SECTION ON PRAYER · 83 – LETTING ONE'S GARMENT HANG DOWN IN PRAYER
637 – It is narrated from Ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I heard the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) say: “Whoever drags his shirt in prayer out of arrogance, (this) is neither a lawful act in accordance with Allah’s pleasure, nor is it an act worthy of respect.” [414]
EXPLANATION
Isbāl (letting one’s garment hang down): means to lengthen, to drag, to let fall to the ground. The last sentence of this hadith can have many meanings. We have based our translation on the explanation found in the book Fatḥu’l-Wadūd. To drag one’s shirt or waistcloth to the ground in prayer out of arrogance is not an act in accordance with Allah’s pleasure. This behavior may mean: whether it falls within the boundaries of what is forbidden (ḥarām) or outside those boundaries. Or, it may mean that this act is neither a lawful deed to be performed nor a forbidden act whose forgiveness can be hoped for. Or, it may mean that it is neither an act for which Paradise will be made lawful nor one for which the Fire will be made forbidden. Whichever meaning is taken, the ugliness of dragging one’s garment on the ground out of arrogance is being expressed.
638 – It is narrated from Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: Once, a man was performing prayer while dragging his shirt. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: “Go and perform ablution (wuḍūʾ).” That man went, performed ablution, and returned. Then he said to him: “Go and perform ablution.” That man went, performed ablution, and returned. Someone said to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him): O Messenger of Allah, why did you command that man to perform ablution (but did not explain the reason)? The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “That man was performing prayer while dragging his shirt. Indeed, Allah does not accept the prayer of a man who drags his shirt.”