Q: What is the ruling on Isbal (lengthening and trailing clothing below the ankles) out of pride or for other reasons? What is the ruling on Isbal, if one is forced to do it because of the family when young or because of the prevailing customs?
A: The ruling is that it is Haram (prohibited) for men, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: The part of an Izar (garment worn below the waist) which trails below the ankles is in the Fire. (Related by AlBukhari in his Sahih (authentic) Book of Hadith).Also, Muslim related in his Sahihon the authority of Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) who narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Three persons whom Allah shall neither speak to, nor look at, nor purify on the Day of Resurrection, and they shall have a painful torment: he who lets his Izar trail below his ankles, whoever reminds (the people) of what they give, and whoever sells their merchandise by false swearing.
These two Hadiths and what is similar to them in meaning are applicable to whoever lets their Izar trail below their ankles out of pride or for any other reason, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not specify any reason in the quoted Hadith. If Isbal is made out of pride, the sin would be worse and the threat of punishment would be severer, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Allah will not look on the Day of Resurrection at him who trails his garment out of pride. It is not permissible to think that Isbal is Haram only when it is done out of pride, because the Messenger (peace be upon him) did not restrict the prohibition to
this reason in the abovequoted Hadith and also did not specify any other reason in the following Hadith when he said to some of his Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet): Avoid Isbal, for it is a sign of pride. He (peace be upon him), thus, stated that Isbal is a sign of pride, because it is almost done for that. Whoever does Isbal, not out of pride, has in fact committed an act which is a means to pride, because the means have the same ruling of objectives. Also, Isbal denotes extravagance and subjects clothes to dirt. It is authentically reported from `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that when he saw a young man whose garment was touching the ground, he said, "Lift up your garment, for this (act) is more obedient to your Lord and cleaner for your garment."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to Abu Bakr AlSiddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) when the latter said: O Messenger of Allah, my Izar slips down unless I hold it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: You are not of those who do it out of pride. The Prophet (peace be upon him) means that the one who holds his garment when it slips down is not regarded as a person who makes Isbal out of pride, because this is done unintentionally and he tries to prevent this by holding it whenever it slips down. Definitely, such a person is excused. On the other hand, if a person intends to make Isbal, whether of Bisht (cloak), trousers, or shirts, he is included in the threat and has no excuse for doing so. This is because the Sahih Hadiths on the prohibition of Isbal are applicable to him, whether by their wordings or meanings. Accordingly, all Muslims must beware of Isbal, fear Allah, and take care not to lower their garments below their ankles, to act in accordance to these Sahih Hadiths and be cautious of Allah's Anger and Punishment. Allah is the One Who grants success!