Can a Person of Short Stature Pray in Clothes That Go past Their Ankles?


Hanafi Fiqh

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

What is the ruling on praying with clothes beneath the ankle? The article on this site generally gives a ruling, but what about in Salah for short-height individuals?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

I pray you are in good faith and health.

It is mildly disliked (makruh tanzihan) or contrary to what is best (khilaf al-Awla) to have one’s clothing hanging below one’s ankles. It is not sinful unless it is out of arrogance or pride. This is a general ruling for all. However, in your case, if you cannot keep your clothing above the ankles, it will not be disliked due to your short stature and height.  [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar; ‘Ala’ al-Din ‘Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-‘Ala’iyya; Nahlawi, al-Durar al-Mubaha]

Related:
Trousers Below One’s Ankles
Prayer Reader: The Ultimate Guide To Prayer in Islam

Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersGuidance, such as: On Worship (Purification, Prayer, Fasting, Zakat, and Hajj): Shurunbulali’s Ascent to Felicity (seekersguidance.org)

I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.