The Ruling on Dragging the Garments without Conceit
Question:
Is dragging the garments without conceit unlawful or not?
Answer:
Dragging the garments is unlawful for men regardless of whether one does so out pride or not. But if one does so out of pride, the punishment is more severe and greater, as is, clarified in the Hadeeth of Abu Tharr which is confirmed in Sahih Muslim; that the Prophet (sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam) said:
ËáÇËÉ áÇ íßáãåã Çááå íæã ÇáÞíÇãÉ æáÇ íäÙÑ Åáíåã æáÇ íÒßíåã æáåã ÚÐÇÈ Ãáíã ÞÇá ÝÞÑÃåÇ ÑÓæá Çááå Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã ËáÇË ãÑÇÑ ÞÇá ÃÈæ ÐÑ ÎÇÈæÇ æÎÓÑæÇ ãä åã íÇ ÑÓæá Çááå ÞÇá ÇáãÓÈá æÇáãäÇä æÇáãäÝÞ ÓáÚÊå ÈÇáÍáÝ ÇáßÇÐÈ
"There are three that Allaah will not speak to on the Day of Judgement, will not look at them, will not purify them; and for them is a painful punishment: one who lets his garment hang below his ankles, the Mannan in what he gives, and the Munffliq who does his business with false oaths." (Muslim no. 106)
Though this Hadeeth is general, it is qualified by the Hadeeth of Ibn 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with them, in which the Prophet (sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam) said:
ãä ÌÑ ËæÈå ãä ÇáÎíáÇÁ áã íäÙÑ Çááå Åáíå íæã ÇáÞíÇãÉ
"Whoever drags his garment out of conceit, Allaah will not look at him." (Al-Bukhari no. 5784 and Muslim no. 2085)
So what is general in the Hadeeth of Abu Tharr is restricted by the Hadeeth of Ibn 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with them. When it is done out of arrogance then Allaah does not look at him nor purify him and he will receive a painful punishment. This punishment is greater than the punishment mentioned in the case of one who lets his Izar hang below his ankles without arrogance. About this the Prophet (sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam) said:
ãÇ ÃÓÝá ãä ÇáßÚÈíä ãä ÇáÅÒÇÑ ÝÝí ÇáäÇÑ
"What is below the ankles from the Izar is in the Fire." (Al-Bukhari no. 5787)
Since the two punishments differ, it is not possible to use the general to interpret the specific because the rule is that the general can only be used to interpret the specific when the condition is such that the two texts give the same judgement. But when the judgements differ, then the one cannot be restricted by the other.
For this reason, we do not interpret the verse about ablution with the verse about Tayammum, in which Allaah Almighty said:
ÝóÇãúÓóÍõæÇú ÈöæõÌõæåößõãú æóÃóíúÏöíßõã
"Rubbing your faces and hands (with it)" [Al-Ma 'idah 5:6]
Whereas He said in the verse about ablution:
ÝÇÛúÓöáõæÇú æõÌõæåóßõãú æóÃóíúÏöíóßõãú Åöáóì ÇáúãóÑóÇÝöÞö
"..Then wash your faces and hands (forearms) up to the elbows.." [Al-Ma 'idah 5:6]
Yet At-Tayammum does not include elbows.
This is also demonstrated in what is recorded by Malik and others in the Hadeeth of Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri, that the Prophet (sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam) said:
ÅÒÑÉ ÇáãÓáã Åáì äÕÝ ÇáÓÇÞ æáÇ ÍÑÌ Ãæ áÇ ÌäÇÍ ÝíãÇ Èíäå æÈíä ÇáßÚÈíä ãÇ ßÇä ÃÓÝá ãä ÇáßÚÈíä Ýåæ Ýí ÇáäÇÑ ãä ÌÑ ÅÒÇÑå ÈØÑÇ áã íäÙÑ Çááå Åáíå
"Izar of the believer is to the middle of his shin, and what is below the ankles is in the Fire. And whoever drags his garment out of arrogance, Allaah will not look at him." (Abu Dawud no. 4093, Ibn Majah no. 3573, An-Nasa'i 5/490 no. 9716 and Mawatta for Imam Malik 2/914, 915)
The Prophet (sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam) mentioned two cases in one Hadeeth and explained their different rulings by the different punishments, since they are different actions they have different rulings and punishments. So this clarifies the mistake of those who explain his (sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam) saying:
ãÇ ÃÓÝá ãä ÇáßÚÈíä ãä ÇáÅÒÇÑ ÝÝí ÇáäÇÑ
"What is below the ankles is in the Fire." (Al-Bukhari no. 5787)
by his (sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam) saying:
ãä ÌÑ ËæÈå ãä ÇáÎíáÇÁ áã íäÙÑ Çááå Åáíå íæã ÇáÞíÇãÉ
"Whoever drags his garment out of conceit, Allaah will not look at him on the Day of Judgement." (Al-Bukhari no. 5784 and Muslim no. 2085)
Then, if a person is reprimanded for Isbal he says, "I am not doing it out of arrogance." So we say to him: There are two types of Isbal, the type whose punishment is that the person will suffer a punishment where he contravened only - and that is what is below the ankles when it is done without arrogance. So in that case he suffers a punishment where he opposed only, in that what is below the ankles will be punished in the Fire, but he does not receive the punishment of Allaah not looking at him nor purifying him. The second type of punishment is that Allaah will not speak to him, look at him, nor purify him on the Day of Judgement, and he will receive a painful punishment. This is the punishment for the one who does it out of arrogance, and this is our view.
Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-`Uthaymeen
Fatawa Islamiyah, Vol. 7, Pages 370-373, DARUSSALAM
