According to Islamic practice, the wearing of silk by men was generally
forbidden, except in times of holy war. This prohibition, which was not
based on the verses of the Qur'an, was abrogated by the Bab.
175. The Lord hath relieved you ... of the restrictions that formerly
applied to clothing and to the trim of the beard. #159
Many rules about dress had their origins in the laws and traditional
practices of the world's religions. For example, the S{~COMBINING MACRON BELOW~}h{~COMBINING MACRON BELOW~}i'ih clergy
adopted for themselves a distinctive headdress and robes and, at one time,
forbade the people to adopt European attire. Muslim practice, in its
desire to emulate the custom of the Prophet, also introduced a number of
restrictions with regard to the trim of the moustache and the length of
the beard.
Baha'u'llah removed such limitations on one's apparel and beard. He leaves
such matters to the "discretion" of the individual, and at the same time
calls upon the believers not to transgress the bounds of propriety and to
exercise moderation in all that pertains to dress.