Q.1. In one of your answers you said that only Asr prayer should be offered during Asr time. May I ask you whether it is permissible to pray Zuhr prayer during Asr time if one misses the first one?
Q.2. May I ask whether wearing loose pants and a shirt comes under the permissible type of clothing for women?
A. Mazhar, Texas
A. My words which you quote were part of explaining the fact that prayer in Islam is a time-related duty. I was emphasizing the fact that prayers must be offered in their own time, and that when the time allowed for a certain prayer has lapsed, that prayer could not be offered. But I made clear that there is a case of combining two prayers, when certain circumstances require that. The prayers that may be combined are Zuhr with Asr, and Maghrib with Isha. There can be no other combination, i.e. we cannot combine Asr with Maghrib, or indeed with any prayer other than Zuhr.
Combining prayer is a concession given in two situations. The first is general, which is travel. A person who is on travel may offer each two prayers together at the same time, during the time range of either one of them. Thus, he may offer Zuhr and Asr at the beginning of the time of the first, i.e. Zuhr, and offer the other two at the end of Isha time, or indeed at any moment in between the beginning of the first and the end of the second.
The other situation is a special one which must be used only when needed. It is granted as a concession to meet people’s needs. So, when a person is in a situation when he fears that he will not be able to offer the two prayers separately at their respective times, he combines them, offering one after the other. Thus, if a woman wants to go shopping or to attend some function and she realizes that she may not be able to return before the lapse of the time for Asr, she may pray Asr with Zuhr at the time of Zuhr before she leaves home. If her absence will be longer, she may delay Maghrib and offer it before Isha when she arrives back. This concession must be used only when there is a genuine need, and it should not become a habit.
A.2. Islam does not prescribe any type of clothes, because every community uses a type that is most suitable for its circumstances. Normally people wear what is convenient for them to do their work comfortably in the type of climate they have. Hence, you find that traditional African clothes are very loose, and most Africans, men and women, use a head cover made of light material so that they do not expose their heads to the sun, without leaving space between the head and the cover. On the other hand, people in cold climate wear hats that leave such space, because the air that fills the space reduces the effect of the cold weather and keeps their heads warm.
Recognizing these facts, Islam does not impose a certain type of dress for either men or women. It simply makes certain requirements that should be met whatever type of clothing people wear. Thus, a woman’s dress must not be too tight so as to reveal her figure, and not eye-catching. It also must cover all her body with the exception of her face and hands. When these conditions are met, any type of clothes is acceptable. If a woman wants to wear pants or trousers, she may do so, provided that they are not too tight. A shirt is normally loose enough to meet Islamic requirements. Therefore, the type the reader asks about seems to be all right for Muslim women. Some people suggest that trousers are men’s clothing and, therefore, must not be worn by women because it is not permissible for women to imitate men in their clothing or for men to imitate women.
While it is true that such imitation is not allowed, in many societies trousers are worn by both sexes, without any suggestion that they belong to either sex in particular. Therefore, in such a situation they are acceptable.
- Arab News Islam 1 September 2003
