then wrap yourself in it.” (1) It is well known that, in order to cover the awrah, a person is not required to wrap himself in a garment; rather, outside the prayer he need only cover what must be covered.
Thus, the basis of the ruling is not merely covering the awrah; rather, it is adorning oneself. This is what Allah has commanded, and what the sunnah indicates.
The evidence that covering the awrah is a condition for the validity of prayer is as follows:
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Allah, Exalted is He, says: “O children of Adam, take your adornment at every place of prayer, and eat and drink, but do not be excessive. Indeed, He does not love those who are excessive.” [al-A'raf] This is because taking one’s adornment necessarily entails covering the awrah…
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The Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “If it is loose, then wrap yourself in it; and if it is tight, then wrap it around your waist.” One must therefore wrap it around the waist. Since this is obligatory in an act of worship, every obligation within an act of worship is a condition for its validity. The legal principle is: “Every obligation in an act of worship is a condition for its validity.” Thus, if a person deliberately omits it, that act of worship is invalid. This is why, if a person deliberately omits the first or final tashahhud in the prayer, his prayer is invalid. The same applies to the remaining obligatory elements: if he deliberately omits them, the prayer is invalid. Therefore, we say that covering the awrah is a condition for the validity of prayer, and that whoever prays without wearing that which covers the awrah—or, according to the sounder view, that which is required to be covered—then his prayer is invalid.
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Ibn Abd al-Barr reported the consensus of the scholars that whoever prays