I have some trousers that are designed in such a way that they have holes in them. Apparaently, one cannot notice them. Even I can only notice them when I closely look at them. Is my prayer valid?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

If these holes in your trousers do not reveal the ‘Awrah (what is between the navel and the knees for men) except after looking closely, as stated in your question, “Even I can only notice them when I closely look at them;” then the prayer is valid while wearing them; however, there is another view that states that it is disliked to pray in such clothes and that it is desirable to repeat the prayer as long as its time has not elapsed.

Minah Al-Jaleel, authored by the Maaliki scholar Muhammad 'Ulaysh, reads, “B: a thick cover that does not show the skin color without looking closely, or it shows the color after looking closely, but covering (one’s ‘Awrah with it) is disliked and the prayer should be repeated as long as the prayer time has not yet elapsed.”

Moreover, the footnote of Haashiyat Al-Jamal, which is a Shaafi’i book, reads, “(His statement: 'with what does not permit seeing the color of the skin)', means covering one's 'Awrah with what does not permit seeing the color of the skin at the distance of conversing with someone. In other words, if it prevents seeing the skin except if an onlooker looks closely while getting very close to the praying person and he would then see the color of his skin, then this does not harm, and it is a view that is considerable.”

For more benefit, please refer to fatwa 297154.

Nonetheless, we advise you to not pray in those trousers or the like of them  in the future; rather, look for something else that does not reveal the ‘Awrah even when one looks closely at it.

Allaah knows best.