People differ in this matter. It may be that your asking someone for a garment with which to cover your nakedness is a favor to him rather than from him: he may be pleased that you come to him and say, “I need to cover my nakedness for my prayer.” In such a case, neither his giving it nor your borrowing it from him involves any burdensome favor. Yet some people will not lend to you, or, if they do lend to you, you would feel humiliated by it because they are prone to reminding others of their favors.

The correct approach is to apply a general principle: the worshipper must obtain something with which to cover himself by every means that entails neither harm nor humiliation. This principle may exclude some of what the author mentioned, and include some of what he excluded.

The naked person should pray sitting down, using gestures for bowing and prostration; both are recommended, ...

His statement, “The naked person should pray sitting down, using gestures for bowing and prostration,” means that if a person is naked and has no garment, he should pray sitting down, even if he is able to stand, because this better conceals his nakedness. A seated person can draw himself together, so that less of his nakedness is exposed.

His statement, “both are recommended,” means that sitting and gesturing are recommended for him, not obligatory. Accordingly, if he prays standing and bows and prostrates, his prayer is valid.

The apparent meaning of the author’s words is that this ruling applies whether or not anyone is around him, due to the generality of his statement. If someone is around him, then what the author says is sound: he should pray sitting and gesture for bowing and prostration, because a person would be ashamed to stand before people with his nakedness exposed, and when he prostrates, his buttocks part. But if no one is present before whom he would feel ashamed, then his statement requires consideration.