The forbidden ostentation in clothing: Is it specific to the type or the manner?

The questioner : Shaykh, may Allah reward you. Is the forbidden ostentation in clothing specific to the type, or does it include the manner? And if it includes the manner, what is your opinion regarding one who shortens his garment, meaning, or lengthens it so that it goes beyond the custom?

The Shaykh : Ostentation, may Allah bless you, is general in the type, the manner, the length, and the shortness. For example, if a rich person wears what a poor person wears, that is ostentation. I mean, if a rich person came out to us wearing a patched cloak and a patched garment, a dirty garment, a garment with no belt, yes, this is ostentation, is it not? Do not people point to him and say, "Look, look at this, what is this?" And the same applies in the reverse. For this reason, it came in the hadith: meaning, in terms of length and shortness. Likewise, it applies to the manner. But if we assume that the manner is part of the Sunnah, and this man is one who is followed, meaning, an imam among the people whose action is not condemned but rather followed, then here we say: apply the Sunnah. But if his action will be ostentation, and it may be a cause of disgust and aversion toward him, then there is leeway in the matter, and praise be to Allah. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) made the limit, what? The ankles. So there is leeway in all of it, as long as there is leeway. And the Companions used to do this as well; they would let it hang down below the middle of the leg. So the matter is broad, and praise be to Allah. It is not hidden from us all that when Abu Bakr informed the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) of , if we reflect, we find that Abu Bakr’s izar, when it hung loosely on him, went down. We know that it went down below the middle of the leg, because if it had been to the middle of the leg and then went down to the ground, yes, his private parts would have been exposed. And this is what makes there be leeway in this matter. So the important thing is that ostentation differs in reality; it differs according to the person. If he is an imam who is followed, and people, for example, see him wearing this item of clothing and say, "This is the Sunnah, do it," that is good. And for every occasion, there is a specific ruling. And here this meeting ends. We ask Allah to return us and you to a good return, and to grant us beneficial knowledge, righteous deeds, and a good, abundant provision.