garments; yet he did not say that every part of them—down to the very fingernail—counts as ʿawrah. That wording is attributed to Ahmad, who merely meant that the garment should conceal her during the prayer, for the jurists label this discussion:

“Chapter: Covering the ʿawrah.”

This phrase, however, is not taken from the Prophet’s own words, and nowhere in the Quran or Sunnah is it stated that whatever covers the worshipper automatically becomes ʿawrah. Rather, Allah Most High says,

“Take your adornment at every place of worship.” 1

The Prophet ﷺ likewise forbade anyone to circumambulate the House while naked,2 and covering during prayer is even more essential.

He was asked about praying in a single garment and replied,

“Do all of you possess two garments?” 3

Regarding a single garment he also said,

“If it is wide, wrap it around yourself; and if it is tight, tie it around your waist.” 4

He further prohibited a man from praying in a single cloth that leaves nothing on his shoulders.5 All of this proves that in prayer one is commanded to cover the ʿawrah—including the thigh—even if we allow another man to look at it outside the prayer.

Accordingly, if we adopt one of the two opinions—reported from Ahmad—that the ʿawrah consists only of the two private parts and that the thigh is not ʿawrah, this pertains merely to the permissibility of a man looking at it; it does not apply to the prayer or to circumambulation. It is therefore not permissible to