Can I pray wearing a t-shirt or with short sleeves?

It is not Makruh for a man to pray in a t-shirt or short sleeves. The Hanafi Madhab considered uncovering the shoulders to be Makruh, but not the elbows or forearm. However, if a woman was to pray wearing a t-shirt or short sleeves, then her prayer will be invalid, due to her Awrah being uncovered.

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ: قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «لاَ يُصَلِّي أَحَدُكُمْ فِي الثَّوْبِ الوَاحِدِ لَيْسَ عَلَى عَاتِقَيْهِ شَيْءٌ»

(Sayidina) Abu Hurairah (May Allah Most High be pleased with him) said that the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘No one amongst you should pray in a single garment, such that his shoulders are uncovered.’ (Sahih al-Bukhari, 359).

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ: ” نَهَى النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنْ يُصَلِّيَ الرَّجُلُ فِي الثَّوْبِ الْوَاحِدِ لَيْسَ عَلَى عَاتِقِهِ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ “

(Sayidina) Abu Hurairah (May Allah Most High be pleased with him) said, ‘The Prophet ﷺ prohibited a man from praying in a single garment, such that his shoulders are uncovered.’ (Ahmad 9980, Sahih).

It is not Makruh for a man to pray wearing a t-shirt or with short sleeves. This is a widespread misconception amongst many people following the Hanafi Madhab. However, the Hanafi Madhab considered uncovering the shoulders to be Makruh, not the elbows or forearm.

This misconception may be based on the fact that the Hanafi Madhab considers it Makruh to pray in garments that have been rolled up. As we see above the Hadith narrations related to this issue speak of the shoulders being bare, not the forearm or elbows. The classical Hanafi works reflect the Hadith narrations above.

سَتْرَ الْمَنْكِبَيْنِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ مُسْتَحَبٌّ يُكْرَهُ تَرْكُهُ تَنْزِيهًا عِنْدَ أَصْحَابِنَا. (البحر الرائق شرح كنز الدقائق).

Covering the shoulders during prayer is recommended, it is Makruh Tanzeehi to fail to do so according to our scholars. (Imam Zayn al-Deen Ibn Nujaym, al-Bahr al-Raiq).

“و” يكره “جعل الثوب تحت إبطه الأيمن وطرح جانبيه على عاتقه الأيسر” أو عكسه لأن ستر المنكبين مستحب في الصلاة فيكره تركه تنزيها بغير ضرورة. (مراقي الفلاح شرح متن نور الإيضاح).

And it is Makruh to place the garment under his right armpit and to throw the ends over the left shoulder, or to do the opposite. Because it is recommended to cover the shoulders during Salah. Therefore, failing to do so without a necessity is Makruh Tanzeehi. (Imam Hasan bin Amaar al-Shurunbulali, Maraaqi al-Falah).

وَشَرَطَ أَحْمَدُ سَتْرَ أَحَدِ مَنْكِبَيْهِ أَيْضًا

(قَوْلُهُ وَشَرَطَ أَحْمَدُ إلَخْ) هُوَ شَرْطٌ عِنْدَهُ فِي صَلَاةِ الْفَرْضِ لِرِوَايَةِ الصَّحِيحَيْنِ «لَا يُصَلِّي الرَّجُلُ فِي الثَّوْبِ الْوَاحِدِ لَيْسَ عَلَى عَاتِقِهِ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ» ” وَعِنْدَنَا سَتْرُ الْمَنْكِبَيْنِ مُسْتَحَبٌّ. (رد المحتار على الدر المختار).

Imam al-Haskafi: And (Imam) Ahmad considered covering the shoulders a condition (for the validity of Salah) too.
Imam Ibn Abideen: It is a condition (for the validity of Salah) with him (Imam Ahmad) due to the narration in the two authentic collections, ‘A man must not pray in a single garment, such that his shoulders are uncovered.’ And with us covering the shoulders is Mustahab.  (Radd al-Muhtaar).

ويكره لبسة الصماء وهو أن يجعل الثوب تحت الإبط الأيمن ويطرح جانبيه على عاتقه الأيسر. (فتاوى قاضيخان).

Libsah al-Samaa is Makruh, and it is to put the garment underneath the right armpit and throw both ends of it over the left shoulder. (Imam Qadi Khan).

وَتُكْرَهُ لِبْسَةُ الصَّمَّاءِ وَهُوَ أَنْ يَجْعَلَ الثَّوْبَ تَحْتَ الْإِبِطِ الْأَيْمَنِ وَيَطْرَحَ جَانِبَيْهِ عَلَى عَاتِقِهِ الْأَيْسَرِ. كَذَا فِي فَتَاوَى قَاضِي خَانْ. (الفتاوى الهندية).

Libsah al-Samaa is Makruh, and it is to put the garment underneath the right armpit and throw both ends of it over the left shoulder as mentioned in Fatawaa Qadi Khan. (Fatawaa Hindiyah).

And Allah Most High Knows Best.

– Answered by Shaykh Noorud-deen Rashid (15.10.2021)

See also:

Are all Hadith in Bukhari and Muslim Sahih?

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