Answered by Shaykh Yūsuf Badāt
Question:
With the summer approaching, many of our young brothers tend to pray in shorts and T-shirts. What is the Islamic ruling in this condition? Will the prayers be valid for such people?
Answer:
In the Name of God, Most Merciful, Most Kind
Thank you/ Jazāk Allāh Khayr for contacting Mathabah with your query.
It is admirable to see youth taking prayers seriously. May the Almighty empower us all with guidance, morality, knowledge and leadership.
In reference to your question, kindly note that one of the requirements for ṣalāh (ritual prayer) to be valid, is the covering of the entire awrah/ satr (body’s nudity). This means, for males, the navel to the knee must be concealed with clothing. For females, the covering of the entire body apart from the face, hands and feet, is mandatory, to ensure validity of prayers. This obligation also requires garments to be loose.
If the T-shirt and shorts cover the awrah, then the prayer is valid otherwise not. It should also be noted that, when wearing a T-shirt, sometimes, while standing, the awrah is covered, however, when bowing and or prostrating, the awrah becomes exposed.
It is equally vital to point out that when we pray, we should adorn ourselves with respectful, morally upright and dignified clothing since we are standing in front of the Greatest Being, the Almighty. Jurists have written that it is makrūh (disliked) to wear clothing for prayer that we would not generally wear in front of a respectable human being. – (See: Rad Al-Muḥtār)
“O children of Ādam, take your adornment at every place of prayer.” – (Qur’ān 7:31)
“The curse of God is upon those who are clothed yet naked [due to their garments being tight, exposing their body shape].” – (Marwiyyāt Al-La’an)
“Jarīr Ibn Abdillāh said that at times a person wears cloths yet is naked [due to the clothing being transparent, not concealing or very tight].” – (Ṭabrānī)
“The prayer of a menstruating woman is only accepted with the (appropriate) veil [and covering]” (Bukhārī)
We also suggest our following article for further reading: Guidelines for Islamicaly Appropriate Clothing
And Allāh Knows Best
