Prayer is an act of worship that nourishes the soul. In the prayer, the individual stands before his Lord, and he should cover his body and his ‘awrah, presenting himself in a manner that is appropriate to standing before Allah (may He be glorified). The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) explained what is permissible when praying and what is not permissible. This hadith includes the Prophet’s instructions not to pray in a single garment, leaving the shoulders bare, in such a manner that nothing is placed over them to cover them. The word translated here as shoulder refers to the place where the shoulder meets the neck. That is because, even though the shoulder is not ‘awrah, covering it will make the covering of the ‘awrah more secure, because if a man wraps his garment around his waist with nothing on his shoulders, there is no guarantee that his ‘awrah will not become uncovered. This is in contrast to the situation when he puts part of it on his shoulders. This is more respectful before Allah (may He be exalted). This is indicative of how Islam makes it easy to pray in a single garment, if the garment is loose and wide enough to do that. But if it is narrow or small, then the individual may pray with it wrapped around his waist, to cover his ‘awrah and the lower part of his body, as is mentioned in the hadith of Jabir ibn ‘Abdillah in Sahih al-Bukhari..