Chapter: The Pre-Requisites of Prayer – Five in Number
They are: being certain that the prayer time has begun; facing the qiblah; and covering the ʿawrah (the part of the body that must be concealed). The ʿawrah of a man extends from the navel to the knees, and—according to the soundest opinion—the same applies to a female slave. A free woman, however, must cover everything except the face and the hands. The covering is only deemed valid if the fabric is thick enough to prevent the colour of the skin from showing through.