Hadith 163
اُردوEn
وعن أم سلمة رضي الله عنها أنها سألت النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم : أتصلي المرأة في درع وخمار بغير إزار ؟ قال : « إذا كان الدرع سابغا يغطي ظهور قدميها ». أخرجه أبو داود . وصحح الأئمة وقفه.
Narrated Umm Salamah (RA): She asked the Prophet (ﷺ), "Can a woman pray in a long dress and a veil without wearing a lower garment?" He replied, "If the long dress is ample and covers the surface of her feet." [Reported by Abu Dawud and the Imams graded it Mawquf (a saying of Umm Salamah)].
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Safi ur-Rahman Mubarakpuri
Lexical Explanation:
«دِرْع»: The letter "dal" has a kasrah underneath, and the "ra" is sakin (quiescent); it means "shirt."
«سَابِغًا»: So long, wide, and ample that it covers the entire body.
«يُغَطِّي»: Derived from «تَغْطِيَة»; it means something that provides covering, that conceals.
«ظُهُورِ قَدَمَيْهِ»: The upper part of the foot; the top surface of the foot.
Benefits and Issues:
➊ The mentioned narration is weak; however, from other authentic narrations it is established that a woman should cover her body in prayer, because she is commanded to cover her entire body including her head, as has already been mentioned in hadith number [ابوداود : 641، بلوغ المرام : 161].
➋ The second point mentioned in this hadith is that a woman should cover the top of her feet. Regarding this, the scholarly researchers write that even if this narration is accepted as authentic, it is still not obligatory for a woman to cover her feet during prayer; at most, it can be considered preferable in light of the general command of covering. Some scholars also use the hadith of Tirmidhi [1713] as evidence for covering the tops of the feet, in which the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, in response to Sayyidah Umm Salamah radi Allahu anha, said that if a woman's feet remain uncovered when her garment hangs one handspan lower than men's clothing, then she should let it hang a forearm's length lower. From this, they try to prove that a woman should cover her entire body, including the tops of her feet, during prayer. However, the hadith of Sayyidah Umm Salamah radi Allahu anha pertains to the general command of covering, and making it obligatory for a woman praying is questionable. If this were the case, then it would also be necessary for a woman to cover her face while praying, because the command of covering includes the woman's face as well. If it is not obligatory for a woman to cover her face during prayer, then it is also incorrect to make it obligatory to cover the tops of her feet during prayer based on the hadith of Sayyidah Umm Salamah radi Allahu anha. For further details, see: [فتاويٰ شيخ الاسلام ابن تيميه : 426/11۔ 430، طبع جديد، 1889، الرياض]
«دِرْع»: The letter "dal" has a kasrah underneath, and the "ra" is sakin (quiescent); it means "shirt."
«سَابِغًا»: So long, wide, and ample that it covers the entire body.
«يُغَطِّي»: Derived from «تَغْطِيَة»; it means something that provides covering, that conceals.
«ظُهُورِ قَدَمَيْهِ»: The upper part of the foot; the top surface of the foot.
Benefits and Issues:
➊ The mentioned narration is weak; however, from other authentic narrations it is established that a woman should cover her body in prayer, because she is commanded to cover her entire body including her head, as has already been mentioned in hadith number [ابوداود : 641، بلوغ المرام : 161].
➋ The second point mentioned in this hadith is that a woman should cover the top of her feet. Regarding this, the scholarly researchers write that even if this narration is accepted as authentic, it is still not obligatory for a woman to cover her feet during prayer; at most, it can be considered preferable in light of the general command of covering. Some scholars also use the hadith of Tirmidhi [1713] as evidence for covering the tops of the feet, in which the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, in response to Sayyidah Umm Salamah radi Allahu anha, said that if a woman's feet remain uncovered when her garment hangs one handspan lower than men's clothing, then she should let it hang a forearm's length lower. From this, they try to prove that a woman should cover her entire body, including the tops of her feet, during prayer. However, the hadith of Sayyidah Umm Salamah radi Allahu anha pertains to the general command of covering, and making it obligatory for a woman praying is questionable. If this were the case, then it would also be necessary for a woman to cover her face while praying, because the command of covering includes the woman's face as well. If it is not obligatory for a woman to cover her face during prayer, then it is also incorrect to make it obligatory to cover the tops of her feet during prayer based on the hadith of Sayyidah Umm Salamah radi Allahu anha. For further details, see: [فتاويٰ شيخ الاسلام ابن تيميه : 426/11۔ 430، طبع جديد، 1889، الرياض]
Source: Bulugh al-Maram: Commentary by Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri, Page: 163
