Is it makruh to wear black in Islam?

The four schools agree on this.

Explanation

Jabir reported that the Prophet ﷺ entered Makkah wearing a black turban, and Aisha said he went out one morning in a patterned cloak of black hair. He also wore green, red-striped and white garments. So black is simply one of the colours he wore, and the four schools agree that it is allowed.

The Hanafi position. Black is permissible for men and women, and al-Durr al-Mukhtar lists it as recommended. Many scholars wore it through history. The colour the Prophet praised most for men is white; see is it sunnah to wear white.

Mourning. Islam limits mourning: three days for relatives, and four months and ten days for a widow. A widow in iddah avoids adornment and may wear black or any plain colour, but black is not required. Making black clothes a fixed ritual of grief, or wearing it every year on an anniversary, is something scholars discourage. Wearing black to a funeral simply because it is sober and plain is fine.

Abayas. Black abayas and jilbabs are a custom, not a religious requirement. Any plain, loose colour that covers properly fulfils the hijab; see the hijab guide.

Men. A black thobe, shirt, suit or kurta is fine. The only colour cautions for men are safflower and saffron dyes and, for many Hanafi muftis, solid bright red; see can men wear red.

The evidence

Where the ruling is recorded

• al-Durr al-Mukhtar with Radd al-Muhtar, Kitab al-Hazr wa al-Ibaha, section on clothing. Lists wearing black as recommended.
• al-Durr al-Mukhtar with Radd al-Muhtar, Kitab al-Talaq, chapter on iddah, the mourning of a widow. What a widow avoids during iddah, and the three-day limit for others.

Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.