790/1 - Asmā’ bint Yazīd al-Ansāriyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: “The sleeves of the Prophet’s Qamīs reached down to his wrists.” [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd and Al-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hasan (sound)] [4]
1) It demonstrates the Prophet’s guidance with regard to the length of the sleeve; that it reaches the wrist.
2) The fortunate believer is the one who follows the Prophet’s example in all his affairs, including the form and size of clothing.
791/2 - Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “If anyone drags his garment out of pride, Allah will not look at him on the Day of Judgment.” Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “O Messenger of Allah, one side of my waist-wrapper hangs low if I do not keep tightening it.“ The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “You are not one of those who do that out of pride.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri; partially narrated by Muslim]
792/3 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “On the Day of Judgment, Allah will not look at one who drags his lower garment out of arrogance.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
793/4 - He also reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The part of the lower garment that hangs below the ankles is in Hellfire.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
794/5 - Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “There are three to whom Allah will neither speak on the Day of Resurrection nor will He look at them nor purify them, and they will be severely tormented.” When he repeated this (statement) thrice, Abu Dharr said: “They are doomed and destroyed! Who are they, O Messenger of Allah?” He said: “One whose lower garment trails; one who reminds others of his favors to them; and one who promotes sale of his business by taking false oaths.” [Narrated by Muslim]
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1) In relation to letting the garment trail, people fall under two categories:
First: Those who drag their garment out of pride. Second: Those who let their garment hang below the ankles, without pride.
2) A person who drags his garment out of pride shall receive four punishments: Allah will not talk to him on the Day of Judgment, nor will He look at him (a look of mercy), nor will He purify him, and he will have a painful torment.
3) Letting one’s garment trail without pride is a major sin, as a person who does so is threatened with entering Hellfire.
795/6 - Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Hanging down (the garment) applies to the lower garment, Qamīs, or turban. Whoever lets something (of his clothing) drag out of pride, Allah will not look at him on the Day of Resurrection.” [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd and Al-Nasā’i, with an authentic Isnād]
Hanging down does not apply to lower garments only, but it also includes shirts and turbans. So, the sleeve should go down to the wrist, the lower garment should not go beyond the ankles, and the turban should not have lengthy ends. All of these may denote arrogance.
2) It demonstrates a stern warning to those who drag their clothing out of arrogance.
796/7 - Jābir ibn Sulaym (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I saw a man whose opinion was accepted by the people, and whatever he said, they submitted to it. I asked: “Who is he?” They said: “This is the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him).” I said: “On you be peace, O Messenger of Allah,” twice. He said: “Do not say: ‘On you be peace,’ for ‘on you be peace’ is a greeting to the dead. Say instead: ‘Peace be upon you’.” I said: “Are you the Messenger of Allah?” He said: “I am the Messenger of Allah Whom you call when a calamity befalls you and He will remove it; when you suffer from drought and you call Him, He will grow food for you; and when you are in a desolate land or in a desert and your camel strays and you call Him, He will return it to you.” I said: “Give me some advice.” He said: “Do not verbally abuse anyone.” I did not abuse a freeman, a slave, a camel, or a sheep thenceforth. He said: “Do not belittle any good deed, and when you speak to your brother, show him a cheerful face. This is a good deed. Have your lower garment halfway down your shin; if you cannot do that, then let it go down to the ankles. Beware of trailing the lower garment, for it is conceit and Allah does not like conceit. And if a man abuses and shames you for something which he finds in you, do not shame him for something which you find in him; he will bear the evil consequences for it.” [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd and Al-Tirmidhi with an authentic Isnād; Al-Tirmidhi classified it as Hasan Sahīh (good and authentic)]
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1) It is obligatory to refer to Allah Almighty and His Messenger for judgment in every matter; and it is prohibited not to comply with their judgment.
2) According to the Sunnah, the greeting to both the living and the dead is one and the same. As for the prohibition reported in the Hadīth over saying “on you be peace” to living people, this is because it was the greeting to the dead during the pre-Islamic period of ignorance.
3) A believer’s lower garment should be down to the middle of his shank. And if he likes to make it longer, it can go down to the ankle, not lower, for this would constitute Isbāl.
4) A person should always be humble in his clothing, gait, appearance, and all his conditions. Indeed, Allah Almighty elevates the one who shows humility to Him.
5) Whoever complies with these etiquettes which the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) taught his Ummah will get two benefits:
First: He thus obeys the Prophet’s command, which is a reason for guidance: {and if you obey him, you will be guided.}
Second: He assumes noble manners and puts on good appearance through observing these Islamic ethics, by which Muslims are characterized.
His words “I am the Messenger of Allah Whom you call when a calamity befalls you and He removes it...” mean that we should refer all matters to Allah Almighty, for goodness and evil and benefit and harm lie in His hand. No one should have the illusion that these words refer to the Prophet himself. This would be an error, which is further affirmed by the general proofs about the obligation to leave all affairs to the Almighty Lord. In another version of this Hadīth narrated by Imam Ahmad: “I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, to what do you call?’ He said: ‘I call to Allah alone, Who, if you are afflicted with some harm and supplicate to Him, will remove it from you.’”
797/8 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: While a man was performing prayer with his lower garment reaching below his ankles, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: “Go and perform ablution.” The man went and performed ablution and then came back. Again, he said to him: “Go and perform ablution.” A man said: “O Messenger of Allah, why did you ask him to perform ablution and then you kept silent about him (without saying the reason)?” He replied: “He was praying with his lower garment reaching below his ankles, and, verily, Allah does not accept the prayer of a man whose garment reaches below the ankles.” [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd with a sound Isnād that meets the conditions of Muslim] [5]
1) It is a duty to rectify wrong things through wisdom and good admonition.
2) A stern warning is issued to one who wears his garment below the ankles.
The prayer of a person wearing his garment below the ankles is valid, yet he is sinful. This is because the prohibition is general, in prayer and outside it. So, this sin does not affect prayer in particular. However, a person should fear Allah Almighty and not use His favors as a means for incurring His anger. The fortunate believer is the one who follows the Prophet’s example and observes his commands and prohibitions.
798/9 - Qays ibn Bishr al-Taghlibi related: My father, who attended the company of Abu al-Dardā’, recounted to me: There was a man in Damascus who was a Companion of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). He was called Ibn al-Hanzhaliyyah. He was a lonesome person and would rarely spend time in the company of people. He would spend most of his time in performing prayer, and when he finished, he would engage in glorification of Allah and Takbīr, till he would go home. He passed by us one day when we were sitting with Abu al-Dardā’. The latter said to him: “Tell us something which will benefit us and not harm you.” He said: “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) sent a detachment. When they returned, one of them came to the gathering in which the Messenger was present and said to his neighbor during the conversation: ‘I wish you had seen us when we encountered the enemy. So-and-so took up his spear, struck, and said: “Take this from me and I am the Ghifāri boy.” Now, what do you think of this?’ The neighbor said: ‘I think that he lost his reward because of boasting.’ He said: ‘I see no harm in it.’ They began to exchange arguments till the Prophet heard them and said: ‘Glory be to Allah! There is no harm that he be rewarded and praised.’” I noticed that Abu al-Dardā’ was so pleased to hear this remark and, raising his head, began to repeat: “Have you heard the Messenger say this?” Ibn al-Hanzhaliyyah said: “Yes.” He kept asking him the same question and he continued to repeat the answer to him that I thought he was going to kneel down.
Ibn al-Hanzhaliyyah happened to pass by us another day and Abu al-Dardā’ said to him: “Tell us something which will benefit us and not harm you.” He said: “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) told us: ‘He who spends to purchase a horse (for Jihad) is like one who extends his hand for spending in charity without withdrawing it.’”
He passed by us another day and Abu al-Dardā’ said to him: “Tell us something which might benefit us and not harm you.” He said: “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) once said: ‘Khuraym al-Asadi is an excellent man were it not for his long hair and his lower garment which is hanging down.’ When Khuraym heard what the Prophet had said about him, he hurriedly took a razor and trimmed his long hair up to his ears and raised his lower garment half way up his shanks.”
On another occasion, he passed by us and Abu al-Dardā’ said to him: “Tell us something that will benefit us and not harm you.” He said that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say, while coming back from an expedition: “You are returning to your brothers, so set your saddles and clothes in order so that you look tidy and graceful. Indeed, Allah does not like obscenity and ugliness.”
[Narrated by Abu Dāwūd with a sound Isnād, except for Qays ibn bishr whom scholars differed about. Muslim narrated from him] [6]
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1) There is nothing wrong with a believer boasting before the enemy about something which is religiously permissible to do. This vexes the enemies, which is commendable.
2) The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) readily complied with the Prophet’s commands and instructions. So, imitating them is a sign of true faith.
3) A person should observe himself in all matters, even with regard to the appearance of his clothing. Indeed, the Muslim Ummah should be distinct from all other communities.
4) Shortening clothes in a way consistent with the Sunnah does not make them less beautiful. On the contrary, the Shariah calls for adornment and beautification in a manner that accords with Islamic teachings.
This wording of the Hadīth is weak. But the Prophet’s statement “Allah does not like obscenity and ugliness” was narrated by Muslim and reported by ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). It reads: The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) came to some Jews, who said: “As-Sām (death) be upon you, O Abu al-Qāsim.” Thereupon, he said: “And upon you!” ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “Death and disgrace be upon you!” Whereupon, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “O ‘Ā’ishah, do not be obscene, for indeed Allah does not like obscenity and ugliness.” Then, this verse was revealed: {And when they come to you, they greet you with that [word] by which Allah does not greet you...}.
799/10 - Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The Muslim’s lower garment should be half way down the shank. There is no harm (if it reaches) between that and the ankles. However, what is below the ankles will be in Hellfire. Whoever trails his lower garment out of arrogance, Allah will not look at him.” [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd, with an authentic Isnād]
`800/11 - Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: My lower garment was trailing as I passed by the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), so he said: “O ‘Abdullāh, tug up your lower garment.” I tugged it up and he told me to tug it up more. I tugged it up more then tugged it up further, whereupon some people asked: “To what extent?” He said: “To the middle of the shanks.” [Narrated by Muslim]
801/12 - He also reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “If anyone drags his garment out of pride, Allah will not look at him on the Day of Judgment.”
So Um Salamah asked: “What should women do with the hem of their clothes?” He replied: “Let them lower them a hand span.” She said: “But their feet would still remain exposed.” He said: “Let them lower them the length of a forearm, but not more than that.” [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd and Al-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hasan Sahīh (sound and authentic)]
1) Whoever lets his garment trail below the ankles has committed a serious violation, whether he does it out of arrogance or not, given the stern warning issued about this act.
2) A woman’s feet are ‘Awrah, both in prayer and outside it. She should wear clothing that covers her ‘Awrah.
3) The female Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were very modest. A case in point is the mother of the believers, Um Salamah, who feared that part of women’s ‘Awrah could be revealed, and so she wanted more concealment. This is a far cry from the display of beauty by some Muslim women today!
The distinction the author (may Allah have mercy upon him) made between Isbāl with and without pride does not agree with the explicit texts prohibiting this act in general. Apparently, the difference in these texts is merely related to the punishment for Isbāl. As for the ruling, both are prohibited, though they differ in the degree of prohibition. And Allah knows best.