What is the ruling on a woman covering her feet in prayer, and if she is in a room alone, is it obligatory for her to do so, and what is the validity of her prayer?
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The questioner:
What is the ruling on a woman covering her feet in prayer? And if she prays without covering them, is her prayer valid or not?
The Shaykh:
It is obligatory for a woman to cover her feet in prayer, because they are part of her 'awrah (the part of the body that must be covered) in prayer. So if she exposes her feet or one of them intentionally, her prayer is not valid, because she did not cover her 'awrah in prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about a woman praying in a thobe (a long garment), meaning a robe, and he said (peace and blessings be upon him): "If it is long enough to cover the backs of her feet." This indicates that the feet in prayer must be covered. Yes. And.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good and do you good. Is the prayer valid or invalid, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh:
Covering the 'awrah is a condition for the validity of the prayer.
The presenter:
O Allah, send blessings.
The Shaykh:
So if part of it is exposed, whether intentionally or unintentionally, and he leaves it exposed, is his prayer invalidated?
The presenter:
Allah.
The Shaykh:
Because one of its conditions is disrupted, which is covering the 'awrah. Yes.
The questioner:
Women often overlook this matter, Shaykh Salih. What is your opinion?
The Shaykh:
It is obligatory for them to be aware of this matter.
The presenter:
We seek help from Allah.
The Shaykh:
And to remind their sisters of it. A woman is not permitted to have anything of her body visible while she is in prayer except her face, if there are no non-mahram (a relative one may not marry) men present. If she is in the presence of women or her mahram relatives, she exposes her face in prayer only, while the rest of her body is to be covered. But if she is in the presence of non-mahram men, she covers her entire body, including her face.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good and do you good. Some people discuss whether, if a woman is in a room alone, is she also required to adhere to this covering to perform her prayer?
The Shaykh:
Yes, clothing in prayer has a specific status. The 'awrah in prayer is not the same as the 'awrah outside of prayer. The entire body of a woman is 'awrah in prayer, except her face, if there are no non-mahram men present.
The presenter:
We seek help from Allah. May Allah reward you with good and do you good.
What is the ruling on a woman covering her feet in prayer? And if she prays without covering them, is her prayer valid or not?
The Shaykh:
It is obligatory for a woman to cover her feet in prayer, because they are part of her 'awrah (the part of the body that must be covered) in prayer. So if she exposes her feet or one of them intentionally, her prayer is not valid, because she did not cover her 'awrah in prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about a woman praying in a thobe (a long garment), meaning a robe, and he said (peace and blessings be upon him): "If it is long enough to cover the backs of her feet." This indicates that the feet in prayer must be covered. Yes. And.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good and do you good. Is the prayer valid or invalid, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh:
Covering the 'awrah is a condition for the validity of the prayer.
The presenter:
O Allah, send blessings.
The Shaykh:
So if part of it is exposed, whether intentionally or unintentionally, and he leaves it exposed, is his prayer invalidated?
The presenter:
Allah.
The Shaykh:
Because one of its conditions is disrupted, which is covering the 'awrah. Yes.
The questioner:
Women often overlook this matter, Shaykh Salih. What is your opinion?
The Shaykh:
It is obligatory for them to be aware of this matter.
The presenter:
We seek help from Allah.
The Shaykh:
And to remind their sisters of it. A woman is not permitted to have anything of her body visible while she is in prayer except her face, if there are no non-mahram (a relative one may not marry) men present. If she is in the presence of women or her mahram relatives, she exposes her face in prayer only, while the rest of her body is to be covered. But if she is in the presence of non-mahram men, she covers her entire body, including her face.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good and do you good. Some people discuss whether, if a woman is in a room alone, is she also required to adhere to this covering to perform her prayer?
The Shaykh:
Yes, clothing in prayer has a specific status. The 'awrah in prayer is not the same as the 'awrah outside of prayer. The entire body of a woman is 'awrah in prayer, except her face, if there are no non-mahram men present.
The presenter:
We seek help from Allah. May Allah reward you with good and do you good.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما حكم تغطية المرأة لقدمها في الصلاة، وإذا كانت في غرفة لوحدها هل يجب عليها ذلك، وما صحة صلاتها؟ — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.