Men praying with pants below the ankle

Al Bukhari reported that Abu Hurairah (Radiya Allahu Anhu) narrated that the Pro
phet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said: "The dress that is under the ankle is i
n the Hellfire." This is an evidence that it is forbidden to be dressed with a
garment that covers the ankle and goes below it, and this applies to circumstanc
es during the prayer and outside the prayer. Of course, it is more prohibited d
uring the prayer because prayer requires humbleness. Being dressed with a garme
nt that covers the ankle and goes below it is a sign of arrogance and pride.
For this reason the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) told one man, "Have yo
ur lower garment halfway down your shin; if you cannot do it, have it up to the
ankles. Beware of trailing the lower garment, for it is conceit." This Hadith is
reported by Ahmad and Abu Dawud and it is authenticated by Albani and Shuayb Al
Arnout.
Abu Dawud reported that Abu Hurairah said: "While a man was praying with a garme
nt below the ankle, the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) interrupted him an
d told him go and make Wudu . So the man went, performed Wudu and came back. The
Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) told him again go and make Wudu . He went, p
erformed Wudu and came back. Another man asked the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi w
a Sallam) why is it that you ordered him to make Wudu. The Prophet (Sallallahu A
laihi wa Sallam) said: He was praying with a garment that was below the ankle, an
d Allah does not accept the prayer of a man who is dressed below the ankle ." Ima
m Al Nawawi said in Riyadh Al Saliheen that 'The chain of narrators of this Hadith
is authentic according to the conditions of Muslim. The writer of Awn Al M abood
also said that this Hadith is sound.'
Therefore, you did well by doing what the brother had advised you. You have to
continue doing so for the prayer and outside the prayer. But you have to notice
that folding up clothes during the prayer is disliked. This is because the Pro
phet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) prevented us from doing so.
This prevention is understood by the scholars as being prevention from falling i
nto what is disliked. As you were forced to fold up your clothes to avoid havin
g the garment below the ankle, something which is Haram during prayer and outsid
e prayer, and in the aforementioned Hadith it is one reason why the prayer is no
t accepted. So we do not see any harm in what you did, acting upon the rule of
committing the lesser of two evils . Of course, having the garment below the ankle
is more serious than just folding it up, in two aspects:
Firstly, being dressed with a garment below the ankle is forbidden for men accor
ding to the preferred opinion either during the prayer or outside the prayer.
Folding up clothes is disliked during the prayer only and it is not forbidden in
any case.
Secondly, the meaning of the Hadith is that being dressed below the ankle render
s the prayer unacceptable, and this does not apply to folding up clothes.
Allah knows best.