Question:
Assalamualaikum,
Kindly, forgive my unmannerly words.
But, i have one question to ask. I have seen many of the elders or shaikh’s dress is below the ankle. Also, you know the Hadith regarding this. Can you explain this to me.
Answer:
wa ‘alaykum salam,
As Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani said in Fath al-Bari, it is a preferential matter, not a prohibited one. It is preferential in light of the fact that when Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (r) said, “Messenger of Allah my waist wrap often descends below my ankle.” The Prophet (s) replied “that on your part is not self-display.” I.e. it is permitted.
In pre-Islamic times however, men might keep long trains behind them (similar to a bridal gown in our times) purely out of pomp and self-display. The difference is clear.
Hajj Gibril Haddad
