It is important to notice the following issues in answering this question: First: Those who dislike the followers of the Ahlulbait do not care whether the Shia wear black clothes, but what bothers them is that believers mourn the oppression that took place against the Ahlulbait. By this, they ignore the orders of Almighty Allah and antagonize the Prophet (peace be upon him) intentionally or unintentionally, since Almighty Allah considered the love for the Ahlulbait as the reward for the Prophet’s efforts in guiding mankind when He said: “I ask of you no recompense for this, but to love my kinsfolk.” (42:23) and the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered us to love his household, and he is the one who cried and mourned for what will happen to his Ahlulbait after Almighty Allah informed him about what is going to happen to them. Therefore the objection is not against the wearing of black. Rather, their objection is against the sorrow and grief that we have for the Prophet and his household (peace be upon them all). Lots of people wear black clothes and nobody object to such a phenomena. Second: Some narrations express dislike towards wearing black clothes in itself, but not for the sake of mourning. Other narrations state also that it wearing black was a symbol of Abbasids, and the dislike of wearing black could be for this reason. In a narration, Imam Ja’far Al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) stated after he wore the black clothes when he was called to meet the Abbasid caliph – as it was obligatory at that time to wear black clothes in the presence of the caliph: “I wear it although I know it is the dress of the people of Hellfire,” in reference to the Abbasids. After the end of the Abbasid state, this attribution ended. Third: Even if it is disliked to wear black clothes, even if it is not the symbol of the Abbasids, there is no doubt that it is recommended to wear black clothes if it was to express the grief in the mourning for the Prophet and his household (peace be upon them) since this a form of commemorating them and expressing grief for them and for the tragedy that took place. Doing do has great benefits for us and it strengthens the faith in the hearts of believers, whether this is achieved by wearing black clothing, or hanging black cloth in public areas, and the like.
