Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Is Having Long Trousers A Major Sin? (Nope)
Assalamu alaikum,
Someone forwarded this and asked, “Is this true?” I assume they meant, “Is this correct?” The full answer follows. But, in short, it is somewhat disliked to have one’s trousers or other garments hanging below one’s ankles. It is not sinful unless it is out of arrogance or pride.
The Fatwa:
Keeping Lower Garment above Ankle
By Mufti Muhammad Kadwa
CHECKED AND APPROVED CORRECT: Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Q.) Letting one’s lower garments loose so that it touches the ground represented pride in a person in the Arabs of the pre-Islamic times, therefore, Messenger of Allah 
forbade to let the lower garment touch the ground and ordered to keep it above the ankle.
Since nowadays we do not wear such garments in most occasions (normally we wear shalwar, pajama, pants, etc) and nor does the covering of ankle by the lower garment represents pride in a man these days as we have different cultural aspects compared to the Arabs of those time. Should we therefore still consider it a (major) sin?
A.) Irrespective of the reason furnished, the Hadith describes it as a sin and it should still be considered a major sin. Besides, wearing a garment above the ankle is the Sunnah of Rasulullah . That is sufficient for us to follow. And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best
Comment on it, taken from a past answer on this Hanafi list:
Someone asked:
4) Concerning the pant legs underneath the ankles the following is posted on Suheil Laher’s site (http://webpages.marshall.edu/~laher1):
“1.2.2 : It is forbidden for a man to keep his lower garment below his ankles out of arrogance, and severely disliked / close-forbidden (makruh tahrimi) to do so even without arrogance, for the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has said,
“Allah will not look, on the Day of Resurrection, at that man who lets his lower garment below the ankles out of arrogance.” [note the condition – Faraz]
[Narrated by: Bukhari and Muslim; vide Riyad al-Salihin]
This is especially important during salah, for another hadith says, “Allah does not accept the salah of a man who drags his lower garment.” [Narrated by: Abu Dawud, with an isnad which is authentic according to the criteria of Muslim; vide Riyad al-Salihin]
Makruh Tahriman? Is this the position of the Ahnaf? Please advise.
This is certainly the position of some major fuqaha, including those of the Indian subcontinent. Their knowledge and taqwa is beyond question. This is the more precautionary opinion as well, for it is indicated by the outward purport of many strongly-worded Prophetic hadith, and the way of caution is to follow injunctions directly, without seeking out possible reasoning. This is closer to true slavehood.
However, classical hadith commentators, including great Hanafi ones such as al-`Ayni and al-Qari, as well as our own fuqaha, including Allama Ibn Abidin al-Shami in his Hashiya, `Ala’ al-Din Abidin in his Hadiyya al-`Ala’iyya, al-Nahlawi in his Durar al-Mubaha fi’l Hadhr wa’l Ibaha, and other major classic Hanafi references say that it is only prohibitively disliked to keep one’s lower garment below the ankles if it is done out of arrogance, as many of the hadiths from the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) mention explicitly.
If not done out of arrogance, it is somewhat disliked (makruh tanzihan) or even simply leaving the best way (khilaf al-awla) , as mentioned by Ibn Abidin, al-Nahlawi, al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, and Imam al-Lakhnwawi, among others. This is what the Hanafi scholars of Damascus say, as well. This is also the position of the Shafi`i school, as mentioned by Imam al-Nawawi in his Sharh Sahih Muslim, and in the reference works of the Shafi`i school.
However, wherever reasonably possible, one should certainly follow the stricter opinion, for the reasons mentioned.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalam,
Faraz