Sunnah
Summary
Multiple sound hadiths report that Allah will not look at, on the Day of Resurrection, whoever trails his lower garment out of pride, with a related hadith warning of Hell for competing with Allah's own attributes of pride and majesty. H1H4H5
Key points
- "He who trails his (lower) garment out of pride, Allah will not look toward him on the Day of Resurrection." H1
- Ibn 'Umar's fuller narration specifies the threat applies to one who trails his garment "with no other intention but pride." H5
- A separate hadith has Allah declare pride as His cloak and majesty as His lower garment, threatening Hell for whoever competes with Him in either. H4
References
- H1Sahih Muslim 5455 · The Book of Clothes and AdornmentAuthenticity
- Sahih — the whole collection is accepted as authentic (Sahih Muslim)
- H4Sunan Abu Dawud 4090 · Clothing (Kitab Al-Libas)Authenticity
- Sahih Al-Albani
- Sahih Muhammad Muhyi Al-Din Abdul Hamid
- Sahih Zubair Ali Zai
- H5Sahih Muslim 5459 · The Book of Clothes and AdornmentAuthenticity
- Sahih — the whole collection is accepted as authentic (Sahih Muslim)
Hanafi Fiqh
Summary
Hanafi fatwas hold it necessary for men to keep the garment above the ankle at all times, not only in prayer; letting it fall below out of pride is haram, while doing so without pride is treated as disliked (makruh) rather than sinful, and prayer behind an imam whose garment is below the ankle remains valid. F1F2F4F6
Key points
- The four Imams are reported unanimous that the garment should be worn above the ankle. F2
- If below the ankle out of pride it is haram (making repeated prayer wajib if worn so in salah); otherwise it is only makruh tanzihi, described as "contrary to the better practice." F1
- Prayer performed behind an imam whose garment is below the ankle is valid. F4
- For women the obligation to cover the ankle in front of non-mahram men rests on concealing the awra, not on pride. F6
References
- F1I would like you to analyse the Fatwa given by the Brelvi Ulama regarding - IslamQA · islamqa.org
- F2Men wearing their trousers above their ankles - IslamQA · islamqa.org
- F4Performing Salaah behind an Imaam that wears his trousers below his ankles - IslamQA · islamqa.org
- F6Can women wear pants above ankle? - IslamQA · islamqa.org
Modern Fatwa Councils
Summary
Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah treats dress as governed by custom ('urf): since the cause of the prohibition is pride, there is no objection to the garment falling below the ankle, in prayer or otherwise, where this is simply local custom and pride is absent. M2M3
Key points
- The cause of the prohibition is identified, citing al-Nawawi and other scholars, as pride/arrogance; absent that intention, letting the garment fall below the ankle is not objectionable if it is customary. M2
- A further fatwa reports classical scholars disagreeing on the base ruling itself: al-Shawkani read "out of arrogance" as excluding non-arrogant cases from the threat, Ibn Abd al-Barr called it merely reprehensible without arrogance, Ahmad (one narration) permitted it without arrogance even while dragging in prayer, while al-Nawawi (citing al-Buwayti/al-Shafi'i) forbade it out of arrogance but called it lighter outside prayer, per the precedent of Abu Bakr. M3
References
- M2I live in England. It would seem odd to fold my trouser. What is the ruling on this? · Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah · 25 November 2013
- M3What is the ruling for keeping one’s garment long? · Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah · 22 July 2013
Hanafi ijtihadFrom the Hanafi fatwas cited
RulingLetting the garment fall below the ankle out of pride is Haram; doing so without pride is Makruh (the fatwas differ on tahriman/tanzihan); the standard Hanafi fatwas require keeping the garment above the ankle at all times as a matter of course, though a prayer performed with it below the ankle still stands as valid.
Legal reason (ʿillah)Al-Khattabi (via al-Azimabadi, C2) gives the 'illah as pride and majesty being attributes exclusive to Allah, so that one who postures in them 'competes' with Him. Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah likewise reports that al-Nawawi and other scholars tied the cause of the prohibition specifically to pride and arrogance. C2M2
- The Sunnah, graded by transmission
Multiply-corroborated sahih narrations via Ibn 'Umar and Abu Huraira establish the prohibition; being mashhur rather than mutawatir, they bind firmly in practice, but as reports probable relative to the Qur'an they establish a wajib-level duty rather than raising the matter to Qur'anic-level fard. The gravest wording is explicitly conditioned on trailing 'out of pride.' H1H4H5
- Juristic preference (istihsan)
Rather than treat every instance of trailing alike, the fatwas grade by intention: trailing out of pride matches the hadith's severest wording and is haram, while trailing without pride — though still against the general instruction to keep the garment above the ankle — is only makruh, a disciplined departure from the bare analogy that would otherwise treat both cases the same. F1H5
- Custom ('urf)
Where trailing the garment is a matter of ordinary local custom and pride is absent, some fatwas find no objection to it; other Hanafi fatwas instead hold that the garment must stay above the ankle at all times regardless of place or custom. M2M3
The Hanafi method — its sources in the order the school consults them — applied to the evidence above.
Conclusion
RulingDepends on the case
Isbal — letting the garment fall below the ankle — is Haram when done out of pride, and treated as Makruh (disliked) when done without pride; standard Hanafi fatwas nonetheless require men to keep the garment above the ankle at all times, though a prayer performed with it below the ankle still remains valid.
Hadith Commentaries
Summary
Classical commentators explain the hadith's reason as pride and majesty being attributes exclusive to Allah, note the ruling extends from the izar (waist-wrap) to the qamis/trousers once people began wearing them, and fix the recommended limit at mid-shin, with the ankle never to be covered. C2C3C5
Key points
References