'Umar wrote to us when we were in Adharba'ijan saying: 'Utba b. Farqad, this wealth is neither the result of your own labour nor the result of the labour of your father, nor the result of the labour of your mother, so feed Muslims at their own places as you feed (members of your family and yourselves at your own residence), and beware of the life of pleasure, and the dress of the polytheists and wearing of silk garments, for Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade the wearing of silk garments, but only this much, and Messenger of Allah ﷺ raised his. forefinger and middle finger and he joined. them (to indicate that only this much silk can be allowed in the dress of a man). 'Asim said also: This is what is recorded in the lette., (sent to us), and Zuhair raised his two fingers (to give an idea of the extent to which silk may be used).  

كَتَبَ إِلَيْنَا عُمَرُ وَنَحْنُ بِأَذْرَبِيجَانَ يَا عُتْبَةَ بْنَ فَرْقَدٍ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ كَدِّكَ وَلاَ مِنْ كَدِّ أَبِيكَ وَلاَ مِنْ كَدِّ أُمِّكَ فَأَشْبِعِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فِي رِحَالِهِمْ مِمَّا تَشْبَعُ مِنْهُ فِي رَحْلِكَ وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَالتَّنَعُّمَ وَزِيَّ أَهْلِ الشِّرْكِ وَلَبُوسَ الْحَرِيرِ فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ نَهَى عَنْ لَبُوسِ الْحَرِيرِ قَالَ إِلاَّ هَكَذَا وَرَفَعَ لَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِصْبَعَيْهِ الْوُسْطَى وَالسَّبَّابَةَ وَضَمَّهُمَا قَالَ زُهَيْرٌ قَالَ عَاصِمٌ هَذَا فِي الْكِتَابِ قَالَ وَرَفَعَ زُهَيْرٌ إِصْبَعَيْهِ  

I heard Abe 'Uthman al-Nahdi as saying: There came to us a letter of 'Umar as we were in Adharba'ijan or in Syria in the company of 'Utba b. Farqad (and the letter ran thus): After (usual praise and glorification of Allah) it is stated that Messenger of Allah ﷺ has forbidden the use of silk btit to the extent of these two fingers, and Abu Uthman said: We at once understood by these words that he meant (silk) patterns on (the cloth).  

جَاءَنَا كِتَابُ عُمَرَ وَنَحْنُ بِأَذْرَبِيجَانَ مَعَ عُتْبَةَ بْنِ فَرْقَدٍ أَوْ بِالشَّامِ أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ نَهَى عَنِ الْحَرِيرِ إِلاَّ هَكَذَا إِصْبَعَيْنِ قَالَ أَبُو عُثْمَانَ فَمَا عَتَّمْنَا أَنَّهُ يَعْنِي الأَعْلاَمَ