Ruling on Uncovered Ankles During Women’s Salah

Women’s Corner

Mufti Abu Muhammad Ali Asghar Attari

1. Uncovered ankles in prayer

Q: What do the noble scholars say about the following matter: What is the ruling on a woman’s salah if her ankles remained uncovered throughout the prayer?

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ

A: In the scenario mentioned above, the salah will be valid. However, praying in such a manner is certainly improper. If she prayed in front of a non-mahram in this way, she will be sinful, as a woman must also veil her ankles in front of non-mahram men.^[1]

In relation to the body parts that women must cover in salah, the entire shin from beneath the knee all the way up to and including the ankle is considered a separate body part.^[2] The two shins including the ankles are two body parts.^[3] The principle is that if some parts of two limbs from the necessarily veiled body parts are unveiled and the combined unveiled area reaches a quarter of the smaller of the two limbs that is uncovered, the salah is invalid.^[4] Otherwise, it will be valid.^[5]

In the scenario in the question, a part of both shins i.e., the ankles, is unveiled. If these two ankles are combined, they do not reach a quarter of a shin including the ankle.^[6] Therefore, the salah will be valid with both ankles unveiled, even if it remained like this from the time of making intention until the end of the salah.

However, if salah was started whilst part of the shin itself was unveiled alongside the ankle such that the unveiled area reached a quarter or more of the shin, the salah would not commence. If such a situation arose during salah, and bowing, prostration or another pillar of the prayer was carried out, the salah would become invalid. It would be fard to repeat this salah.^[7]

It should remain clear that it is essential for both men and women to ensure that they pay special attention to covering those body parts that Islamic law has stipulated must be veiled in salah, so that no form of unveiling occurs during it.

وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم صلَّی اللہ علیہ واٰلہٖ وسلَّم

2. During menses, traveling to Masjid ꜤĀˈisha and returning to the Haram without the intention of ihram

Q: What do the noble scholars say about the following matter: In a state of menstruation, Hinda travelled from the Ḥarām in Makkah to Masjid ꜤĀˈishah and then returned without the intention of ihram as she did not intend to perform Umrah; will she have to offer any expiation?  

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

  اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ

A: No. In the above-mentioned scenario, Hinda will not be required to pay any expiation because Masjid ꜤĀˈisha lies within the non-sanctuary (ḥill) zone, and if someone travels from there to the Haram without the intention of performing hajj or umrah, such a person can enter the boundaries of the Haram without ihram.^[8] In this case it will not be necessary for the person to perform hajj or umrah.^[9]

وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم صلَّی اللہ علیہ واٰلہٖ وسلَّم