What is the ruling on lengthening the garment without the intention of arrogance or vanity?

The Shaykh : Regarding lengthening the garment, I agree with you that lengthening the garment may involve arrogance and vanity. I do not agree with that, because I want to make you understand. If I had wanted to make you understand, I would have done so before. Rather, it is because you spoke words that align with the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), which is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): . Whoever drags his garment out of vanity, meaning out of arrogance.

The questioner : There is a hadith qudsi on this subject: .

The Shaykh : Yes, this is an authentic hadith, but it has no connection to the subject of clothing.

The questioner : In general.

The Shaykh : Yes, the subject of clothing falls under this generality. But this hadith does not mean—and here, as they say, is the crux of the matter—that if a Muslim lengthens his garment claiming that he does not do so out of vanity, that he owes nothing. It does not mean that. Why? Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) established a methodology, or if we wish to call it a specific dress code, for Muslims regarding not lengthening the garment. If there were nothing in this matter except this hadith about vanity, we would say that wearing a long garment is permissible except when done out of vanity, in which case it is forbidden. But we have two other things. One is from the practice of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), as his garment was not long enough to drag on the ground, or at least it did not extend below the ankles. And without a doubt, as came in some hadiths: . This is the first thing.
The Shaykh: And the other thing, which is more important, is that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . The meaning of this hadith is that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) established a general methodology for Muslims regarding their clothing, regardless of vanity. We say it should be to the middle of the shin. Is it permissible for it to be longer? It is permissible. What is the limit of this permissibility? Not above the ankles. The ankles are the two prominent bones. So it is permissible for you to have one of these two forms. As for anything less than that, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) says it is in the Fire. Therefore, it is not permissible for a Muslim to say, "I do not lengthen my garment out of vanity." Because the answer might be that that is the case, and Allah knows best what is in hearts. We are not in control of what is in hearts. We have the appearance, and Allah takes care of the secrets. This appearance is what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) defined by his saying: .
The Shaykh: After this methodology that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) established for Muslims in general, it is not permissible for us to say that this was only in the time of the Messenger. No; because as we all know, we take pride in the fact that our Prophet (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) has among his characteristics that he said in a well-known hadith: . Among them is: . And the verse is sufficient in this regard: . And the other verse: . Then the other hadith which says: . The meaning of all of this is that the Shari'ah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is a continuing Shari'ah until the Day of Resurrection, with no change to the creation of Allah. So every ruling that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke of or practiced in that time, and no evidence came from him specifying that ruling or its time, these rulings remain continuing until the Day of Resurrection. Therefore, it is not correct for us to say that the dishdasha today, if it is long, is fine because it was the custom of the Arabs to lengthen their tails out of arrogance. We say it is possible that this was among the Arabs, as it was among the non-Arabs, and as it exists today. But that does not mean that if one does it with an intention other than vanity, that it is permissible for him. And as we said, what is the meaning? How do we distinguish that this person’s garment is long out of vanity, and this second person has the same problem but does not do it out of vanity? What is the measure we have? We have no measure. And therefore...

The questioner : I believe this custom has ended such that no one lengthens their garment in the way they did in the time of Jahiliyyah.

The Shaykh : What was that form?

The questioner : It was indeed that his garment dragged behind him.

The Shaykh : No problem, meaning without dragging, no problem? Without dragging, no problem? Meaning if it is not dragging like women’s garments, and there is, say, a finger’s width between it and the ground, it does not sweep the ground behind him, meaning he owes nothing?

The questioner : Shaykh, these matters were in the beginning of Islam, approximately. And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was alerting Muslims to this thing. And the Muslims in that era, of course, adhered to the practice of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). After that, in the subsequent eras, this matter did not recur at all. Approximately, there is no one in the present time who lengthens his garment like the disbelievers of Makkah or their leaders...

The Shaykh : Okay, when you say this, what is your evidence? What is your evidence?

The questioner : I mean, what kind of evidence, for example a hadith?

The Shaykh : Anything you consider as evidence. We are satisfied with you having evidence. We do not put you in a difficult position and say to you, we need this or that. You bring the evidence.
Al-Halabi : And lenient, may Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : This is our duty. Make things easy and do not make them difficult. We will ease your burden a little. We have in Sham a pant that has been around for a while called a "sherlston." Have you heard this name among you?

The questioner : It is known.

The Shaykh : Good. What do you think, did they wear it with good intention?

The questioner : It is considered a fashion.

The Shaykh : What do you not know, Abu Rayid? You do not know a sherlston?

The questioner : A sherlston has a wide leg at the bottom.

The Shaykh : Yes, wide and long, it touches the ground. Meaning the first thing to tear is the bottom of the pant. What is this? Meaning you say it is a fashion. Is this fashion not limited in some way?

The questioner: Certainly.

The Shaykh : I mean, now when the woman who displays her adornment wears the short skirt, it is a fashion. Meaning, is there nothing intended behind this fashion?

The questioner : Definitely, for the woman it is different because the woman...

The Shaykh : I know that it is different, but I want to hear from you. Is there something intended behind this thing we call fashion, or is it not intended?
Abu 'Abdullah: Allah knows best.

The Shaykh : It does not work, Abu 'Abdullah, to deal with the texts of the Shari'ah with your mind and your opinion when you have no evidence. And if I ask you, you bring a real example and say it is a fashion. And when I ask you what is intended by the fashion, you do not give an answer. Why?

The questioner : No, it is not a story of not giving an answer.

The Shaykh : If it were.

The questioner : The matter, I want to give you an example, for instance, the "mu'allafat qulubuhum" (those whose hearts are to be reconciled).

The Shaykh : The example came from me. The example came from me. Give me an answer, do not lose me. An answer is enough, do not go back to what preceded.

The questioner : The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave to the Muhajireen and the Ansar. But in the time of 'Umar, the Messenger had given to them when Islam was weak, and now Islam is strong. These are matters and issues that Islam faced in the beginning. And this does not mean that we continue to follow them, for example.

The Shaykh : Why?

The questioner : I said, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, why did he not give to the "mu'allafat qulubuhum" like the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave to them?

The Shaykh : There is a big difference now between 'Umar and Abu 'Abdullah. 'Umar is giving an answer. Abu 'Abdullah is not giving an answer. 'Umar is saying that the "mu'allafat qulubuhum" are for the purpose of reconciling hearts, and now Islam is strong. Did he accept Islam or did he never accept Islam? This is a statement that fills the head. But Abu 'Abdullah is in his land, claiming the claim and not bringing the evidence for it. Until he is forced to ask, what evidence do you want? We make it easy for him and say to him, any evidence. He does not present any evidence.

The questioner : By Allah, my Shaykh, regarding this subject, it is not a basic subject in 'aqidah, the subject of clothing?

The Shaykh : Okay, and we are the ones who raised it, or you...?

The questioner : And I am commenting on the hadith and saying that the hadith of clothing is very important in 'aqidah to this extent.

The Shaykh: May Allah forgive you, may Allah forgive you.

The questioner : May Allah forgive everyone.

The Shaykh : I mean, how many times have I asked you and you do not answer me? Why? Even though you see me, God willing, calm and long-suffering, and so on. Do you not answer me?

The questioner : I answered you. I mean, excuse me, it is possible that your question or your response means that you might not know the thing and cannot answer it, or I do not know, or you want to benefit more from the thing, for example.

Another questioner : The subject of clothing...

The Shaykh : This belief, where did you get it, my brother, may Allah guide you? You say: "In my belief," where did you get it? Do you believe that every Muslim, whose number is in the millions, every Muslim has a belief as he pleases? Or is he bound by the Shari'ah? I hope you answer me. Enough of this.

The questioner : Is clothing a matter of creed?

The Shaykh : There is no power or might except in Allah. What do I gain from this question? I mean, I tell you: it is not a matter of creed. What did you gain? And I am asking you now: Is your question about standing in night prayer and your question about clothing a matter of creed?

The questioner : It is you who raised the topic, and I did not open it up or look into it.

The Shaykh : I also raised the issue of the dishdasha, he laughs.The Shaykh : (may Allah have mercy on him).
Wafi: I mean, your extreme precision on the topic made Brother Abu Abdullah think that all the excessive attention to the topic means it reached the level of creed.The Shaykh : He is precise in all matters.

The questioner : SoThe Shaykh : He says, for example, "Creed is such and such," and I answer him and tell him that clothing is not a matter of creed.
Al-Halabi : Abu Abdullah.The Shaykh : All his research is precise; he likes things to be completely clear, but that does not mean the issue is a decisive creedal matter. No.

The questioner : ... And if we have an opinion or statement, we can speak about it.

The Shaykh : Is it possible or not?

The questioner : It is possible, of course.

The Shaykh : That is it, and he laughs, may Allah have mercy on him; because not everything that is possible actually happens, but this possibility did happen, and you spoke as you see and as you exactly want, and no one told you why you speak like that; but just as you have the freedom to speak as you please, we also have the freedom to ask you: what is the evidence for what you say? And I am sorry that you deprived us of the evidence in everything you said; you did not give us a single piece of evidence. I say, may Allah bless you, just as you spoke with complete freedom, because that is your right to speak on it; in return, we also speak and ask; but unfortunately, you did not answer a single question asked of you, whereas we asked you and you did not answer us, so you deprived us of the answer to the question. And you returned to say at the end: Is this issue a matter of creed? We also answered you and told you: No, it is not a matter of creed; but what did you gain from this question and answer? You gained nothing; you are where you started.

The questioner : On the contrary, I mean that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade us from these things, and they ended in his time, because they were necessary in that era.

The Shaykh : Did I not ask you: What is your knowledge? What is your knowledge? You mean "understanding."

The questioner : In that era, the issues faced the Muslims, they existed, and they were involved in them, and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade them, and they ended in that era.

The Shaykh : What is your knowledge, my brother? You say: "They ended." May Allah bless you, Abu Abdullah, open your eyes. You are speaking very dangerous words now, and now I am speaking with some heat. When you say this legal ruling has ended, it means you have invalidated the Shari'ah. How easy is it for you to say that this ruling has ended? Who ended it? A legal ruling that Allah revealed to the heart of Muhammad (peace be upon him), and it became a Sunnah for two, three, five, or fifteen years... Who stopped it? Who invalidated it? Who has the authority to stop a legal ruling?

The questioner : I mean that these issues are these...

The Shaykh : I mean you want to repeat the words as if we did not understand you. This is a problem.

Another questioner : I mean his intention is that it ended, that a new legal ruling was established and the legal ruling is in effect...

The Shaykh : Excuse me, I did not understand, by Allah. What is his intention?

Another questioner : That there is a known legal ruling, and this one is in effect.

The Shaykh : What is the known legal ruling? What is it?

Another questioner : I mean that is his intention.
Al-Albani: Where is this legal ruling? Is it lost or present?

Another questioner : The matter he is asking about.

The Shaykh : No problem, is it present or missing?

The questioner : No, it is present, of course.

The Shaykh : We are telling him: Where is it? It is not present except with him; it is only with him. We ask you one question, but do not take it as having no relation to creed. And if you like to research creed, we can research creed. What is the ruling on men wearing gold? Is it permissible or forbidden?

The questioner : The narrated hadiths state that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade wearing silk...

The Shaykh : Leave it, leave it, you. Say: Is it lawful or forbidden? When you tell me it is lawful, I ask you: What is the evidence? Because you would be contradicting what I have; when you say, for example, it is forbidden and we agree, there is no need for you to say "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said..." and we move on to something else; so what is the ruling on wearing silk and gold for men: forbidden or lawful?

The questioner : The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade it.

The Shaykh : I am asking you like this: Did he forbid it or not?

The questioner : Our Shaykh, the permissibility and prohibition came by the explicit text of the Noble Qur'an.

The Shaykh : Only?

The questioner : And the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) does not make lawful and does not make forbidden.

The Shaykh : Only by the explicit text of the Noble Qur'an?

The questioner : By Allah, the Exalted and Glorious says...

The Shaykh : My brother, just one thing, but be fair to us in one thing. I am asking you: In the Noble Qur'an, does the forbidden come?

The questioner : By Allah, the One who makes lawful and forbids is our Lord, the Exalted and Glorious. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade wearing silk and gold.

The Shaykh : There is no power or might except in Allah. I am telling you that the One who forbids is other than Allah. I am telling you that the One who forbids is other than Allah, until you tell me and teach me that no one forbids except Allah. No one forbids except Allah. Fine, take me with you, I answered you.

The questioner : Our Shaykh, we ask so that we understand.

The Shaykh : We are the ones asking, not you. May Allah bless you. We are the ones asking, not you. We ask you: What is your opinion? Is gold and silk forbidden for men or not? You return and say: No one forbids except Allah. We know that no one forbids except Allah; but we ask you: Is it forbidden or lawful? You do not answer. You have accustomed us to this tonight. Maybe, if Allah wills, on a second night, our Lord will write for us a share and we will get answers from you.
Wafi: It means let us ask a question, our Shaykh, let us change this topic.

The Shaykh : No, we will enter into creed.
Wafi: In creed, I want to ask.

The Shaykh : I want to enter into creed. His saying, the Exalted: Do you have a figurative interpretation for this text: ?

The questioner : I mean your intention is the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).

The Shaykh : "Your companion did not stray." Who is your companion? Do we not want to get the answer again?

The questioner : We understand from you, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : How do you want to understand from me? A questioner and an answerer do not meet. A questioner and an answerer do not meet.

The questioner : I understood from you the meaning of the verse and the intent of the verse...

The Shaykh : What is the benefit if you understood from me, and you were understanding the opposite of me?

The questioner : May Allah forbid it, we did not say that we understand better than you; on the contrary.

The Shaykh : No, I am saying the opposite of me, not better than me.

The questioner : Ah, the opposite of you. We understand from you. He laughs.The Shaykh : (May Allah have mercy on him) and the students.

The Shaykh : Fine, why did you not understand the previous issues from me? Why did you not understand the previous issues from me?

The questioner : By Allah, I like to always discuss.

The Shaykh : What do you like?

Another questioner : He likes to discuss.
Al-Halabi : The Shaykh : Exactly like you.

The Shaykh : If you like to discuss, we like to discuss and discuss, and I believe all this session that we like to discuss and discuss, or not.
Al-Halabi : Of course.

The Shaykh : If you like to discuss, have you heard in your time the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): ?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Do you believe in this hadith?

The questioner : Of course.

The Shaykh : This contradicts your previous statement, because you said: No one forbids except Allah.

The questioner : The interpretation of this hadith is clear...

The Shaykh : I am not asking you if the meaning is clear. May Allah guide us and you. The hadith is clear as the sun at midday; but this is a hadith, not in the Qur'an, and you told me: The One who forbids is Allah and only. And here this hadith tells you: .

The questioner : Yes, and this is the prohibition that came in the Qur'an, and this is confirmation of what came in the original creed, which is the Noble Qur'an.

The Shaykh : Where is the prohibition of intoxicants in the Qur'an?

The questioner : In verses...

The Shaykh : Do not trouble yourself, because the earth is inhabited. Do not trouble yourself. There is no prohibition of intoxicants in the Qur'an as stated in the hadith.

The questioner : In a verse that states: .

The Shaykh : Of course, but this does not mean that it is forbidden.

The questioner : I believe there are other verses.
Al-Halabi : .

The questioner So let the Muslims avoid.

The Shaykh : It is true that discussion is obligatory, but who loves discussion more? We are asking you: This is the wording of the Messenger, and it is not from Allah in the Qur'an. And you, for an hour, said: "It is Allah who forbids." If you are truly seeking to learn from me, and I am a slave like all slaves, I tell you this: Allah is the One who forbids and the One who permits; but Allah reveals to His Prophet to convey to people prohibitions and permissions on the tongue of the Lord of the Worlds, sometimes in the Qur'an, and sometimes in the hadith of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). So when he says to you: . This is not from his own opinion; and that is why I asked you earlier what you understand from the saying of Allah the Exalted: . So if he says: . It is not from his own opinion, but from the Lord of the Worlds. But when you say that the prohibition is from Allah, you may make people understand something you do not intend; why? Because these two hadiths come up against you, and you say this hadith is erroneous. How is it erroneous, when at that time you said the prohibition is only from Allah? And you try to find a verse in the Qur'an that explicitly forbids intoxicants, but there is no verse in the Qur'an. Even some ignorant people who do not understand the Arabic language say to you: "Intoxicants are not forbidden, bring a verse from the Qur'an." We say to these people: If you are a Muslim, give me a verse that there are five prayers, each with its specific time, a specific number of rak'ahs, and that one prays with al-Fatihah and a surah and the tashahhud, and so on. These details are not found in the Qur'an: These details are not there. Where did these details come from?

The questioner : From the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).

The Shaykh : So what?

The questioner : And this is from the mass-transmitted authentic reports from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).

The Shaykh : No, it is not mass-transmitted, and this is a separate discussion. I mean, if it is not mass-transmitted, do we not accept it?
Wafi: ...

The Shaykh : No, we don't need to see. If it is not mass-transmitted, do we not accept it?

The questioner : ... This prayer that we pray, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray it, because it was transmitted from generation to generation ... until it reached us as the Messenger (peace be upon him) used to pray it.

The Shaykh : Okay, a question comes back to you: Is this prayer that all Muslims are praying, are they all praying like each other, or is there a difference?

The questioner : One time in Kuwait ...

The Shaykh : You did not answer me. I mean, you are used to not answering, so should we stop asking? This is not an answer. I am asking you: Are the Muslims, among whom the prayer is mass-transmitted, all praying the same way, or does each person pray differently? What do I need Kuwait for?!

The questioner : They all pray the same way.

The Shaykh : Each person? You don't know people who pray like this, and people who pray like this, and people who pray like this, and people who sit cross-legged, and people who sit on their mats, and so on. How is it one way?

The questioner : But the number of rak'ahs is the same. Some people put their hands down, and some let them hang.

The Shaykh : This is repeating my words back to me. This is our merchandise returned to us. What do we need it for, my brother? This is our merchandise. I am asking you: Is this mass-transmitted?

The questioner : By Allah ...

The Shaykh : Okay, the hadith we asked you about, is it mass-transmitted: . I mean, you, Abu 'Abdullah, your problem is a problem that opens gaps and then you cannot close them. You are in the East and you jump like a gazelle to the West.

The questioner : It is true that I refrain from answering because I know the situation and I know what will happen.

The Shaykh : So it is, as Allah wills, it makes people laugh.The Shaykh : (may Allah have mercy on him).
Al-Halabi : May Allah reward you with good.

The questioner : It is not a story, I don't know; but I refrain, and I know where this talk will lead. I prefer to be silent in my place and not answer and not get involved in ...

The Shaykh : But is this fair?

The questioner : By Allah, I am comfortable with this.

The Shaykh : You are comfortable with this? What is this called? Selfishness, or love, or affection, or ...

The questioner : Allah knows best.

The Shaykh : How do you know, Allah knows best.

Another questioner : May I ask, Shaykh?

The Shaykh: No.

Another questioner : About the topic of the fundamentals and the branches in the religion. I mean, Muslims always revolve around the same topic. I mean, if there are fundamentals that Muslims care about and they are not branches.

The Shaykh : What is the benefit? Abu 'Abdullah is determined not to move from his place by a hair's breadth. What is the benefit of that too?
Wafi: The hadith about the prohibition of temporary marriage, for example.

The Shaykh : Okay, let's turn the page, I mean, as they say. Is this your position, Abu 'Abdullah, only in the branches, or also in the creed?

The questioner : By Allah, in the creed, I think there is no room for one person, I mean, only in the branches.

The Shaykh : I mean, you now feel that you have answered me, I mean, you answered my question? Okay, what do you know? What was my question?

The questioner : Am I in the creed or the branches, is that not it?

The Shaykh : Are you asking me again, or am I asking you? May Allah have mercy on him, he laughs. That this position that you expressed, that I am comfortable with it, I mean, that you do not answer.

The questioner : Do you want the truth?

The Shaykh : Be patient, my question was whether this position is only in the rulings, or also in the creed. Do you understand my question?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Good, perhaps I understand your answer.

The questioner : By Allah, in everything.

The Shaykh : In everything, I mean. If you are comfortable, the Shaykh of the Sunnah, may Allah have mercy on him, and the students laugh.

The questioner : I listen, and I prefer listening to discussing.

The Shaykh : I wish it were so, Abu 'Abdullah. Yes, what do you have? Please.
Wafi: I am before him.
Abu Layla : But this is a guest, Shaykh, it is better to ask him.
Wafi: I like to ask this question for the benefit.

The Shaykh: Go ahead.