PERFORMING SALAH IN A NIGHTIE OR CASUAL CLOTHING

As Salaamu Alaikum,

QUESTION:

Is it permissible for me to appear before my father and brothers while wearing knee-length nightie at home during daytime?. I do not wear undergarments under the nightie and I do not cover my hair with scarf in front of my father and brothers. Can I pray Salah in nightie?

Wa Alaikum As Salaam,

ANSWER:

Generally, a woman is prohibited from wearing clothes which are tight-fitted and reveals the shape of her body to others. She is also prohibited from wearing thin clothes through which her body can be seen.

Therefore, if the nightie is not made with thin fabric which reveals your body, and it is also not tight-fitted, then when it covers your body properly from your chest to your knees, you can appear before your father and your brother with it (whether in the day or the night). You are not required to cover your hair in front of your father and brother, so there is no harm in appearing before them without a scarf.

With respect to not wearing undergarments under your nightie (as you have mentioned), then you must ensure that the nightie you wear does not allow the physique of your body to be revealed, since this is against the teachings of Haya (modesty) in Islam.

With respect to performing Salah in your nightie, then as long as there are no impurities or dirtiness on the nightie, and all the parts of your body (to be covered in Salah) are covered, it will be allowed to perform Salah in it. It must be remembered that for Salah, your entire body must be covered except your face and hands up to the wrists. It means that besides covering your head with a Hijab or large scarf, the nightie (that you are performing Salah in) must cover your arms/hands up to the wrists, and also be long enough to cover your ankles (or at least be up to the ankles). The books of Fiqh state, ‘And for a free woman, her awrah (body to be covered) is her entire body except the face, both palms and feet (up to the ankles).  (At Tanweer Ma Ash Shami Vol. 2 page. 71 – Kitab An Nawazil Vol. 3 page 411 Darul Isha’at Karachi 2016)

The nightie must also not be made with such thin fabric through which your body can be seen. In this regard, the books of Fiqh have stated, ‘Thin clothing that makes visible the area of the body which is beneath it, is not permissible to pray in’.  (Al Fatawa Hindiyah Vol. page. 58 – Kitab An Nawazil vol 3 pg 420 Darul Isha’at Karachi 2016)

At another place, it states, ‘The limitation of covering (for Salah) is that a person does not see what is beneath it (the clothing), even if one covers (oneself) with a thin garment that describes (or makes visible the area of the body) what is beneath it, it is not permissible’. (Al Bahr Ar Ra’iq Vol. page 467 Maktaba Rasheediya- Kitab An Nawazil vol 3 pg 420 Darul Isha’at Karachi 2016).

Once the above guidelines are fulfilled, then it will be allowed to perform Salah in your nightie (which means that Salah in it will be valid). However, it should be understood that while Salah in it will be valid, it is not the best to perform Salah in your nightie which you sleep in. The reason is that Salah itself is the greatest act of worship that the believer does, and in it, he stands before his Lord, the Mighty and the Greatest. Therefore, when a believer stands before Allah, he/she is required to stand with great reverence, respect, humility and fear, and also dress in the best possible manner, wearing such clothing that is the most acceptable and appropriate for Salah. It is for this reason, Allah commanded the believers in the Holy Quran to wear their most beautiful garment for Salah. Regarding this, He said, ‘O Children of Adam! Take your ‘Zeenah’  (beautiful apparel/clothing) at every place of prayer (at the time of Salah)’. (Sura Al A’raaf Verse 31). 

While explaining the above verse, the great Jurist expert and scholar of the Holy Quran, Mufti Muhammad Shafi (AR) writes, ‘Another law which is evident in the verse is that the clothing/apparel which one should wear for Salah has been called ‘Zeenah’ (that which is beautiful and decorates). This gives a clear indication that the best and most virtuous practice in Salah, is that one should not consider it sufficient to only cover the  parts of the body, but in accordance to one’s means, an effort should be made to wear beautiful and good clothing. The practice of Hasan (RA) was that he would wear his best clothes for Salah, and would then say,  ‘Allah loves beauty , this is why I wear the best clothes for my Lord for He Has said, ‘take your beautiful clothing at the time of Salah’. Therefore, from this verse (Sura Al A’raaf verse 31) it is known that it is compulsory to cover one’s body for Salah, and it is also evident that it is virtuous and Mustahab (commendable) to wear clean, pure and good clothes, in accordance to one’s means’. (Ma’ariful Quran vol 3 pg 566 Farid Bk Depot New Delhi). The Fuqaha (Jurist experts) have further stated that one should not perform Salah in such clothes which are worn to do chores, works etc, and that which is worn to sleep in. In this regard, the books of Fiqh have stated, ‘And it is Makrooh (disliked to a light extent) to perform Salah in casual clothing that are worn around home, and are not free from being soiled with dirtiness’. (Tahtawi Ala Maraqi Al Falah pg 359 Dar Al Kitab Al Ilmiyah Beirut 1971)

Clothes that are normally worn to sleep in, to do odd jobs and chores in and around the house, or  to do  laborious works etc., are normally soiled with dirtiness, and at times, give off an unpleasant scent. As such, as stated by the Fuqaha (Jurist experts), one should avoid performing Salah in such clothing, once better, purer and cleaner clothing are available for Salah.  (Al Fiqh Al Islami Wa Adilatuhu Vol. 2 page. 972 Maktaba Rasheediya Queta).

And Allah Knows best

Mufti Waseem Khan

30/11/2021