Is prayer valid when wearing trousers that have holes near the major 'awrah and the thigh, given that underwear is worn partially covering the major 'awrah? And is it permissible to adopt the Maliki view that covering the 'awrah is not a condition for the validity of prayer, in order to avoid re-performing past prayers?

Prayer is valid if large holes in the trousers, which expose the major 'awrah, are covered by opaque underwear that conceals the skin color. However, if the underwear is transparent, prayer is not valid. As for holes that expose the thigh, they do not invalidate prayer, because there is disagreement as to whether the thigh is part of the 'awrah or not. It is permissible to adopt the Maliki madhhab (definition) for ease, keeping in mind that they differed on whether covering the major 'awrah is a condition for prayer, but agreed that covering the minor 'awrah is not a condition. One must be cautious of baseless whispers and doubts.