Are Jeans Allowed for Men?

Answered by Ustadh Salman Younas

Question: Are jeans allowed for men? Would my prayer be valid in them? Someone told me it would not be allowed as it is a non-Muslim dress.

Answer: Assalamu alaykum

Wearing jeans is permitted. It would not constitute an impermissible form of imitation as it is not a distinctive feature of non-Muslims. Rather, it is a common and widespread form of clothing in many parts of the world that is worn by both Muslims and non-Muslims.

Further, it would be valid to pray in jeans. The basic requirement when it comes to clothing and the validity of the prayer is that one’s nakedness (awra) is covered. For men, this is the region from the navel up to and including the knees.

Lastly, I should add that tight jeans that define one’s nakedness would not effect the validity of the prayer. However, depending on the degree of definition, it may be somewhat or severely disliked. It is, therefore, best to wear jeans that are not fitting but loose.

[Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar (2:384); Taqi Usmani, Taqrir al-Tirmidh (2:331)]

[Ustadh] Salman Younas

قال ابن عابدين في رد المحتار: ( قوله لأن التشبه بهم لا يكره في كل شيء ) فإنا نأكل ونشرب كما يفعلون بحر عن شرح الجامع الصغير لقاضي خان ، ويؤيده ما في الذخيرة قبيل كتاب التحري . قال هشام : رأيت على أبي يوسف نعلين مخصوفين بمسامير ، فقلت : أترى بهذا الحديد بأسا ؟ قال لا قلت : سفيان وثور بن يزيد كرها ذلك لأن فيه تشبها بالرهبان ; فقال { كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يلبس النعال التي لها شعر } وإنها من لباس الرهبان . فقد أشار إلى أن صورة المشابهة فيما تعلق به صلاح العباد لا يضر ، فإن الأرض مما لا يمكن قطع المسافة البعيدة فيها إلا بهذا النوع . ا هـ وفيه إشارة أيضا إلى أن المراد بالتشبه أصل الفعل : أي صورة المشابهة بلا قصد

Checked and approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Salman Younas graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Political Science and Religious Studies. After studying the Islamic sciences online and with local scholars in New York, Ustadh Salman moved to Amman. There he studies Islamic law, legal methodology, belief, hadith methodology, logic, Arabic, and tafsir.