Refresher & Advanced · Worship Refresher

Islamic Attire and Prayer Guidelines

Test your knowledge on clothing rules for prayer and ihram practices.

4 questions · Hard · about 4 minutes

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4 questions, about 4 minutes.

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1. What clothing should a woman wear for prayer?

  • Clothing that covers her body, is loose and opaque, and does not show the shape of her body. (correct answer)
  • Tight clothing that clearly shows her body shape.
  • Thin clothing through which the skin can be seen.
  • Any clothing, even if it leaves the hair uncovered.

Why

A woman’s prayer clothing should cover her entire body apart from the face, with scholarly discussion about the hands and feet. It should be loose and opaque so that it does not show or shape the body. Covering the head is required for an adult woman’s prayer. The source notes that the hands are an area of scholarly difference, while covering the feet is obligatory according to the majority, though there is also scholarly disagreement.

View source on IslamQA →

2. What is the ruling on praying in a garment through which the skin colour of the ‘awrah can be seen?

  • The prayer is invalid because the ‘awrah has not truly been covered. (correct answer)
  • The prayer is valid as long as the garment is long.
  • The prayer is valid if the garment is white.
  • The prayer is valid because seeing skin colour does not affect covering.

Why

Covering the ‘awrah is a condition for prayer to be valid. A garment only counts as covering if it conceals the colour of the skin. If the garment is so thin that a person can distinguish whether the skin beneath it is white, red, black, or another colour, then it is not valid covering and the prayer is invalid. But if the skin colour cannot be distinguished, the garment counts as covering even if the person is not wearing long pants beneath it.

View source on IslamQA →

3. What should a menstruating woman do if she reaches the miqat intending ‘umrah?

  • Enter ihram at the miqat, then delay tawaf until she becomes pure. (correct answer)
  • Delay entering ihram until her period ends.
  • Perform tawaf immediately while menstruating.
  • Cut her hair and exit ihram before tawaf.

Why

A menstruating woman should enter ihram at the miqat; menstruation does not prevent ihram. She may do what pilgrims do except tawaf, which she delays until purification. For ‘umrah, the correct order is tawaf, then sa‘i, then cutting the hair and exiting ihram. If she did sa‘i before tawaf out of ignorance, some scholars excuse that, but the safer course is to repeat sa‘i after tawaf. Cutting the hair before completing tawaf and sa‘i is not allowed, though ignorance may excuse her from a compensatory sacrifice.

View source on IslamQA →

4. What should a woman do if she thinks her period has ended, then later realizes she was still menstruating?

  • Stop praying and fasting until she becomes pure, and make up any obligatory fasts from that time. (correct answer)
  • Continue praying and fasting until the bleeding fully stops.
  • Make up the prayers she prayed while menstruating.
  • Assume she sinned deliberately and must offer expiation.

Why

If a woman makes a genuine mistake about when her period ended based on her own reasoning, she is not sinful. But if she thought she became pure, prayed and fasted, then later realized she was still menstruating, she must stop praying and fasting until she becomes pure. Any obligatory fasts she observed during that mistaken time must be made up because fasting while menstruating is not valid. If she stopped praying because she thought she was still menstruating, then later found out she had been pure, she should make up those prayers.

View source on IslamQA →

A note on these answers

These questions are for learning and self-testing. Explanations are drawn from the sources linked on each question and are not a fatwa. For a ruling on your own circumstances, please consult a qualified scholar.

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