The practice of exposing the shoulder in prayer and in tawaf

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, is exposing the shoulder included in the complete covering for the one who is praying?

Answer:
Yes, it is disliked to expose the shoulder in prayer; one should cover both shoulders. Exposing the shoulder is only for the arrival tawaf or the tawaf of 'Umrah, from the beginning of the tawaf to its end. Many common people make a mistake in this: they think that when they enter the state of ihram at the miqat, they should expose the shoulder. That is a mistake. One does not begin exposing the shoulder until he starts the tawaf, and it ends when he finishes the tawaf. When he finishes the tawaf, he returns the two ends of the garment to his shoulders. This is the sunnah (recommended practice).