Warning Against Isbal and the Ruling on the Prayer of One Who Lets His Garment Trail
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Question:
A listener wrote at the top of his message: "I hope you will not mention my name." He asks and says: "I am a young man who obeys Allah and His Messenger in everything, and I maintain the prayers, praise be to Allah. However, some of the clothes I wear are long, extending below the ankles. Am I among those whom Allah will not look at and among the people of the Fire, based on the hadith of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): And will Allah not accept the prayers that a person performs while his garment is long? Because I heard a hadith from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) where he said: Mishkat al-Masabih 4441 Please inform us, may Allah reward you with good, and I hope for a clear, detailed answer?"
Answer:
Isbal is among the forbidden things and the abominations. It is the lowering of clothing below the ankles, and it is called isbal. This applies to the overcoat, the shirt, the waistcloth, and the trousers; none of these is permissible to be lowered below the ankles, based on the hadith you mentioned, which is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan an-Nasa'i 5331Sahih (Darussalam) And if it is done out of arrogance and vanity, the sin becomes more severe and greater. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sunan Abi Dawud 4087Sahih (Al-Albani) narrated by Muslim in his Sahih.
Therefore, it is obligatory to be cautious of this, and the limit of clothing should be the ankles, not going below them. One should also beware of arrogance and vanity in all his states and in his clothing.
As for the hadith you mentioned regarding the non-acceptance of prayer, it is a weak hadith. Even if al-Nawawi graded it as authentic or good, it is still weak; because there is a mudallis (one who conceals a defect) in its chain who used the style of abbreviation, and there is someone in its chain who is unknown.
So the conclusion is that the warning regarding the non-acceptance of prayer, if it were authentic, would be evidence of the severity of the prohibition. It indicates that the believer should beware of isbal. This is a matter of warning, and Allah may forgive the person for it, or He may carry out His threat against him. Thus, the Muslim who prays is in a state of danger if he disobeys the commands and falls into the prohibitions. It is obligatory for him not to commit what is forbidden and not to leave what is commanded.
It was also narrated from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he ordered the one who lets his garment trail to perform wudu, to repeat the wudu, but he did not order him to repeat the prayer. If this were authentic, it would be a matter of warning and deterrence, and it contains the defect you heard about.
The correct view is that his prayer is valid, and that he erred in his isbal, but he is not required to repeat it. It is valid, just like the rest of sins. If a person prays and his garment contains a dirham from haram, or if he is wearing stolen clothing or praying on stolen land, the correct view is that his prayer is valid. This is because the sin is attached to the usurpation, not to the prayer. It is a matter that is prohibited absolutely, both in prayer and outside of it. So if he prays in stolen clothing or on stolen land, or in clothing containing a haram dirham, the prayer is valid despite the sin. He is sinful because he engaged in what Allah has forbidden him, namely usurpation and haram earnings, but the prayer is valid because this does not pertain to the prayer itself; it pertains to his engaging in what Allah has forbidden him, namely usurpation and haram earnings.
Likewise, if a person prays in clothing that contains impurity, forgetting it or being unaware of it until he finishes his prayer, his prayer is valid. This is established in the hadith of Abu Sa'id in Ahmad and Abu Dawud with a sound chain: "That he (peace and blessings be upon him) one day removed his sandals while in prayer, so the people removed their sandals. When he finished the prayer, he asked them about it. They said: 'We saw you remove your sandals, so we removed ours.' He said:
He (peace and blessings be upon him) did not repeat the prayer, nor did he restart it, but he continued in it. This indicates that if a person finds something in his clothing and does not know about it until after the prayer, his prayer is valid. And if he knows about it during the prayer and removes it, his prayer is valid, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) removed his sandals.
So the believer should be cautious and strive to have clothing free from impurity, free from stains, and a body that is clean. But if he forgets some impurity until he finishes his prayer, or is unaware of it, his prayer is valid. This is unlike the state of ritual impurity (hadath). If a person prays while in a state of ritual impurity, he must repeat it. If he prays thinking he is in a state of wudu, but it turns out he is not in a state of wudu, he is required to repeat it.
Likewise, if a person prays while in a state of janabah, thinking he has performed ghusl, but it turns out he did not perform ghusl, he must repeat it. This is because purity is a necessary condition for prayer. Purity from states of ritual impurity is a condition for prayer. For this reason, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 225 And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1Sahih (Darussalam) This is unlike impurity in clothing, on the body, or on a spot, which is easier if one forgets it or is unaware of it, like the hadith you know, the hadith of Abu Sa'id regarding the story of the sandals of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the dirt that was in them. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
A listener wrote at the top of his message: "I hope you will not mention my name." He asks and says: "I am a young man who obeys Allah and His Messenger in everything, and I maintain the prayers, praise be to Allah. However, some of the clothes I wear are long, extending below the ankles. Am I among those whom Allah will not look at and among the people of the Fire, based on the hadith of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him):
What is below the ankles is in the Fire
ما أسفل الكعبين ففي النارAbu Musa reported God’s messenger as saying, “God does not accept the prayer of a man who has any khaluq on his body.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.
لا يقبل الله صلاة رجل مسبل إزارهAnswer:
Isbal is among the forbidden things and the abominations. It is the lowering of clothing below the ankles, and it is called isbal. This applies to the overcoat, the shirt, the waistcloth, and the trousers; none of these is permissible to be lowered below the ankles, based on the hadith you mentioned, which is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Whatever of the Izar comes below the ankles is in the Fire.
ما أسفل من الكعبين من الإزار فهو في النارNarrated Abu Dharr: The Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: There are three to whom Allah will not speak and at whom He will not look on the Day of Resurrection, and whom He will not declare pure, and they will have a painful punishment. I asked: Who are they, Messenger of Allah, they are losers and disappointed ? He repeated it three times. I asked: Who are they. Messenger of Allah, they are losers and disappointed ? He replied: The one who wears a trailing robe, the one who takes account of what he gives, and the one who produces a ready sale of a commodity by false swearing.
ثلاثة لا يكلمهم الله ولا ينظر إليهم يوم القيامة ولا يزكيهم ولهم عذاب أليم: المسبل إزاره، والمنان فيما أعطى، والمنفق سلعته بالحلف الكاذبTherefore, it is obligatory to be cautious of this, and the limit of clothing should be the ankles, not going below them. One should also beware of arrogance and vanity in all his states and in his clothing.
As for the hadith you mentioned regarding the non-acceptance of prayer, it is a weak hadith. Even if al-Nawawi graded it as authentic or good, it is still weak; because there is a mudallis (one who conceals a defect) in its chain who used the style of abbreviation, and there is someone in its chain who is unknown.
So the conclusion is that the warning regarding the non-acceptance of prayer, if it were authentic, would be evidence of the severity of the prohibition. It indicates that the believer should beware of isbal. This is a matter of warning, and Allah may forgive the person for it, or He may carry out His threat against him. Thus, the Muslim who prays is in a state of danger if he disobeys the commands and falls into the prohibitions. It is obligatory for him not to commit what is forbidden and not to leave what is commanded.
It was also narrated from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he ordered the one who lets his garment trail to perform wudu, to repeat the wudu, but he did not order him to repeat the prayer. If this were authentic, it would be a matter of warning and deterrence, and it contains the defect you heard about.
The correct view is that his prayer is valid, and that he erred in his isbal, but he is not required to repeat it. It is valid, just like the rest of sins. If a person prays and his garment contains a dirham from haram, or if he is wearing stolen clothing or praying on stolen land, the correct view is that his prayer is valid. This is because the sin is attached to the usurpation, not to the prayer. It is a matter that is prohibited absolutely, both in prayer and outside of it. So if he prays in stolen clothing or on stolen land, or in clothing containing a haram dirham, the prayer is valid despite the sin. He is sinful because he engaged in what Allah has forbidden him, namely usurpation and haram earnings, but the prayer is valid because this does not pertain to the prayer itself; it pertains to his engaging in what Allah has forbidden him, namely usurpation and haram earnings.
Likewise, if a person prays in clothing that contains impurity, forgetting it or being unaware of it until he finishes his prayer, his prayer is valid. This is established in the hadith of Abu Sa'id in Ahmad and Abu Dawud with a sound chain: "That he (peace and blessings be upon him) one day removed his sandals while in prayer, so the people removed their sandals. When he finished the prayer, he asked them about it. They said: 'We saw you remove your sandals, so we removed ours.' He said:
Gabriel came to me and informed me that there was dirt in them, so I removed them. If any of you comes to the mosque, let him look at his sandals—or he said: let him turn them over—and if he sees dirt in them, let him wipe it off and then pray in them.
إن جبرائيل أتاني فأخبرني أن بهما قذرًا فخلعتهما، فإذا أتى أحدكم المسجد فلينظر في نعليه، -أو قال: فليقلب نعليه- فإن رأى فيهما قذرًا فليمسحه ثم يصلي فيهماHe (peace and blessings be upon him) did not repeat the prayer, nor did he restart it, but he continued in it. This indicates that if a person finds something in his clothing and does not know about it until after the prayer, his prayer is valid. And if he knows about it during the prayer and removes it, his prayer is valid, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) removed his sandals.
So the believer should be cautious and strive to have clothing free from impurity, free from stains, and a body that is clean. But if he forgets some impurity until he finishes his prayer, or is unaware of it, his prayer is valid. This is unlike the state of ritual impurity (hadath). If a person prays while in a state of ritual impurity, he must repeat it. If he prays thinking he is in a state of wudu, but it turns out he is not in a state of wudu, he is required to repeat it.
Likewise, if a person prays while in a state of janabah, thinking he has performed ghusl, but it turns out he did not perform ghusl, he must repeat it. This is because purity is a necessary condition for prayer. Purity from states of ritual impurity is a condition for prayer. For this reason, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The prayer of none amongst you would be accepted in a state of impurity until he performs ablution.
لا تقبل صلاة أحدكم إذا أحدث حتى يتوضأSalat will not be accepted without purification
لا تقبل صلاة بغير طهورThe presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.