We asked Jabir bin Abdullah about praying in a single garment. He said:I set out with the Prophet ﷺ on one of his journeys. One night I came to him for some need of mine and found him praying. I had only a single garment on, so I wrapped myself in it and prayed beside him. When he finished, he asked, "What brings you out at night, Jabir?"I told him my need, and when I had finished, he asked, "What is this manner of wrapping I saw you doing?"I replied, "It was a garment," meaning that it was too narrow.He said, "If it is wide enough, wrap yourself fully in it, but if it is narrow, tie it around your waist as a lower garment."
سألنا جابر بن عبد الله عن الصلاة في الثوب الواحد. فقال: خرجت مع النبي ﷺ في بعض أسفاره، فجئت ليلة لبعض أمري، فوجدته يصلي، وعلي ثوب واحد فاشتملت به، وصليت إلى جانبه، فلما انصرف قال: ما السري يا جابر؟ فأخبرته بحاجتي فلما فرغت قال: ما هذا الاشتمال الذي رأيت؟ قلت: كان ثوب-يعني ضاق قال: فإن كان واسعا فالتحف به، وإن كان ضيقا فاتزر به.
Bukhari narrated it in the Book of Prayer (361) from Yahya bin Salih, who said, Fulayh bin Sulayman narrated to us, from Saeed bin Harith, who said, then he mentioned it.Muslim also narrated it in the Book of Zuhd and Raqaiq (3010) through another route, from Ubadah bin Walid bin Samit, who said, "My father and I set out seeking knowledge among this clan of the Ansar before they passed away," in a long hadith which includes the following.Then we went on until we came to Jabir bin Abdullah in his mosque, where he was praying wrapped in a single garment. I stepped over the people until I sat between him and the qibla. I said, "May Allah have mercy on you, are you praying in a single garment while your cloak is right beside you?"He gestured with his hand toward my chest like this, spreading his fingers apart and curving them, and said, "I wanted a fool like you to come upon me and see how I do it, so he would do the same."Then Jabir said, "We marched with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on the expedition of Batn Buwat." He then described his prayer with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, "I had a striped cloak, and I tried to cross its two ends over each other, but it wasn't long enough for me. It had fringes, so I turned it inside out, then crossed its two ends over each other. Then I hunched my neck down over it, and I came and stood on the left side of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He took my hand and turned me around until he placed me on his right."The Messenger of Allah ﷺ began glancing at me while I was unaware. Then I noticed him, and he said, gesturing with his hand like this, meaning tie it around your waist."When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ finished, he said, 'O Jabir.' I said, 'At your service, O Messenger of Allah.' He said, 'If it is wide, cross its two ends over each other, and if it is narrow, tie it around your waist.'"