What is the ruling on the prayer of one who wears his ihram cloth draped over his shoulders, given that it was reported in the hadith: “Let none of you pray in a single garment when he has nothing on his shoulders from it”?

The Shaykh : What was the second question?

The questioner : And what is the ruling on the prayer of one who wears his ihram cloth draped over his shoulders, based on the narration mentioning his two shoulders in the hadith: and in another narration: ?

The Shaykh : Yes, this is in accordance with the madhhab of Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him), that the prayer is invalid. This is the case even though the awrah, as a general rule for a man, is the area between the navel and the knee, according to the most correct of the scholars’ opinions. However, specifically regarding prayer, there is a mandatory etiquette that is a condition for the validity of the prayer, which is: that one should pray in two garments if he has them. By the two garments, we mean the izar that covers the awrah as a general rule, and the rida’ that covers the upper part of the body. For this reason, he (peace and blessings be upon him) affirmed the obligation of the rida’ by saying: . This hadith is also supported by two other hadiths. One of them affirms the obligation of taking the two garments; he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . The other hadith says: . Therefore, combining these hadiths requires us to say that it is obligatory for the Muslim to cover the upper part of his body and not expose his shoulders or one shoulder. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) negated the prayer of one who prays when he has nothing on his shoulders from his garment. The original ruling regarding acts of worship whose validity the Lawgiver has negated is invalidity and defectiveness, except where evidence exists to the contrary. This is the answer to the second question.