The Ruling on Praying in a Nightshirt

Question:
This is a message received from the questioner S.S.A. from Riyadh. He has a set of questions. He begins this message with his first question, saying: What is the ruling on praying in a nightshirt at home if the prayer is voluntary?

Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. As for what follows, a condition for the validity of the prayer, or one of the conditions for the validity of the prayer, is covering the 'awrah (the part of the body that must be covered). The 'awrah of a man is what is between the navel and the knee. If he covers what is between the navel and the knee, his prayer is valid. However, it is recommended and better to adorn oneself for prayer by wearing beautiful clothes that cover the body, because Allah the Exalted says: The adornment includes covering the 'awrah and includes what is added to that in terms of adorning oneself, especially since Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) conditions covering one of the shoulders in addition to covering the 'awrah in the hadith: It is an authentic hadith. In any case, the obligatory thing that is necessary is covering what is between the navel and the knee for a man in prayer, whether it is an obligatory prayer or a voluntary one. And if he adorns himself with complete clothing, you have done well.