Is it permissible for a woman to pray in her home wearing her house clothes, or is it obligatory for her to pray in a jilbab? And is it obligatory for her to cover her feet?

The questioner : Does the Muslim woman pray in the covering clothes she wears inside her home, or is it necessary for her to have a jilbab over them? And is it a condition for her to cover her feet in prayer?

The Shaykh : As for covering the feet in prayer, this is necessary because the feet are part of the woman's 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered), as indicated by the Book and the Sunnah. As for whether it is permissible for a woman to pray in her house clothes, the answer appears to be that it is not from her house clothes that they cover her feet. Therefore, the answer is clear that it is not permissible. For this reason, it came in some reports from the Salaf (the earliest generations) that when a woman stands to pray, she must have a long shirt that covers the front of her feet. Unless we assume a woman, and this is in the imagination, who lives in her home veiled and wearing her jilbab, as if she were living among non-relatives. There might be a woman in her house clothes who has some degree of modesty. If she prays, she is indeed covering her 'awrah, but on the other hand, she is modestly covering her 'awrah, and this is contrary to the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law) of her Lord. Therefore, the woman must take a long garment or shirt to wear. Even if she is barefoot, it is sufficient for her to cover the front of her feet with this long garment that covers the front of the feet.