What is ʿAwrah?
The term ʿAwrah (العَورَة) in Arabic (plural: ʿawrāt) linguistically refers to something hidden, private, or that which one feels shame to expose. Imām Ibn Manẓūr (رحمه الله) defines it in Lisān al-ʿArab as, “Everything that causes shame when exposed; it is that which must be kept hidden.” Thus, the ʿawrah of an individual is that part of the body which, if exposed, causes embarrassment or immodesty.
The question of a woman’s ʿawrah in prayer is not merely one of dress, but of khushūʿ (humility) and taʿẓīm (veneration) before Allah. The early jurists examined it in light of the Qurʾānic command:
يَا بَنِي آدَمَ خُذُوا زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ
“O Children of Ādam, take your adornment at every place of worship.” (Sūrat al-Aʿrāf, 31)
Imām Ibn Kathīr (رحمه الله) comments that this verse includes covering the ʿawrah and wearing dignified clothing during Ṣalāh. Imām Ibn al-Qayyim (رحمه الله) beautifully expressed, “The purpose of the covering is humility before the Lord, not merely fabric before people.” (Iʿlām al-Muwaqqiʿīn)
The ʿawrah of a free woman in prayer (ṣalāh) is her entire body except for the face. However, if non-maḥram men are present, she should also cover her face according to the majority of scholars. The primary position of the Ḥanbalī madhhab is that a woman’s ʿawrah in prayer must be completely covered except the face. This ruling applies even if she is praying alone in a private room. Among the mufradāt (unique rulings) of the Ḥanābilah is that a woman’s hands are also considered ʿawrah in ṣalāh.
The Prophet ﷺ said, "Allah does not accept the prayer of a woman who has reached menstruation except with a khimār (headcover)." (Musnad Aḥmad and Abū Dāwūd)
Umm Salamah رضي الله عنها reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, “The woman is ʿawrah.” (Sunan Abī Dāwūd)
Thickness of the Covering
The ʿawrah must be covered with a material that is sufficiently opaque. The criterion for sufficient thickness is whether the colour of the skin is visible beneath it.
- If the garment is thin such that the skin colour is visible, the ʿawrah is not considered covered, and the prayer is invalid.
- If the garment is tight, showing the shape or contour of the body but not the colour of the skin, the prayer is valid but makrūh (disliked).
- If the tightness is extreme, outlining the private parts clearly, it is ḥarām (sinful), though the prayer is still valid so long as the skin colour remains concealed.
Thus:
- The prayer is invalid only if the skin itself becomes visible.
- It is makrūh if the outline of the body is defined but the skin remains hidden.
- It is ḥarām if the private parts’ shapes are clearly exposed, even without transparency.
If a small portion of the ʿawrah becomes uncovered briefly and is quickly covered again, the prayer remains valid. However, if a large portion is exposed, even briefly, or a small portion remains uncovered for a long time, she should repeat the prayer. The only time a prayer is accepted without full covering of the ʿawrah is when one genuinely cannot find anything suitable to cover with, despite sincere effort.
Imām Ibn Qudāmah (رحمه الله) stated, “If the garment is thin and reveals the color of the skin, it does not cover the ʿawrah, and the prayer is invalid.” (al-Mughnī) He further said, “If the clothes are tight and outline the limbs, the prayer remains valid but is disliked, for it contravenes modesty.” (al-Inṣāf)
Imām al-Nawawī (رحمه الله) said, “If the garment is so thin that it reveals the color of the skin beneath, it is as though she has not covered it at all.” (al-Majmūʿ)
Umm Salamah رضي الله عنها asked the Prophet ﷺ, “O Messenger of Allah, can a woman pray in a long shirt (dirʿ) and a headcover (khimār) without an izār (lower wrap)?” He ﷺ replied, “If the shirt is long enough to cover the tops of her feet.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd)
Differences of Opinion: Covering the Feet in Ṣalāh
The majority of scholars hold that it is obligatory for a woman to cover her feet while praying. The differences among the jurists can be summarized as follows:
1. Cover the Entire Body Except the Face
This is the position of the Ḥanābilah, and one of the well-known opinions within the Mālikī and Shāfiʿī schools. Imām Ibn Qudāmah (رحمه الله) said, “The free woman is required to cover her entire body in prayer except for the face, because all of her is ʿawrah apart from the face... This is the view of Mālik, al-Awzāʿī, and al-Shāfiʿī.” (al-Mughnī) He also clarified that if the feet become uncovered, the prayer is invalid according to the relied-upon Ḥanbalī view, since the feet are part of her ʿawrah in ṣalāh.
The ḥadīth of Umm Salamah رضي الله عنها mentioned above explicitly indicates that the feet must be covered, as the Prophet ﷺ made that the condition for the sufficiency of her garment.
This is the official Ḥanbalī ruling upheld by Imām al-Mardāwī in al-Inṣāf and Imām al-Buhūtī in Kashshāf al-Qināʿ.
2. Cover the Entire Body Except the Face and Hands
This is the opinion of the majority of jurists, including many from among the Ḥanbalīs, Shāfiʿīs, and Mālikīs. Imām al-Majd Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله), the grandfather of Shaykh al-Islām, preferred this view, and Imām Ibn Qudāmah mentioned it in al-ʿUmdah as a sound position within the Ḥanbalī school.
This view is supported by the verse:
وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا
“And they should not display their adornment except that which [ordinarily] appears thereof.” (Sūrat al-Nūr, 31)
Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنهما), ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها), and most early scholars of tafsīr interpreted “that which appears thereof” to mean the face and hands, which are customarily visible and necessary for daily activities.
Imām al-Nawawī (رحمه الله) said, “The free woman’s entire body is ʿawrah except her face and hands, according to the most correct opinion.” (al-Majmūʿ)
Imām Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr (رحمه الله) said, “The woman’s prayer is not valid unless she covers all her body except her face and hands.” (al-Kāfī fī Fiqh Ahl al-Madīnah)
Those holding this position clarified that the ḥadīth of Umm Salamah is mawqūf (attributed to her, not directly to the Prophet ﷺ). Imām Abū Dāwūd himself noted, “This ḥadīth was narrated by Mālik, Bakr ibn Muḍar, Ḥafṣ ibn Ghiyāth, Ismāʿīl ibn Jaʿfar, Ibn Abī Dhīʾb, and Ibn Isḥāq — and none of them mentioned the Prophet ﷺ. They only attributed it to Umm Salamah.” (Sunan Abī Dāwūd)
3. Cover the Entire Body Except the Face, Hands, and Feet
This is the position of the Ḥanafī madhhab, and the view chosen by Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله), Imām al-Mardāwī (رحمه الله) — the Ḥanbalī jurist and author of al-Inṣāf — and Imām al-Muzanī (رحمه الله), the close companion of Imām al-Shāfiʿī. The Ḥanafīs reasoned that covering the feet imposes hardship (mashaqqah), as the feet are naturally exposed in daily life, and that no explicit ḥadīth commands covering them in prayer.
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله) said, "“The stronger view is that the entire body of the woman is ʿawrah except her face, hands, and feet, as indicated by the needs of prayer and public necessity.” (Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā)
Shaykh Ibn ʿUthaymīn (رحمه الله) likewise inclined toward this position, stating, “Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah was of the view that the entire body of a free woman is ʿawrah apart from what appears of it in her own home — the face, hands, and feet. He said: At the time of the Messenger ﷺ, women used to wear chemises at home, and not every woman had two garments. If menstrual blood stained her garment, she would wash it and pray in it. Therefore, the feet and hands are not ʿawrah in prayer, nor in the sense that they must be covered before non-maḥrams.” He continued, “Since there is no definitive evidence concerning this matter, I follow the view of Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah. This appears to be the most correct opinion — though not conclusively — because even if a woman’s garment reaches the ground, when she prostrates, the soles of her feet will inevitably become visible.” (Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ)
The Mālikī, Shāfiʿī, and Ḥanbalī madhāhib agree by majority that the feet are ʿawrah and must be covered in ṣalāh. The Ḥanafīs, however, hold a distinct leniency: that the feet are not ʿawrah during ṣalāh, though some early Ḥanafīs disagreed. Thus, within the Ḥanafī school, both views exist and can be followed based on one’s scholar of reliance.
Summary and Conclusion
It is best to err on the side of caution and cover the feet during ṣalāh. When scholars differ and an act of covering ensures the validity of worship, prudence dictates doing so.
The Prophet ﷺ said, “Allah is more deserving of your modesty than the people.” (Sunan Abī Dāwūd)
If a woman offered past prayers with her feet uncovered out of ignorance, she is excused, InshāʾAllāh, for Allah is Most Forgiving and Most Merciful. Ultimately, the essence of this matter lies in modesty, humility, and reverence before Allah — not in legal formalism alone. As Ibn al-Qayyim said, “The purpose of covering is humility before the Lord, not merely fabric before people.” And Allah Knows Best
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