Islamic Ruling on What Women Must Cover in Prayer

Islamic scholars explain that during prayer, a woman must cover her entire body except for her face and palms. This is based on the Quranic verse: “Do not display your beauty except what is apparent” (Surah An-Nur 24:31). Scholars, including Ibn Abbas and Imam Qurtubi, interpret “what is apparent” as the face and palms, which do not need to be covered in prayer or other acts of worship. Therefore, showing any other part of the body invalidates the prayer. Sheikh Sulaiman Jamal also emphasizes that for non-mahram men, a woman’s whole body is considered private, and for mahrams, certain parts like the navel and knees may be uncovered, but in prayer, full covering except face and palms is required.