Approaches to the Principle of Satr al-Awrah in Prayer in the Maliki School of Law
Abstract
Satr al-awrah is one of the obligatory provisions for men and women in Islam. Satr al-awrah, as a religious/jurisprudential term, means covering the parts of the body that should be covered by religion ('awrah). Muslim jurists have disagreed on whether satr al-'awrah is a condition of validity for prayer. Setr-i awret is divided into two as awret-i mugalleza (rough private parts) and 'awrah mukhaffafa, (light private parts). In the classical fiqh doctrine, there are two basic approaches, one belonging to the jumhur (including the Hanafi, Shafii and Hanb ali schools) and the other to the Malikis, related to the fact that the satr al-'awrah is a validity condition for the prayer. According to the majority (jumhur), without distinction as 'awrah mughallaza and 'awrah mukhaffafa, satr al-awrah constitutes a validity condition for the prayer. Therefore, a prayer performed without fulfilling the satr al-awrah condition is not valid. A prayer performed in this way must be re-performed absolutely within or outside of time. In terms of whether the prayer is validly performed or not, in the Maliki school, satr al-'awrah is divided into two as 'awrah mughallaza (covering the coarse 'awrah parts) and 'awrah mukhaffafa (covering the light 'awrah parts). There is an agreement that covering the 'awrah mukhaffafa is not a validity condition for prayer. Therefore, in the Maliki school, the disagreement about whether the satr al-'awrah constitutes a condition of validity for prayer relates to covering the 'awrah mughallaza. In this context, the approaches in the Maliki school about whether the satr al-'awrah is a validity condition for prayer differ from the approach of the jumhur (including the Hanafi, Shafii and Hanbali schools) who say that satr al-'awrah is a validity condition for prayer, without making any distinction between 'awrah mughallaza and 'awrah mukhaffafa in terms of nature. According to this, there are two approaches in the Maliki school regarding whether the satr al-'awrah (covering the 'awrah mughallaza) is a necessary condition for prayer. According to the first approach, satr al-'awrah (covering the 'awrah mughallaza) is a necessary condition for prayer. Therefore, a prayer performed without fulfilling the condition of covering the 'awrah mughallaza is not valid. A prayer performed in this way must be re-performed absolutely within or outside of time. This approach is partly the same as jumhur's approach. According to the second approach (without any distinction between prayer and non-prayer), satr al-'awrah is a general obligation in Islam. Therefore, satr al-'awrah is also not a validity condition for prayer. According to this second approach, it is sunnah to comply with the satr al-'awrah in prayer. Whoever abandons the satr al-'awrah in prayer commits a haram and sin because he does not comply with a certain religious rule in Islam. Although it is mustahab to re-perform the prayer in due time, it is not obligatory to re-perform it after the time has passed. Because it is done during the prayer time. When the approaches put forward in the Maliki school regarding whether a satr al-'awrah is a necessary condition for prayer are examined, it is seen that views of those who say that satr al-'awrah is a must are stronger and more accurate. Because the fact that satr aPawrah, which is obligatory outside of prayer/in normal life, is not a condition/obligatory in prayer, contradicts the spirit of servitude and prayer. As a matter of fact, Maliki jurist Ibn al-Arabi, based on the evidence that orders satr al-'awrah in prayer, says that although satr al-'awrah is a general fard (religious duty) in Islam, it should be a stronger fard in prayer. As a matter of fact, as it can be understood from the information given in Maliki works/sources on the subject, the view preferred by the majority in Maliki school is that satr al-'awrah ('awrah mughallaza) is a necessary condition for prayer. The disagreement in the classical fiqh doctrine about whether the satr al-awrah is a condition of validity for the prayer has some jurisprudential consequences. As a matter of fact, according to the majority, whether it is 'awrah mughallaza or mukhaffafa, a prayer performed with an uncovered awrah is not valid and must be re-performed absolutely. In the Maliki school, there are different opinions depending on whether it is 'awrah mughallaza or mukhaffafa. If the place uncovered on the body is 'awrah mughallaza; according to those who accept the satr al-awrah as a condition for the validity of the prayer, the prayer is not valid and must be re-performed absolutely. After the time has passed, the prayer does not have to be repeated. If the place uncovered on the body is 'awrah mukhaffafa, according to all Malikis, unanimously the prayer is valid. Although it is recommended to reperform it in time, it is not required to be repeated after the time has passed. The following can be said about the practical examples of the disagreement in the classical fiqh doctrine regarding whether the satr al-awrah is a condition for the validity of the prayer, especially in terms of 'awrah mukhaffafa, according to Malikis, who do not accept the validity of the satr al-awrah for prayer, it is valid for women to pray with their heads down, below the knees and with their arms uncovered. Again, according to them, it is valid for men to perform prayers with their thighs and hips (fakhz) uncovered, since it is considered one of the private parts.
