Allah, glorified be His praise, says: "Take your adornment at every mosque (when attending the prayer)." [Surah al-A'raf: 31]
Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "What is meant by it is garments, and Allah knows best, and this resembles what has been said."
The Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "And this is the view of Tawus."
And Mujahid said: "(Adornment means) whatever covers your private parts, even if it is only a cloak ('aba'ah)."
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / Q3202
Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says regarding the statement of Allah Almighty "Take your adornment at every mosque" [Surah al-A'raf: 31]: (In the Time of Ignorance,) when a woman circumambulated the House of Allah, she would expose her chest, so Allah Almighty revealed this noble verse: "Take your adornment at every prayer" [Surah al-A'raf: 31].
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 3202
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:صحيح
Hadith Takhrij«صحيح۔ اخرجه ابن جرير في تفسيره 5/ 469»
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that in the Time of Ignorance a woman used to circumambulate the House of Allah naked, with only a small piece of cloth over her private part, and she would recite this verse of poetry:
'Al-yawma yabdu ba'duhu aw kulluhu, fa-ma bada minhu fa-la uhilluhu'
(Today some of it or all of it will show, and whatever of it shows, I do not make it lawful.)
So this noble verse was revealed: "Say: Who has forbidden the adornment of Allah?" [Surah al-A'raf: 32]
Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "None of you should pray in a single garment in such a way that no part of the garment is on his shoulder." This statement of the Messenger indicates that it is not permissible for anyone to pray without clothing when he is able to have any clothing at all.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 3203
Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No one should ever pray in a single garment in such a way that no part of the garment is on his shoulder."
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 3204
Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates with his chain: "A man should not pray in a single garment in such a way that no part of the garment is on his shoulders."
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 3205
Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade "wrapping a single garment around oneself in such a way that the hands are completely enclosed." Some say that ishtimal al-samma is that one wraps the garment around oneself and then lifts it from one side and throws it over the shoulder, which exposes the private parts. And he also forbade "sitting with the knees drawn up (ihtiba') in a single garment when there is nothing over one's private parts."
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 3206
Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade two ways of wearing clothes: ishtimal al-samma, and sitting with the knees drawn up (ihtiba') in a single garment (in such a way that the legs are apart from the stomach) with the private parts left exposed towards the sky.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 3207
Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade eating with the left hand, walking in one shoe, wrapping oneself in ishtimal al-samma, and sitting with the knees drawn up (ihtiba') in a single garment in such a way that the private parts are exposed towards the sky.
According to the jurists, ishtimal means that a man wraps a single garment around himself, with no other garment on him, and then lifts it from one side and places it on his shoulders, so that his private parts are exposed.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 3208
(a) Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade ishtimal al-samma, sitting with the knees drawn up (ihtiba') in a single garment, and a man lifting one of his legs and placing it over the other while lying on his back.
(b) It is likely that the prohibition of a man lifting one leg and placing it over the other while lying down is because of the exposure of the private area, for when a man lying down lifts one leg over the other while wearing a tight waist-wrapper, he will not be safe from something being exposed, and the thigh itself is part of the private area. So if the waist-wrapper is ample, or the one wearing it guards against exposure, there is no harm in it. This was said by Abu Sulayman al-Khattabi (may Allah have mercy on him).
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 3209
Abbad bin Tamim (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates from his paternal uncle (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in the mosque lying on his back with one foot placed over the other.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 3210
Abbad bin Tamim (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates from his paternal uncle that he said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in the mosque lying straight on his back with one leg placed over the other.
Al-Zuhri (may Allah have mercy on him) says: Sa'id bin al-Musayyib (may Allah have mercy on him) informed me of the same from Umar and Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them both), and he could not count how often he had seen it from the two of them. Al-Zuhri (may Allah have mercy on him) says: People have come up with a grave matter.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 3211
Sayyiduna Miswar bin Makhramah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I came carrying a stone, and I had a light waist-wrapper on me, and it came undone. Because I was holding the stone, I could not pick it up. I took the stone to its place, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Go and pick up your garment and tie on your waist-wrapper; do not walk about naked."
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 3212
Bahz bin Hakim narrates from his father, and he from his father (may Allah be pleased with him), that he said: "O Prophet of Allah! From whom should we cover our private parts, and from whom need we not?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Cover your private parts from everyone except your wife or your slave woman." I said: "O Messenger of Allah! What if people are mixed together?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If you are able to ensure that no one sees your private parts, then do so." I said: "O Messenger of Allah! What if one of us is alone at home?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "One should feel more shy before Allah than before people; He is more deserving of modesty."
Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) has alluded to this hadith in his Sahih.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 3213