The Hukum on Performing Solat Using Gloves and Socks

The solat of a woman wearing gloves is valid (sah). The solat is also valid (sah) if gloves are not worn during solat. According to the majority of the ulamak, the woman needs to cover their feet during solat. Some ulamak said it’s allowable to not cover the feet if the clothes worn is long enough to hide the feet, but the majority of the ulamak agrees that the feet should not be exposed.

 

It is sunat for the woman to not cover up her face during solat if there is no non-muhrim men around. As we know the forehead is one of the pillar (rukun) of sujud that consist of the forehead, both palms, the knees and the bottom section of the fingers of the feet. Rasulullah SAW said :

عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا عَنِ النَّبِيُّ (ص) قَالَ أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَسْجُدَ عَلَى سَبْعَةِ أَعْظُمٍ، عَلَى الجَبْهَةِ وَأَشَارَ بِيَدِهِ عَلَى أَنْفِهِ - وَالْيَدَيْنِ، وَالرُّكْبَتَيْنِ، وَأَطْرَافِ اْلقَدَمَيْنِ، وَلَا نَكْفِتُ الثِّيَابَ وَالشَّعْرَ.

Meaning: From Ibnu Abbas r.a. from Prophet SAW : “ I was asked to sujud(by Allah SAW), so that I sujud using seven parts of the body; namely the forehead, both palms, both knees and two bottom part of the feet and we cannot obstruct the clothes and the hair.

Based on the book Prayer Perfection Leadership for one who perfoms the solat, they must not sujud on something that covers the forehead such as the top section of the veil (tudung). The sujud is not valid (sah) on the cloth because it moves together with the action of solat.

 

The solat is valid (sah) for women who wears make up on their face during solat. Normally make up is only used after the ablution (wuduk) is performed. But they have to ensure that the elements in the make up is clean and free from doubtful ingredients. Besides, they also have to wash the make up on their faces before ablution (wuduk) is performed because there are elements in the make up that prevents water from reaching the body parts in ablution (wuduk) such as lipstick and mascara that has waterproof properties. This should be emphasised to all women because it involves the most important ibadah in Islam.

 

In identifying whether the chin is considered an aurat or not can be seen in the ablution (wuduk) practice while washing the face.

Based on Shafie book of Fiqh, the boundary of face starts from where the hair grows (top part) until the bootom part of the chin and the width is from ear to ear. It is wajib to wash everything on the face including the eyebrow, moustache and beard; physically and spiritually. All of that is part of the face except a thick beard that cannot be seen what lies underneath (base) so it is sufficient to wash what is physically seen.

A face is part of the body that fronts a person. Its length is between the base of the hair until the end of the chin, in other words it’s where the forehead starts and ends below the chin. The chin is where the beard grows and is placed on top of the bottom jaw. While both jawbone is where the bottom teeth of a person is located. It is wajib to wash part of the head, neck, the bottom part of the jaw and both ears. The ulamak of Hanafi and Maliki feel that it is not wajib for the wash a long and thick beard because it is considered hair that juts out of the boundary of the fardu body parts and it’s also not part of the face.

Imam Shafie in his book Al-Umm also said that the chin si part of the face. The bottom part of the chin has become a khilafiah issue among ulamak. Some say if the chin is part of the face, it is not wajib for the women to cover the chin during solat. However, there is a different view that says if the chin is considered part of the neck, it is wajib to cover it during solat. In order to be on the safe side, it is encouraged to cover it so that part of the neck is not exposed while moving.