Avoiding imitation in clothing and utensils

Question

I forbade a Muslim man, saying: “Do not use those painted pitchers which the Hindus use; use pitchers that are not painted. And do not wear a bordered dhoti (an unstitched wraparound lower garment) — the Hindus wear those too; wear a dhoti without a border.” What basis does this have in the Shari‘a? Kindly honour me with an answer.

Answer

Utensils, clothing and the like that are the distinctive emblem (shi‘ar) of some non-Muslim community should be avoided by Muslims as far as possible, because imitation (tashabbuh) of the kafirs is forbidden.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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