?
If someone, or even if Allah, to him be the glory and the majesty, on the Day of Resurrection asks you what would you say? What would you say to Allah? The issue is what is the possibility of the meaning of the word? The issue is how will you meet Allah, to him be the glory and the majesty, on the Day of Resurrection, if the apparent meaning of His words is that it is a real garment (izhar haqiqi) and a real cloak? But how did He wear it? How did He wrap Himself with it? The knowledge of this is with Allah, do you understand?
Note this, Oh people. The issue is what is the cleverness of the human who can interpret the texts as he wishes or as he understands? The issue is not pure news that Allah has informed us about Himself. It is not possible on the Day of the Resurrection for us to say, “Our Lord, you have neither a garment nor a cloak.” It Is impossible. Yes. (LINK: https://al-fatawa.com/fatwa/39720/%D9%85%D8%A7-%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%AC%D9%8A%D9%87-%D8%A7%D9%87%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%86%D8%A9-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AB-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%B3%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B2%D8%A9-%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%86-%D8%B9%D8%AB%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%86; emphasis mine)
Interestingly, there are “authentic” traditions attributed to Muhammad that confirm al-Uthaymin’s position.
For instance, Muhammad is reported to have seen Allah appearing to him in the shape of a beardless youth dressed in a red robe/garment:
I saw my Lord in the form of a young man, beardless (amrad) with short curly hair (ja’d) and clothed in a red garment. (Narrated by Ahmad b. Hanbal in Tabarani; AUTHENTICATED BY AHMAD B. HANBAL in Creed 3 citing isnad, ‘Abd al-Samad b. Yahya in Tabaqat al-Hanabila, 1:218, al-Marrudhi (d. 888) in Tabaqat, 3:81, Ibn ‘Aqil in Makdisi, Ibn ‘Aqil, 130; Ibn ‘Adi al-Qattan, al-Kamil fi du’afa’ al-rijal, 3:49-50, al-Daraqutni, Kitab al-Ru’ya, 332-333, 356-357; al-Tabarani, al-Mu’jam al-Kabir, 25:143; SAHIH BY ABU L-HASAN B. BASHSHAR in Ibn Abi Ya’la, Tabaqat, 2:59; Abu Ya’la, al-Muta’mad, 85; ACCEPTED BY IBN TAYMIYYA in Bayan Tablis al-Jahmiyya, 7:192-198, 290)
One of Sunni Islam’s greatest hadith scholars named Ahmad b. Hanbal said about the above hadith: “Report it because the ‘ulama have reported it.” (‘Abd al-Samad b. Yahya reported in Tabaqat al-Hanabila, 1:218)
In case the readers are unaware of Ibn Hanbal, he not only was a compiler of hadiths whose massive collection of narrations is called Musnad Ahmad, but also has a school of Islamic jurisprudence named after him. I.e., the Hanbali madhab.
What this supposedly authentic hadith establishes is that Muhammad’s god does indeed wear clothing, even though the Salafis will say that he does so in a manner befitting his majesty which is unlike anything in creation!
FURTHER READING
MUHAMMAD’S GOD: A YOUNG CURLY HAIRED, BEARDLESS BOY!
Islam Portrays Allah as a Finite, Limited, Temporal Embodied Soul
FOR ALLAH SO LOVED THE UMMA THAT HE GAVE UP ONE OF HIS FEET!
ALLAH’S AMAZEMENT AND LAUGHTER
Allah – An Immaterial Entity or an Invisible Man?
Allah: An Exalted Woman? Examining the Issue of Allah’s Veil
I wonder who makes Allah’s clothing that is unlike anything in creation or that humans wear? His wife? Or does Allah weave, cut and sew with needle and thread as befits his majesty? 😀
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