The Ruling on Isbal and the Ruling on the Wudu and Prayer of the One Who Lets His Garment Hang

Question:
From Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) he said: "While a man was praying, he was letting his lower garment hang. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: . Then he came back and said: . A man said to him: 'O Messenger of Allah, you ordered him to perform wudu, then you were silent about him!' He said: . Abu Dawud narrated it with a sound chain according to the conditions of Muslim. This hadith is in *Riyad al-Salihin*. So what is your ruling on this hadith regarding its chain and text? Answer us, may Allah reward you."

Answer:
This hadith, as the questioner mentioned in *Riyad al-Salihin*, al-Nawawi judged it to be sound, but not as al-Nawawi said; rather, there is weakness, obscurity, and concealment of a defect in its chain.
However, its meaning is correct, for letting the garment hang is forbidden and not permissible. It is obligatory for the Muslim to avoid letting his garment hang, whether in prayer or otherwise.
Letting the garment hang is: lowering the clothes below the ankles of the leg, lowering the clothes—garments: trousers, a lower garment, a cloak, or a shirt—until they go down below the ankles. This is called: letting the garment hang. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade this and threatened with it, and he said: .
In this hadith, he said: and he did not order him to repeat the prayer, which indicates that his prayer is valid. If the hadith were sound, he did not order him to repeat it, but he threatened him. The negation of acceptance does not necessitate the negation of the validity of the prayer; because he did not order him to repeat it. The prayer may be accepted and suffice, but he misses its reward. This, if it were sound, means the severity regarding letting the garment hang, and that it is among the causes of the prayer not being accepted, as he said in the other hadith: . And despite that, the scholars do not order him to repeat it, meaning: he misses its reward because of his asking the fortune-tellers who claim knowledge of the unseen.
So the conclusion is: letting the garment hang is forbidden, and it is not permissible for a man to engage in it. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . So it is obligatory to be cautious of letting the garment hang and to advise one another in that.
As for the saying of some jurists that it is forbidden only if it is for arrogance, that is not correct. Rather, it is absolutely forbidden. But if it is with arrogance, it becomes a greater sin, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . If he drags it out of arrogance, it becomes greater in sin. And if he is lax in letting his garment hang and does not intend arrogance, he is sinful, but his sin is less than that of the one who drags it out of arrogance.
The majority of those who drag it do so out of arrogance, pride, and grandiosity. This is the majority. And he may drag it out of laxity and laziness, so he does not have the sin of dragging it out of arrogance, but he is sinful for his laxity.
As for the one who is overcome by it while he is careful, lifting his garment and being mindful, but it may slip down unintentionally, this does not harm him, as al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "It slips down on me, except that I keep checking it," he said: .
So the Muslim observes it and is careful with it. If it slips away from him... by his lower garment opening... or something of a defect occurs, then he corrects it immediately and is careful; then he owes nothing. But a person who intentionally lets his clothes hang and says: "I did not intend arrogance!" This is a mistake. Hearts are with Allah, and Allah is the One who knows what is in the hearts. And it is only upon us to disapprove of you regarding what you did of letting the garment hang. As for your heart, it is with Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) .