Q475 :Followers of the Hanafi school of thought
argue that because the Prophet and his netpanions always covered their
head in prayer, anyone who does not follow their example would go
astray. Please netment. Is there any authentic Hadith to support the
view that covering one’s head in prayer is necessary?
A475 : There is no Hadith which requires or
renetmends Muslim men to cover their heads when they offer their
prayers, whether obligatory or voluntary. It should be remembered that
the Prophet and his netpanions used to cover their heads when they were
in the mosque or in the marketplace or indeed anywhere else. So did the
rest of the Arabs. In other words, this was the customary dress in
Arabia which continued after Islam. [Certain head gears are linked to
specific areas. Arabs, Indonesians, Nepalese, Russians, Pakistanis,
Moroccans, etc. can be linked to their origin with their head gears.]
As such, wearing a cap or covering one’s head by a man for prayers is
neither renetmended nor obligatory. It is certainly not a Sunnah.
Does it mean that every Muslim has to wear a head covering at all
times? Wearing a head-covering was traditional in Arabian society at
the time of the Prophet. He would have pointed out that it is
renetmended or obligatory in prayer if it was so. The fact that he did
not tell us that means that he only had his head-covering as part of
his traditional dress. If someone wears a head covering in prayer in
order to follow the example of the Prophet, he is rewarded simply for
his intention. However, since the Prophet has not pointed out anything
regarding this particular matter, we cannot say that it is renetmended.
[When following this example of Prophet earns us a reward, why should
we argue over it and not adopt this practice as far as it may be? ]
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )