Etiquette of Dressing & Wearing Shoes Part 1

Elegant and Proper Clothing:

Allama Majlisi; Book Tehzeeb-ul-Islam, first blessing

A person should clothe himself neatly and decently according to his position
in life; provided, what he wears has been acquired through legitimate
(halal) means; and if he cannot clothe himself properly through legitimate
means, then he should try to be decent within his limits, as recorded
in most of the reliable traditions of Islam. However, acquisition of a
variety of dresses should not be exceeded to an extent as to tempt one
during his prayers. If God has bestowed one with suitable income or increased
it, then one should eat, clothe and spend accordingly, keeping in
view one's fellow brothers; and in case one's income is meagre one
should adjust and keep away from non-legitimate (haram) means of
earning.
It is an acknowledged fact that Imam Ali Al-Reza (a.s.) used to sit on a
mat woven with date-leaves during summer, and on coarse jute cloth in
winter. But when he ventured outside his home he was elegantly dressed
from head to foot to show the world the blessings of Almighty.
It is narrated from Imam Ja'far-e-Sadiq (a.s.) that decency and cleanliness
in one's outfit are highly endearing to God and those who practise
otherwise, displease Almighty. He likes His creatures to be properly
dressed and perfumed and to keep their houses spick and span, and
light then before sunset, so that poverty should disappear and their
sources be increased.
A historical incident reflecting the attitude of the chosen one of God,
Imam Ja'far-e-Sadiq (a.s.) is thus narrated. One of the leaders of the Ascetic
Sufi school of thought tried to belittle and tease the Imam (a.s.) before
the whole congregation while he was seated in Masjid al-Haram, elegantly
attired. He approached the Imam (a.s.) and questioned him why
he was so decently attired when the Holy Prophet and other ancestors of
the Imam (a.s.) never were. The Imam (a.s.) recited the following verse
from the Holy Book;
Say: (O Our Messenger Mohammed) "Who hath prohibited the adornment
(granted) of Allah, which He hath brought forth for His servants
and the good things of the provisions?"
and elaborated that in the days of Prophet there was poverty while at
present there was economic prosperity and as such pious people had a
better right of spending to display the generosity of God. Further, revealing
the clothes he was wearing underneath, he said that the outward attire
is just for the view of the world but underneath he was coarsely
dressed for the sake of his soul.