Must One Cover the Nakedness (Awra) While Reciting the Shahada or Daily Remembrances?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I often suffer from waswasa about kufr and shirk, and I recite the Shahada for reassurance. If alone, must I cover my awra while saying it? If so, are tight leggings enough, or should the clothing be loose enough to hide the body? Can I wear a skirt then? Also, what if I am in a room with my mother? Does the ruling change in that case? Please clarify the ruling.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I hope you are well. May Allah Most High remove the intrusive thoughts from your daily life with ease.
You do not have to cover your nakedness (awra) to recite the Shahada, or any of the other daily remembrances. It would be recommended to do so. Covering is only during the presence of others and during prayer and worship.
Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) would remember Allah at all times. [Muslim]
Continue Without Checking or Reassuring
It is important not to let intrusive thoughts create obligations that Allah Most High has not placed upon you. Repeating the Shahada in the manner described above will only strengthen your thoughts.
Superior at Times
It is superior to cover one’s minimal nakedness from navel to knee here, for both men and women, when performing ghusl or showering, as there are Prophetic hadiths that establish the recommendedness of this. However, this is not obligatory nor blameworthy if left. [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar; Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah with Tahtawi]
How to Ward Off Intrusive Thoughts
Seek refuge in Allah Most High, by saying, “A‘udhu bi Llahi min ash-shaytani r-rajim” [Bukhari, Muslim]; and recite Ayat al-Kursi, as well as the last three suras (Ikhlas, Falaq, and Nas). [Tabarani, al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir]
Know that you are a Muslim and have not rejected anything, so ignore the whisper from the shaytan and treat it as a thought from outside, not from you, and seek refuge in Allah from the shaytan.
And Allah knows best.
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Related
- How Does One Stay Covered While Showering? – One may uncover `awrah` when necessary, like relieving oneself, showering, or changing clothes, but should minimize exposure.
- Does Fear of Disbelief Mean I Am a Disbeliever? -Intrusive thoughts, passing fears, or the very anxiety about having disbelieved are not that. They are, in fact, the opposite of it: rejecting them is proof of true belief.
- Does Fear of Disbelief Mean I Am a Disbeliever? Doubts and thoughts of disbelief are from the devil. Take the means to ward him off, as taught by our Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received a traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Currently, he resides in the UK with his wife and is interested in reading and gardening.
