Does wearing a white thobe with no pants underneath show the ‘awrah? What is the ruling on one who prays behind the imam who is in this state, and he knows that it is essential to cover the ‘awrah when praying. Please note that he experiences a great deal of waswaas and he prays behind the imam wearing a white thobe without wearing long pants, and he says that this may be waswaas. If he has to repeat the prayer, then what should he do if he does not remember how many prayers he did in this state?.
Praise be to Allaah.
One of the conditions of prayer being valid, without which it
is invalid, is covering the ‘awrah. The basic principle concerning that is
the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning):
“O Children of Adam! Take your adornment (by wearing your
clean clothes) while praying”
[al-A’raaf 7:31]
i.e., cover your ‘awrah for all prayers, obligatory and
naafil, for covering it is an adornment of the body just as uncovering it
makes the body ugly.
It may be that what is meant by adornment here is something
more than that, namely clean and beautiful clothes. So this command to cover
the ‘awrah when praying includes choosing beautiful clothes and cleaning the
‘awrah from dirt and impurities.
In order for the garment to be covering, it must conceal the
colour of the skin; if the colour of the skin shows from beneath it then it
is not regarded as covering.
Ibn Qudaamah said in al-Mughni (1/337):
What is required is to cover with something that conceals the
colour of the skin. If it is thin and the colour of the skin can be seen
beneath it, and it can be seen whether it is white or red, then it is not
permissible to pray in it, because covering is not achieved by that. End
quote.
Al-Nawawi said in al-Majmoo’ (3/176):
Our companions said: it is essential to cover with something
that prevents anyone from seeing the colour of the skin. It is not
sufficient to wear a thin garment through which it may be seen whether the
skin is black or white. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in
al-Sharh al-Mumti’ (2/148):
If what is worn on the body clearly shows the colour of the
skin, then this is not covering, but if it only shows where the undergarment
stops then this does cover. End quote.
The white thobes that people wear nowadays vary according to
the type of fabric. Some of them cover the colour of the skin and some of
them are thin and the colour can be seen through them. The guideline with
regard to covering is that if a person looking at the wearer cannot
distinguish the colour of his skin, whether it is white or red or black,
then the thobe is covering and is acceptable, and there is nothing wrong
with praying in it even if one does not wear long pants under it.
But if a person can distinguish the colour of the wearer’s
skin, then this thobe is too thin and is not regarded as covering, so it is
not valid to pray in it.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was
asked in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (12/question no. 167) about the ruling on
praying in a thin white thobe, with shorts under it which only cover a small
part of the thigh, and the skin can be seen clearly through it.
He replied:
If a man wears shorts that do not cover the area between the
navel and the knees, and he wears over them a thin thobe, then in fact he is
not covering his ‘awrah, because covering means that the colour of the skin
should not be visible through the garment. Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
“O Children of Adam! Take your adornment (by wearing your
clean clothes) while praying”
[al-A’raaf 7:31]
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “If the garment is large enough, wrap it around the body
(covering the shoulders) and if it is tight (too short), then use it as an
izaar (tie it around your waist only).”
The scholars are unanimously agreed that if a person prays
naked when he is able to cover his ‘awrah then his prayer is invalid.
Those whom Allaah has blessed with these clothes should wear
pants that cover the area between the navel and the knee, or they should
wear a thick thobe that does not show the ‘awrah, so that they will be
obeying the command of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning):
“O Children of Adam! Take your adornment (by wearing your
clean clothes) while praying”
[al-A’raaf 7:31]
End quote.
He also said in the answer to question no. 168:
What some people do in the summer, wearing a light thobe with
short pants beneath it that do not reach the knees, is haraam and it is not
permissible to pray in these clothes, because one of the conditions of
prayer being valid is that a person must cover the area between his navel
and his knees. If the pants are short they do not cover the area between the
navel and the knees. The colour of the skin may be seen through a light
thobe, so in that case he is not covering the ‘awrah that he is obliged to
cover. If he offers any prayers like that, then his prayers are invalid.
Based on this, our brothers should either change the shorts and put on long
pants that cover the area between the navel and the knees, or they should
wear a thick thobe that does not show the colour of the skin. And Allaah is
the source of strength. End quote.
See also the answer to question no.
5809.
And Allaah knows best.
