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Trousers Extending Below Ankles[image][image]

Qur’aanic Verse 7.31:   

  

Transliteration: 

31. Ya banee adama khuthoo zeenatakum AAinda kulli masjidin wakuloo waishraboo wala tusrifoo innahu la yuhibbu almusrifeena

[image]

Translation:  

31. O children of Adam! Be well-dressed, clean and tidy at every place of worship,10, 11 and eat and drink, but indulge not in extravagance. HE does not indeed like those who indulge in extravagance.

[image]

Study Notes:  

10. I would like to mention here the insistence of some traditionalists - who consider the ahaadeeth more sacrosanct than even the Qur’aanic Verses - that Muslims should keep the lower ends of their pyjamas and trousers above the ankles. A hadeeth [Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, hadeeth No. 678] tells them that if the garment extends below the ankles, the wearer goes to Hell. And this vital information is not there in the Qur’aan! Therefore, the traditionalists believe that without the ahaadeeth, Islam is incomplete. The Qur’aan, on the other hand, reiterates, “… We have neglected nothing in the Book …” (Verse 6.38) and that “… We have certainly explained, in this Qur’aan, every kind of example …” (Verse 17.89). How could the Qur’aan then neglect to mention a thing that would lead a man to Hell!? It cannot, and it does not, because, Allah Almighty, the Author of the Book, cannot be wrong when He says that the Qur’aan neglects nothing! We are then left with the only conclusion that there is something wrong with the above-quoted hadeeth, which is man-influenced and therefore error-prone. 

11. As this Verse and the one immediately following (7.32) clearly tell us, Allah does not want us to look shabby or uncouth in our dress. One of the purposes of our dress is to make us look better. Allah does not prohibit us this adornment. HE wouldn’t wish us to wear short trousers if these make us look comical. What Allah desires, however, is that we be clean. HE certainly wouldn’t like our trousers to be so long that its lower ends touch the ground and collect dirt therefrom as we walk on.

*************

Click here to go online to the just-published Qur’aanic Studies - Volume XVI, from which the above extract, on Verse 7.31,  is taken. This Volume has link to the preceding Volume and so on to the first published Volume I. You may also get access to all these Volumes online through my website islam-n-interst.com. Two volumes of these Studies in print are available, along with my other published books, at this link

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 at 11:07 pm and is filed under Dress. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

15 Responses to “Trousers Extending Below Ankles”

  1. A Rashid Samnakay Says:
    May 23rd, 2008 at 10:34 am

A Rashid Samnakay Says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.

May 23rd, 2008 at 10:32 am
Dear M Shafi,
“for Muslims to keep the lower ends of their pyjamas and trousers above the ankles. A hadeeth [Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, hadeeth No. 678] tells them that if the garment extends below the ankles, the wearer goes to Hell”.

You are right:
“Haqiqat riwaayaat may kho gai yeh ummat kharaafaat may kho gayi”
You should not waste your time on such KHARAAFAAT.

Your audiance here may not need such talk but the mullah “trained unparh” needs your hands on instruction on their territory–go and talk to the villagers , but remove the mullah first from their mist, for you will not be able to change him, His “religion” of hadis is his business beyond roti, kapraa and makaan!
“litashtaru be ayaati thamanan Qlila”.
Salaams- Rashid

  1. Shariq Hamid Says:
    May 23rd, 2008 at 10:56 am

So very true, did Allah send 1,24,000 Messengers just to tell us, what should be the length of our pajamas?

  1. Dr. Mohamed Ali Essa Says:
    May 23rd, 2008 at 11:12 am

Dear Brother
Assalamu Alaikum. I feel your argument is quite right. I always felt bad when muslims entering mosque raising their trousers and looking ugly against the Quranic Aya. Even if the Hadees is right it is only to inform that we should not be proud by wearing long trousers. Jazakallah Khair

  1. Moeen Omar Says:
    May 23rd, 2008 at 12:09 pm

Allah knows best. I assume that the Prophet(PBUH) may have made the statement in response to the dressing of the proud and arrogant who may have dressed liked that in those times. Or perhaps it was meant to prevent one’s clothes from getting dirty in the unpaved streets of Medina at that time. THese reasons may not apply today.

  1. Najeeb Says:
    May 23rd, 2008 at 1:54 pm

Umar Ibn Khattab gets stabbed by his enemy … he is on his death bed … in the laps of his son Abdullah Ibn Umar … on the ground so that Allah shower Mercy on him … and a companion comes to visit him … and what does Umar say to him? … “Keep your clothes above your ankle”!!!

Why was this issue so important to Umar … an issue to be pointed at his death bed?????

Another hadith in Saheeb Hibban (paraphrased): A sahabi (companion) is told) by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to not lower his garment (below ankles). The companion remarks, O Prophet, this is a torned sheet and I am covering my marks (injury), I don’t have any arrogance in my heart. The Prophet replied, “Is it not sufficent for you to follow me?” and he obeys him and keeps his garment up.

If you keep clothes above ankle, Allah won’t talk to you on the day of Judgment. If you keep clothes above ankle PLUS you have arrogance too, then according to another hadith “your will be burned in hell fire”.

The Quran says And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad SAW) gives you, take it, and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it) , and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Severe in punishment. [Hasr 59:7]

Rules of worship are defined by Allah and His messenger, and not by your weak intellects. One doesn’t define what arrogance is. It is Allah and His Messenger that define what it is. A human kind is not intelligent enough to know the complete wisdom simply because wisdom is based on knowledge, and Allah’s knowledge is infinite.

Ali Ibn Talib says (paraphrased) “If logic were to take precedence, it would make more sense to wipe on the lower part of the socks rather than upper part (while making wudhu).”

May Allah guide those who are honest to themselves!

Mohammad Shafi responds:

Even the entire collection of ahaadeeth cannot replace a single Qur’aanic Verse. When the Qur’aan reiterates that it is a complete guidance for mankind, how could it neglect to mention a thing that would save a human being from Hell-fire?

As regards Verse 59.7, it primarily relates to distribution of booty. The believers were instructed to accept what was given of the booty to them and abstain from what is not given. Even if this instruction is construed in general terms, all the authentic sayings of the Messenger (peace be on him) are contained in the Qur’aan. So when we do what the Qur’aan asks us to do and abstain from what it prohibits, we only follow Allah and His Messenger. Moreover, Verse 5.101 makes it clear that mankind is spared from doing things that are not specifically mentioned in the Qur’aan.

  1. Jz Says:
    May 23rd, 2008 at 6:44 pm

Are you a quranite?

Mohammad Shafi responds:

I believe in the Qur’aan, as every Muslim should. One who does not believe in anything mentioned therein is not a Muslim.

  1. humera Says:
    May 23rd, 2008 at 9:46 pm

I agree with Agha and with Moeen too. interesting to note that now there is word called ‘Quranite’. Has anyone read gullivers travel?

  1. MOSIBUR RAHAMAN Says:
    May 24th, 2008 at 12:59 am

Putting on the trouser/pyjama above the ankle is certainly NOT an act which will lead the Muslim to heaven or the absence of which will lead one to hell as mentioned above. This is a common sense applied to dressing which perhaps our Prophet had urged us to follow . The reason for not putting this below ankle is : 1) It’ll unnecessarily soil our trousers’ end
2) It’ll make not-so-careful persons stumble or fall by wrapping the ends of trousers as it used to happen in the time of Prophet during the Prayer Times and this caused the Muslims the butts of laughter to the Kafirs/non-Muslims watching them closely and getting amused by it. This had led to the above injunction of not wearing trouser extending below ankle.
In general, one should FIRST look up in the Quran for support of any such Dos/Don’ts ; If not available in the Quran, look for Correct Hadith or one’s own judgement (if found contradictory in Hadith ) to assess its historical perspective/ necessity and should apply it today if found logical & beneficial . Please DO NOT EXAGGERATE / OVERSTRETCH anything not mentioned by Allah in the Quran.
Mosibur Rahaman
Durgapur, India

Mohammad Shafi responfs:

Refer my responses to mdnajeeb and awobelal.

  1. Abdul Wahid Osman Belal Says:
    May 24th, 2008 at 9:26 am

Muslims should not care for what they look to others but concern themselves by following the directions aid down in the Holy Quran and Sunnah the sayings of the Final and Last Messenger & Seal of all Prophet Holy Prophet Muhammad (on whom Allah and His angels send their peace blessings and salutations) and Pious Caliphs (Khulfae Rashideen), Noble Companions (Sahaba kiram) pious and saintly Muslims.
Abdul Wahid Osman Belal

Mohammad Shafi responds:

But the trouble is, Brother, the reported sayings are influenced by the narrators’ personal opinions and prejudices. The purity of the original sayings is thus defiled. The Allah-approved perfect Religion of Islam cannot be based on such unreliable sources. The only authentic and reliable source of Islam is the Qur’aan. So long as Muslims do not realise this Reality, they shall continue to be in doldrums just as they are today.

  1. mohamed mohideen Says:
    May 25th, 2008 at 4:12 pm

Assalamu alaikkum to all our brothers.

Mohammad Shafi responds:
Wa alaykum-as-salaam,
My response, where needed, is given in bold letters within your comments.

ALLAH knows the best.

I seek the right path. can u give?.
the answer is no.

Only Allah Almighty can lead you to the right path. No one else can. 

if u don’t believe in hadeeth then how do you pray 5 times and how do u postures of prayer.

I have no problem in following ahaadeeth and practices that are not repugnant to Qur’aanic teachings.

this i’m asking to know only not to tell that u r wrong.

ALLAH knows who r wrong.

I pray to ALLAH to guide to straight path.

WASSALAM. mohamed mohideen,DELHI,INDIA

Wassalaam,
Mohammad Shafi

  1. ABUBAKAR GARBA Says:
    May 25th, 2008 at 4:15 pm

ASSALAMU ALAIKUM.
Every part of your article is really important to every moslem, please keep enlightening and counseling us to the right path.

  1. Ali Babai Says:
    May 25th, 2008 at 4:56 pm

Very well said brothers Najeeb & AbdulWahid Osman Belal.

If I may add, caution should be taken when trying to influence others to our own ‘interpretations’ of the Qur’an and ahadeeth.

Mohammad Shafi responds:
The best interpretation of Qur’aanic Verses is in the Qur’aan itself.

  1. Usman Says:
    May 26th, 2008 at 7:22 am

Mohammad Shafi’s response is given in bold, wherever called for, within Brother Usman’s comments below:

You, brother, wrote:
” The Qur’aan, on the other hand, reiterates, “… We have neglected nothing in the Book …” (Verse 6.38) and that “… We have certainly explained, in this Qur’aan, every kind of example …” (Verse 17.89). How could the Qur’aan then neglect to mention a thing that would lead a man to Hell!? It cannot, and it does not, because, Allah Almighty, the Author of the Book, cannot be wrong when He says that the Qur’aan neglects nothing! We are then left with the only conclusion that there is something wrong with the above-quoted hadeeth, which is man-influenced and therefore error-prone. ”

Assalaam Alaykum,

Wa alaykum-as-salaam,

Aaaaahhhh! How on earth can you say that the ahadith - particularly those of the likes reported through Bukhari and Muslim - are MAN INFLUENCED! NO! These ahadith are reported through the SAME PEOPLE as those who narrated the QUR’AN ITSELF.

How could you say that, Brother, when the Qur’aanic Verses were recorded in writing immediately after those were revealed during the lifetime of the Messenger (peace be upon him) itself, whereas the ahaadeeth got recorded in writing hundreds of years after the Messenger’s death!?

And Allah says in the Qur’an that Allah will guard this deen,

What Allah guards is the Qur’aan (Verse 15.9). The deen (religion) as depicted in the Qur’aan is therefore protected, but not the deen practised by Muslims who do not scrupulously abide by all the Qur’aanic instructions.

and PART OF THE DEEN IS THE SUNNAH and how do we know the sunnah? Through REPORTS of what he (pbuh) SAID, DID, ALLOWED, FORBADE, etc. The Qur’an says Obey the Prophet - so how do we know what the Prophet said if not through the Qur’an?

The Qur’aan is the only authentic and Allah-protected source for us now to know what the Prophet said. All other sources/reports of what he did and said are man-influenced and therefore error-prone. Those other reports may lead us astray and away from Allah’s Straight Path. To obey what the Qur’aan says is to obey both Allah and His Messenger. The Prophet’s Sunnah is nothing but that he showed, by his own example, that the Qur’aanic instructions can be successfully practised. Do not make the mistake of assuming that the Prophet’s Sunnah is something other than the Qur’aan!

How would we know about the 5 daily prayers?

The Qur’aan gives us sufficient details about how and when to perform our prayers.

How would we know about the complexities of the system of Zakah?

The complexities are man-made, Brother! The Qur'anic Law is very simple. Spend on others what is surplus to your own legitimate needs. (Verse 2.219)

How would we know how to behave? A’isha (ra) said the Prophet (pbuh) was a walking Qur’an, and Allah tells us that In the Prophet is a GREAT EXAMPLE. Isn’t this a clue that we should follow the reports about everything he did?!?

NO!!! It’s a clue that the Qur'anic instructions are practicable and should be practised by every Muslim. The Qur’aan is replete with instructions on how to behave with parents, neighbours, and with every other category of people.

So take the ahadith seriously!

How seriously, Brother? As seriously and as sacrosanct as the Qur'anic Verses!? Please take care! If you treat the Qur’aan and the ahaadeeth as equal in sanctity, you are treading on the very dangerous territory of shirk, a sin that Allah may not forgive!

However, they are NOT for open interpretation and - with regards to the hadith about trousers below ankles - there is a hadith to explain this one. Abu Bakr (ra) was told by the Prophet (pbuh) that he could wear his clothes below the ankle because he was NOT DOING IT OUT OF ARROGANCE.

The problem with ahaadeeth is not only that they were subject to the personal opinions and prejudices of the numerous oral narrators, generation to generation, but also that those were time and instance specific. It might be that the Prophet had feared that the arrogance of a particular man, whose clothes happened to extend below his ankles, could take him to Hell. It was the arrogance that the Prophet objected to, but by the time the Prophet’s saying got recorded in writing, the narration changed to the Prophet objecting to the wearing of the clothes below the ankles and condemning all wearers of such clothes to Hell! So, Brother, if you have to study the ahaadeeth, study them in the light of the Qur’aan, and don’t make the mistake of treating the ahaadeeth as sacrosanct as the Qur'anic Verses.

But it is the FIRST POINT about AHADITH which I wanted to emphasise most. This shocked me when I read your article!

Your equating the ahaadeeth with the Qur'anic Verses was no less shocking to me!

  1. Zhameer Shah Says:
    May 26th, 2008 at 9:08 am

As Salaam

Allah gave our Prophet the authority to legislate in his capacity as his Messenger. As a leader of his Ummah. What he permits, we obey. What he forbids, we shun.

“Muhammad is not a father amongst you. But he is the Prophet of God. So what he instructs, you listen and what he restricts, you obey.” Qur’an.

Mohammad Shafi responds:

Wa alaykum-as-salaam, Brother!

You have misquoted the Qur'anic Verse. Such a mis-quotation is a great crime, Brother! The Verse No. is 33.40, and it is translated by Yusuf Ali as follows:
‘33.40 Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets: and Allah has full knowledge of all things.’

Muhammad (peace be on him) was a Messenger of Allah. His given task was to convey the Message of Allah. And he did faithfully accomplish that task. Now it is our task to faithfully follow that divine Message. By doing so, we would be following both Allah and His Messenger.

Brother! Just see how you yourself have misquoted a Qur'anic Verse above. Thank Allah that He has protected His Message against all such humanly made misquotations. You have committed this error even when the original divine Message is very much there in existence. Imagine what errors might have crept in while any hadeeth was passed on by word of mouth, for hundreds of years, before it was recorded in writing!!

  1. Shuaib Says:
    May 29th, 2008 at 12:40 pm

Its really interesting to find topics being discussed. I have been having the opportunity to read the informations and the defences being made by different people. I find that most of the people are very defensive and they are not reading the Qur’aan. I request the brothers to take it seriously.

 

http://mjaga.muslimblogz.com/2008/05/22/trousers-extending-below-ankles/ 

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