THE HEADGEAR OF IMAM ABU HANIFA, COLOURS, AND SUNNA VS CUSTOM In both reports regarding the headgear of Imam Abu Hanifa, as recorded by Ibn Abi al-ʿAwam (d. 335) in his Fadaʾil Abi Hanifa, he is seen wearing a tall black hat. Such reports are useful because they help us to recognise how the fuqaha understood sunna, and also how context played a part in determining the right type of dress. Elsewhere in the fiqh [see: Multaqa al-Abhur], we also learn generally about the praiseworthy nature of black clothing. Interestingly, Haskafi (d. 1088) expresses that black is encouraged because it was the mark of the Abbasids, and thus the colour of power, conquest, and authority. What is fascinating is that the praiseworthy nature of white is established through the texts (nass), but the jurists still deemed both colours to be equivalent in terms of what is recommended. There is much to learn here from the engagement with tradition vis-à-vis society. May Allah Most High grant us a deep understanding of fiqh, amin!