Tight Clothes

Question

A person asked, “Is prayer makruh tahreeman if prayed wearing trousers but with the shirt not covering the front and back private parts?” The trousers don’t clearly show the shape of the privates, but they do so a little bit.”

The scholar responded:

“Yes, it is prohibitively disliked to pray like that because it shows laxism. [ Tahtawi's Hashiya on Maraqi Al-Falah]”

Even in this case, I just want to make sure my understanding is correct. Regardless of what you wear, your buttocks will always be defined to some extent when you go into sujood. So, I'm assuming that is not what is being referred to, but rather the private parts being visible in a normal position? So as long as one is not wearing extremely tight clothing, should one be worried about this?

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

To wear clothing that is so tight that it reveals the shape of one’s private area (for men: from below the navel up to and including the knees) is prohibited whether inside or outside of prayer and regardless of one’s position (e.g., standing, sitting, etc.). Thus, one must ensure that their clothing is loose-fitting and does not define the contours of their awrat (private area). This ruling applies to both males and females.

Raddul Muhtar: v. 2, p. 84 (Maktaba Imdadia); Ahsanul Fatawa: v. 3, p. 403 (HM Saeed Company); Kitab Al-Nawazil: v. 4, p. 96 (Darul Isha’at)

Only Allah knows best

Written by Maulana Mohammad Ahsan Osmani

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham