Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

salam,
i was interested in knowing if men can pray with there ankles covered as i read somewhere that in this situation prayers r not accepted?

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Answer:

Prayers ankles cover

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 4082 Narrated by Abu Sa'id al-Khudri

Abdur Rahman said: ‘I asked Abu Sa'id al-Khudri about wearing lower garment.’ He said: ‘You have come to the man who knows it very well. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: ‘The way for a believer to wear a lower garment is to have it halfway down his legs and he is guilty of no sin if it comes halfway between that and the ankles, but what comes lower than the ankles is in Hell. On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will not look at him who trails his lower garment conceitedly (in arrogance).’

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.678 Narrated by Abu Huraira

The Prophet said, "The part of an Izar (lower garment) which hangs below the ankles, is in the Fire."

Any Law has two facets:

The letter of the Law.

The spirit of the Law.

The spirit and wisdom behind the above ‘Law’ whereby the Messenger of Allah (saws) forbade the believers to wear the ‘izaar’ or lower garment below the ankles, is that in the times of the Prophet (saws) poverty was so rampant that only the very rich could afford to wear a garment which would be long enough to reach one’s ankles. Thus the rich, in their pride and arrogance, and to show-off their wealth would wear long flowing robes which would go below their ankles (and at times drag on the ground) when most of the population in those times could not even afford to wear enough to cover oneself appropriately!

Your Question: i was interested in knowing if men can pray with there ankles covered as i read somewhere that in this situation prayers r not accepted?
The length of the lower garment has absolutely nothing to do with the acceptance of one’s prayers! It is not as if one can wear whatever one wills at all other times, and when it is time to pray, the hadith for the uncovering of the ankles applies; and one must lift his trousers above his ankles to stay within the ‘letter of the law’! The spirit of the law dictates that a believer at all times should avoid and abstain from all types of things that beget arrogance and pride for his possessions; and if wearing the ‘izaar’ lower than the ankles begets arrogance, then the believers must abstain from it.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan