Assalamualaikum!Whenever I wear hijab for prayer, a little bit hair (up my ear) is shown and it's about an inch. I try to cover it but I can't because of my hairstyle. I've hard that according to hanafi fiqh, less than one-fourth of awrah doesn't count if uncovered. But the fatwa is about hair being uncovered during salah. And my situation is before salah and I pray like that. Is my prayer valid (according to hanafi fiqh) ?N.B. : The hair is much less than one fourth of my whole hair.

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

The hair of the woman is an ‘Awrah in prayer. We did not understand how your hairstyle prevents you from covering it completely. If you mean that you want to keep the hairstyle and that covering the entire hair spoils it, then keeping the hairstyle is not an excuse for not covering it. Preserving the validity of the prayer is more important than maintaining the hairstyle.

Showing part of the hair in this case in our view is negligence and it is not an excuse. You should not look for the concessions of the scholars who believe that the slight exposure of the ‘Awrah does not invalidate the prayer, because some scholars are of the view that the prayer is invalid by the slightest exposure of the hair as well. A Muslim should be keen on performing his acts of worship in the best manner without any doubt about its invalidity.

As for the view of the Hanafi School of jurisprudence, then their view is that the prayer is invalid if one-fourth of the ‘Awrah is exposed from the beginning of the prayer contrarily if it is exposed during the prayer; in which case, it does not render the prayer invalid even if one-fourth is exposed. However, if one performs an entire pillar while his/her ‘Awrah is exposed, then his prayer is void. If it is exposed during the prayer and it is covered before he/she performs an entire pillar, then the prayer is not invalidated according to them.
Ibn ‘Abideen said in his footnote:

“Now that these details are about the exposure [of the ‘Awrah] that happens during the prayer, as regards the one whose ‘Awrah is exposed from the beginning, then the prayer is not established at all [it is as if he did not pray] according to the agreement of the scholars of the Hanafi School if one-fourth is exposed.” [End of quote]

For the exposure of the hair that invalidates the prayer according to them, it is the quarter of the hair that is above the ears are not what is below them.

The author of Durar al-Hukkam Sharh Ghurar al-Ahkam (who is also a Hanafi Scholar) said:

“Qadhi Khan said, ‘If a quarter of the woman’s hair is exposed, then her prayer becomes void, what is considered in regard to the invalidity of the prayer is the exposure of what is above the ears, and not what is below the ears, and this is the correct view [of the School]” [End of quote]

Ibn Nujaym said in al-Bahr ar-Raa'iq:

“Know that the exposure of what is less than a quarter is forgiven if it is in one body-limb; if it [the exposure] is in two or more body-limbs, and in its totality it equals one-fourth, then this prevents the validity of the prayer.” [End of quote]

Allah knows best.