Wearing A Garment Below The Ankles Without Intending To Be Conceited | Shaykh Muḥammad Ibn Ṣāliḥ Al-ʿUthaymīn
The Questioner: If a man wears his lower garment below his ankles without intending arrogance or conceitedness then is this prohibited and can this also occur with one's sleeves and may Allāh reward you with good?
Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn: “When a man wears his garment below his ankles, then this situation can be divided into two categories: The first category involves the one who wears his garment below his ankles because he is conceited to the extent that it reaches the ground.
In this case we would say that the Messenger () said: ‘Whoever allows his garment to drag because he is conceited, then Allāh will not look at him.’ And he () also said: ‘There are three to whom Allāh will not speak to on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He look at them nor will He purify them, and they will endure a painful torment. The one who lets his garment hang below his ankles, the one who reminds others of his favors and the one who sells his product by means of a false oath’ And this is such a serious punishment because the one who does this commits two corrupt actions.
The first corrupt action is allowing his garment to drag. And the second corrupt action is the fact that this action was done based upon conceitedness and arrogance. As for the second category, then to drag the garment without conceitedness and this is very rare as it relates to the people. However, it still might happen so the reward for this is what the Prophet () mentioned in his statement: ‘Whatever is below the ankle is in the Hellfire.’
This means that an individual will be tormented in the Hellfire according to whatever part of his garment descends below his ankles. And this punishment as it has been mentioned in the ḥadīth is a partial punishment and it is less than the punishment which involves Allāh turning away from him, or refusing to purify him as mentioned in the people of the first category.
So in light of this, allowing a upper garment, lower garment or over garment to fall below the ankle is from the major sins because if this occurs due to conceitedness and it is dragged on the ground the punishment for this is that Allāh will not look at him on the Day of Resurrection nor will He purify him and he will receive a painful punishment.
And if a garment was to fall below the ankle without involving conceitedness then its punishment is to be tormented in the Hellfire according to how much his garment has fallen below his ankle. And this punishment includes the upper garment, the lower garment and the over garment.
As for the lengthening of one's sleeves then there are from the scholars those who say that this involves conceitedness since some people could extend their sleeves or widen them more than they need to out of pride, conceitedness and in order to make them longer so this individual is included in the threat of punishment just like the one who allows his garment to fall [below his ankles].
In any event, then the lengthening of one's sleeves and widening them beyond one's needs could be considered from the type of wasting that Allāh has forbidden in His statement: ‘And do not waste. Certainly Allāh does not love those who waste.’ [Sūrah al-Anʿām 6:141]”
Translated By: Abul-Layth Qāsim Mutiva
