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The matter of dress during prayer (satr al-‘awrah) is well-established in Islamic jurisprudence. The minimum clothing requirement for a man’s prayer to be valid is that he must cover his ‘awrah, which is from the navel to the knees. This is based on the general meaning of the verse:
“O children of Adam! Take your adornment at every masjid…”
(Surat al-A‘rāf, 7:31)
And the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ who said:
“A man should not pray in a single garment that does not cover his shoulders.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)
This hadith has been interpreted by the majority of scholars to emphasize covering the shoulders, not necessarily the arms beyond the elbows.
According to the Hanafī, Mālikī, Shāfi‘ī, and Hanbalī schools, it is not a condition that the sleeves must extend beyond the elbows for the prayer to be valid or complete. The shoulders and upper arms are not part of the ‘awrah that must be covered for men during salah. Therefore, if a man prays with his arms exposed — even up to the elbows or higher — his salah remains valid and not makrūh, provided that the rest of the body is covered properly and respectfully.
Some jurists have recommended covering more than the minimum as a sign of reverence in salah, based on the ayah of adorning oneself during prayer. Therefore, while it is preferable (mustahabb) to pray in a dignified and modest manner, this does not mean that praying with uncovered forearms becomes makrūh in the technical sense used in fiqh.
The Hanafī school does sometimes classify prayer in non-dignified clothing as makrūh tanzīhan (mildly discouraged), but only when the clothing is not befitting the majesty of the prayer — for example, if it is excessively tight, torn, or immodest. Exposed forearms are not generally included in this category unless accompanied by other undignified traits.
Therefore, the claim that salah is makrūh simply because the arms are exposed up to the elbows does not have a strong basis in the Qur’an, Sunnah, or classical fiqh sources. It appears to be a cultural view, possibly rooted in local traditions of modesty, rather than a formal legal ruling.
