The clothes I usually wear are not long, and I do not intend arrogance or ostentation.

The questioner : I am a young man in my twenties, careful to perform the obligatory prayers and to recite the Noble Qur'an and the commands of my Lord, Mighty and Majestic. However, I suffer from the fact that the clothes I usually wear are long. I do not intend by this arrogance, ostentation, or anything that angers Allah, Mighty and Majestic. I have tried repeatedly to shorten my clothes, but I say to myself: as long as I have not intended arrogance or anything else, this is, in sha Allah, without sin. I ask your eminence for a comprehensive answer on this matter, and may Allah guide you?

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and the Imam of the Pious, and upon his family and all his Companions.
This question contains two issues. The first issue is that the man praised himself for being one who performs the obedience of Allah and loves what pleases Allah, Mighty and Majestic. I hope that this self-praise is in the category of speaking of the blessings of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and not in the category of purifying oneself. Indeed, the one who speaks of himself regarding the performance of acts of obedience does not escape one of two states. The first state is that what drives him to do so is purifying himself and showing off his deeds to his Lord. This is a serious matter that may lead to the invalidation of his deeds and their being in vain. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, has forbidden His servants from purifying themselves, and He said: .
The second state is that what drives him to do so is speaking of the blessing of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and that he takes this reporting about himself as a means for his peers and those of his kind to follow his example. This is a praiseworthy intention, because Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, says: , and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
As for the second issue contained in the question, it is that he lets his garment hang down below the ankles, and he consoles himself that he did not do so out of arrogance or out of ostentation, so he thinks this is permissible.
The answer to this is that this act of his is forbidden, and indeed the apparent meaning of the texts is that it is among the major sins. This is because it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: . This hadith is general and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not restrict it to being due to ostentation or arrogance, and it cannot be interpreted as restricted to that, because the ruling in the two cases is different. The scholars have mentioned that a general text is not interpreted as restricted to a specific text unless the ruling in both is the same. So listen to the difference in ruling between them: the punishment for one who drags his garment out of ostentation is that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will not speak to him on the Day of Resurrection, nor look at him, nor purify him, and he will have a painful punishment. This is established in *Sahih Muslim* from the hadith of Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . He said it three times, and Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "They have failed and lost. Who are they, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: . Thus, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified in this hadith that the punishment for the one who lets his garment hang down is that Allah, the Exalted, will not speak to him on the Day of Resurrection, nor look at him, nor purify him, and he will have a painful punishment. This hadith is general, but it is restricted by what is authentic from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: . The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) restricted it to being out of ostentation and said: . This punishment is part of the punishment indicated by the hadith of Abu Dharr. So the general hadith of Abu Dharr is interpreted according to this restricted hadith. Therefore, the punishment for one who drags his garment out of ostentation is greater than the punishment for one who lowers his lower garment below his ankles. Because the punishment for one who lowers his lower garment below his ankles is that he will be punished in the Fire for the amount of the garment that hangs below the ankles. As for the punishment for one who drags his garment out of ostentation, it is greater and larger: that Allah will not speak to him on the Day of Resurrection, nor look at him, nor purify him, and he will have a painful punishment. By this difference, we know that it is not possible to interpret the general as restricted, following the rule mentioned by the scholars of usul al-fiqh (principles of jurisprudence) and indicated by the Book of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. To clarify this, Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, mentioned in the verse of purity regarding wudu' (ablution) that washing the hands is to the elbows, and Allah, the Exalted, said: . He restricted washing the hands to the washing reaching the elbows. And He said regarding tayammum (dry ablution): , and He did not restrict the hands to the tayammum reaching the elbows. The ruling of tayammum is not interpreted according to the ruling of wudu' because they differ in ruling. In wudu', purity relates to four limbs, and in tayammum to two limbs. In wudu', some limbs are washed and some are wiped, while in tayammum they are wiped. Also, in the purity of tayammum, the minor and major purities are the same, while in the purity of water, the minor and major purities differ. Therefore, the general in the ruling of tayammum is not interpreted according to the restricted in wudu'. And thus, the general in tayammum is not interpreted according to the restricted in wudu'. And this is indicated by the fact that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught 'Amir ibn al-Yasir how to perform tayammum, he struck the ground with his hands once and wiped the left over the right, the backs of his hands, and his face, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not reach the elbows with the tayammum. This indicates that the rule established by the scholars of usul al-fiqh is a settled rule indicated by the Book and the Sunnah. So let a person fear Allah, the Exalted, and avoid what Allah has forbidden for him in his clothing. For doing what Allah has forbidden for a person in his clothing is ingratitude for blessings. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, when He mentioned that He sent down to His servants clothing that covers their private parts and is adornment, indicated that it is obligatory for a person to consider the aspect of taqwa (mindfulness of Allah) in this, where He said: . And taqwa of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is obligatory upon every Muslim, as He said: . And indeed, the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), when he was stabbed, a young man from the Ansar visited him, and he was wearing a garment that struck the ground. When he turned to leave, 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) called him and said to him: "O my son! Lift your garment, for it is more mindful of your Lord and longer-lasting for your garment". And in another wording: "and cleaner for your garment". The Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), mentioned two great benefits in lifting the garment. One is the taqwa of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, for which Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, has prepared for those who possess it a Paradise whose width is the heavens and the earth, as He said: .
And the second benefit is that it is longer-lasting for the garment. For if the garment drags on the ground, it will eat away and cut off its bottom, and it is cleaner for it, for if the garment drags on the dust, it becomes soiled with it.
If you say: Is it possible for the punishment to be on a part of the body without the whole? The answer is: Yes, it is possible. Do you not see the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when he saw a shortcoming in the washing of the feet of some of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), he called out with his highest voice: . So he made the punishment on the limb where the defect occurred. And so we say regarding the one who lowers his garment below his ankles that his punishment will be in the amount of the violation, and he will be punished in the Fire for what is below the ankles.
And I direct to the questioner, may Allah bless him, and to others who have been tested with the issue of isbal (letting the garment hang down), I direct to them advice to fear Allah, Mighty and Majestic, in themselves and in their community, and to remember in their hearts and on their tongues people who do not find what to cover their private parts with, or to protect themselves from heat and cold with clothing, so that this becomes a driver for them to be grateful for the blessing of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and to adhere to the rulings of Allah in these clothes that Allah has blessed them with in abundance and plenty. And Allah is the Helper.