Is performing Salah without topi preferred?

Bismillahi Ta’ala

Walaikum Assalam Warahmatullah

This is incorrect. Topi (covering of one’s head) has been understood as a sign of respect and honour.

To think in this direction is using Qiyas (logic) while a general guideline on the matter is presented in the Qur’an.

Allah Ta’ala says, “And adopt adornment (zeenah) whenever you approach your masjid (for salah)”. In this ayah, Allah has given a command to adopt general adornment when performing one’s salah. When one presents oneself in front of Allah, one should stand in a presentable and dignified manner.

A point of thought must come to mind that even in our cultural thinking when we want to present ourself Islamic, for Nikah or for Eid, we adopt covering the head with topi, imamah or some other means of showing one’s adornment. But, when it comes to presenting oneself in salah for Allah, we feel that covering the head is somehow contrary to the adornment. This goes against the ayah above.

This is besides the fact that covering the head through topi or imamah is sufficiently established in the ahadeeth and athaar of Nabi ﷺ as well as Sahabah radi allahu anhum. My teacher, Mufti Husain Kadodia Saheb, has written a complete treatise named “The Crown of a Believer” expounding all such instances and athars which establish covering one’s head as a mutawatar (continuous) practice of Nabi ﷺ and Sahaba wa Tabi’yeen radiAllahu anhum.

Then, to formulate one’s opinion that they did so only because of their cultural norm, and not because it had an inherent significance of tazyeen, is only a logical argument. To establish this understanding, one would need to present all the instances where covering the head was abandoned or left out by Rasulullah ﷺ.

Without such substantiation, it is more in line with the Qur’anic dictate that one should cover one’s head as a form of tazyeen, especially when one presents oneself to Allah in Salah.

Wallahu A’lam

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Faisal al-Mahmudi