Wearing the garment to the ankles or the mid-calves, and the custom of the country
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. It is reported from some of the Salaf (may Allah have mercy on them) that they used to wear their garments down to near the ankles and forbade raising the garment to the mid-calves in their land, saying that it is now a form of showing off. So is there a basis for this prohibition, given that this action is part of the Sunnah?
The Shaykh:
What is it?
The questioner:
It is reported from some of the Salaf that they used to wear their garments down to near the ankles and forbade raising the garment to the mid-calves in their land.
The Shaykh:
O brothers, we told you that this is close to the Sunnah. We said that everything from the mid-calves to the ankles is Sunnah. And you should follow what the people of the country and the society are doing, as long as they are upon the Sunnah, and not contradict them so that you become known for it or perhaps they suspect you, because this has become a mark of people who are not desirable now. So you leave these matters, and it is all Sunnah, and praise be to Allah, it is not obligatory. Yes.
So if you make it above the ankles, it is Sunnah. If you make it to the mid-calves, it is Sunnah. But as we mentioned, you should follow what the Muslim society is doing, provided it does not go beyond the Sunnah. Yes. If the society raises it above the calves, this is contrary to the Sunnah. If the society lowers it below the ankles, this is contrary to the Sunnah. But if it is between them, this is all Sunnah, and praise be to Allah. Yes.
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. It is reported from some of the Salaf (may Allah have mercy on them) that they used to wear their garments down to near the ankles and forbade raising the garment to the mid-calves in their land, saying that it is now a form of showing off. So is there a basis for this prohibition, given that this action is part of the Sunnah?
The Shaykh:
What is it?
The questioner:
It is reported from some of the Salaf that they used to wear their garments down to near the ankles and forbade raising the garment to the mid-calves in their land.
The Shaykh:
O brothers, we told you that this is close to the Sunnah. We said that everything from the mid-calves to the ankles is Sunnah. And you should follow what the people of the country and the society are doing, as long as they are upon the Sunnah, and not contradict them so that you become known for it or perhaps they suspect you, because this has become a mark of people who are not desirable now. So you leave these matters, and it is all Sunnah, and praise be to Allah, it is not obligatory. Yes.
So if you make it above the ankles, it is Sunnah. If you make it to the mid-calves, it is Sunnah. But as we mentioned, you should follow what the Muslim society is doing, provided it does not go beyond the Sunnah. Yes. If the society raises it above the calves, this is contrary to the Sunnah. If the society lowers it below the ankles, this is contrary to the Sunnah. But if it is between them, this is all Sunnah, and praise be to Allah. Yes.
Source
شرح كتاب المنتقى من أخبار المصطفى صلى الله عليه وسلم، بداية من باب رفع الصوت بالأذان — islamhouse.com (48:47)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.