Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
- Scholars agree that wearing a loose robe dropping down below the ankles with the intention of pride is forbidden.
- You need not worry about wearing pants below your ankles while riding a motorbike as long as you do not do so out of ostentation.
In responding to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
Scholars agree that wearing a loose robe dropping down below the ankles with the intention of pride is wholly forbidden. However, they disagree on whether to do so would be haram or not if done with no such intention in one’s mind.
The reason for the above disagreement is the two sets of traditions, which seem to be contradictory; therefore, they have taken different approaches to resolving the conflict:
One set of traditions clearly states that whoever drops the clothes out of pride, Allah will not look at him. We also read that Abu Bakr said to the Prophet (peace be upon him), ‘but my clothes drop down unintentionally’; whence he replied, “You are not doing it out of pride.”
There is another report from Abd Allah b. Mas’ud (another prominent companion of the Prophet, peace be upon him) said that his clothes would hang below the ankle; when someone pointed it out to him, he said he had a slender leg.
Another set of traditions states that the clothes should not go lower than one’s ankles; if they do, they will be in the fire.
According to most scholars, the first set of traditions provides the rationale for the prohibition: the rationale being the motive of arrogance, vainglory, and false pride.
We can very well relate to this as we see royalty in many cultures dragging their clothes on the ground. Therefore, it is understandable that the Prophet (peace be upon him) would condemn such a lifestyle. So, he wants Muslims to stay clear of such flamboyancy and vainglory: Condemnation of pride is a recurring theme in the Quran and hadith.
Thus, the prohibition of isbaal is associated with ostentation and pride. Therefore, it cannot be generalized to include those who wear their pants, as long as the pants do not touch the ground. We know that the Prophet (peace be upon him) allowed women to drop their clothes an inch or two below their ankles–if they took care to avoid sweeping the floor with them.
A second group, which consists of a minority, generalizes the prohibition; because of the strict word used, they say that anything below the ankle is forbidden without sweeping the floor.
That is the view of most scholars belonging to the four schools; as Imam Ash-Shawkani has stated, the wisdom of prohibition was spelled out in the traditions; therefore, it particularizes the general.
That seems to be a plausible view.
Having said this, I should point out that, as believers, we should shun the habit of wearing pants or robes touching the ground.
In conclusion, you need not worry about wearing pants below your knees while riding a motorbike as long as you do not do so out of ostentation.”
Almighty Allah knows best.