Are the hadiths prohibiting isbal (letting the garment hang below the ankles) specific to arrogance, based on the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to Abu Bakr al-Siddiq?

The questioner : Regarding the lengthening of the garment in the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), when he entered upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited lengthening the garment, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) excused himself, saying: "My garment trails behind me." He said: And in many hadiths, it is specified that the intent is lengthening the garment for arrogance. A person may lengthen his garment, but the intent is not arrogance; that is, there are people who lengthen their garments, but arrogance is not their intent.

The Shaykh : Listen to the answer. Here there are two matters, and a better and more precise expression is two warnings. The first warning: This first warning is for the one who lengthens his lower garment and robe out of arrogance. The second warning: for the one who lengthens his lower garment, regardless of whether there is arrogance or not, there is a warning of the Fire, where he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: In this hadith, there is something not in the first. We can say that in the second hadith, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) established a methodology for the Muslim's garment, which has levels: the highest is to the middle of the shin, and the lowest is to above the ankles. These are two permissible levels. The third level is for the one who is in the Fire; if it is longer, he is in the Fire. Those who cling to the claim that we lengthen the garment not out of arrogance have discarded the second hadith and turned away from it. This is what we complain of today, from our previous complaint, that they say: "peel and kernel." This claim of dividing Islam into kernel and peel leads to the neglect of many Prophetic sunnahs and noble directives, including this hadith: This has been erased from the minds of these people. The hadith of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, which you referred to, has misled them, despite the fact that they turned away from our second hadith. Why? Because, as you mentioned and as you know and everyone knows, if Allah wills, the hadith of Abu Bakr contains an admission that he is not one who lengthens his lower garment, but rather his lower garment falls down. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: We want these people to be like Abu Bakr in this hadith, clinging to it completely, so that we can say to him as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, meaning that his garment should be short, but by a movement he does not notice, it falls to below the shins. This does not include him in the warning, neither the first nor the second warning. I told you: there are two warnings. Why? Because he is originally committed to the Prophetic methodology in clothing: to the middle of the shin, and if it is longer, to the ankles, there is no harm. He does not lengthen it intentionally. Today, look at the difference now between those who claim to argue with the hadith of Abu Bakr and the action of Abu Bakr. When Abu Bakr cuts his garment, he cuts it according to the Sunnah, either to the middle of the shin or to above the ankles. But today, these who argue with Abu Bakr and invalidate the other hadith, if they wear a robe, they have it tailored to below the ankles. They order it to be long so that it is like a woman dragging her train. And if they tailor the pants, they are also long so that the first thing to wear out in their wretched pants is the train of this garment, which is the pants. Why? Because of its length, because it drags on the ground. How can it be said that these people do not do this out of arrogance and argue with the hadith of Abu Bakr, while the hadith of Abu Bakr is explicit that his garment only falls off him? So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Your reality indicates that you do not do this out of arrogance. But the reality of these people indicates that they do it out of arrogance. I am asking now, and I will not hear an answer, if Allah wills. I am asking these sheikhs now, starting with sheikhs like us, these sheikhs who lengthen the robe and have it tailored long, what do they intend by that? Do they intend humility? Then we want our state to indicate the goodness of our state, not to interpret our actions and conditions with words that do not testify for us, but rather testify against us. I am very sorry to hear this hadith from someone like you, because you are truly, as it is said: "You are not the first traveler misled by the moon." This hadith did not come from you; you read it from some of the contemporary writers today. And I am even more sorry that yesterday, the night before yesterday, a questioner in Saudi Arabia asked me by phone, of course, saying: "Here, some scholars issue fatwas that it is not befitting now to shorten the garment to the middle of the shin, in the sense of good conduct in da'wah, because this repels people." And this is the most regrettable thing to come from the land of Saudi Arabia, where we had great hope that it would spread the Sunnah and fight things that contradict the Sunnah. And here, some of them, of course, I do not say all of them, follow the crowd. Today, this is repulsive, and this is something I read from some of the famous writers today, who rebuke some Arab Muslims who go to America, and I do not say they emigrate, because emigration is from lands of disbelief to lands of Islam, not from lands of Islam to lands of disbelief. Some contemporary writers resent some Muslims who travel to America, for example, in their Arab Islamic clothing. He says: "This is a farce. With this garment, you want to call Europeans and Americans to Islam?" Allah is Great. A caller who wants to call disbelievers to Islam, his command is to Islam, his commander is as he pleases. What is the Islam that we want to call people to, if we are developing ourselves instead of developing others? Look at al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah (may Allah be pleased with him) when he met the head of Persia in that battle, what was its name? In which the Muslims won over Persia. He entered him in his Arab garment, with the spear in his hand, walking and thrusting the spear into the carpet and the luxurious rugs, and he did not care. Of course, our group of so-called callers today would say this is repulsive, but this is the honor of Islam, and what should be displayed by the Muslim before others with his customs and traditions. He does not develop to the point of becoming George the Second or Antonios the Last or something similar in his appearance and attire. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) established a methodology for Muslims to maintain their Muslim identity in it. How many and how many hadiths said: "Differ from the Jews and the Christians." And now, in the name of wisdom and politics in da'wah, they want us to agree with the Jews and the Christians on their customs and traditions. And it is astonishing that some of them argue with such an abomination with the hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) when she intended to enter the Black Stone to pray in it after the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed in it after the conquest of Makkah, so he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to her: meaning enter the Black Stone What the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did, and how good it was. Why? Because he feared for some weak Muslims who, when faith has not firmly taken hold in their hearts, this faith would crumble in their souls if they saw the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) demolish the Ka'bah. They would say: "He left us nothing but to invalidate it and demolish it, and here is the Sacred House of Allah, this is it." So he approved this situation. They measure personal matters by matters related to the entire Ummah. Just as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) left the repair of the Ka'bah, we also have to leave our attire, customs, and traditions for the sake of what? Wisdom in da'wah. It is a great word that comes out of their mouths.
And therefore, my brother, the hadith of Abu Bakr, you have known its context, and that it is for the Muslim who does not intend to lengthen the garment, but rather it falls despite his will and he does not know. But our other hadith established a methodology for the Muslim to be distinguished by it from others. His garment is to the middle of the shin, and this still exists in many countries, even non-Arab countries, because this is from the sunnahs of fitrah (the innate natural disposition). But there is no objection to a person lengthening his garment to above the ankles. But if it falls, he is in the Fire because he contradicted the guidance of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Do you allow us now?