Islamic Rulings -
Living Shariah Verdicts We have heard that the ‘awrah of a woman in front
of other women is from the navel to the knees. Is this
correct? Especially since in banquet halls we see
women who come – may Allaah keep us safe and sound –
wearing short or see-through clothes, or garments with
cut-away designs which show her calves, or they wear
light and filmy garments, or things that leave a part
of the chest or back uncovered… So Muslim women come
out and they look like dancers in the kaafir countries
or improperly-dressed actresses on the screen. If we
tell them not to do that, they say, There is nothing
wrong with that; women’s ‘awrah is from the navel to
the knee. Modesty has disappeared and women are
becoming argumentative and imitating the kuffaar, and
the problem has reached overwhelming proportions.
Please advise us, may Allaah reward you. Praise be to Allaah. The basic principle is still that she should cover
all of her body lest she be taken as an example and
this evil practice become widespread among women.
Similarly, she must also cover her charms in front of
her mahrams and strange women lest some of her mahrams
be tempted by her or lest some of the women describe
her to others. It was reported in the hadeeth that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “No woman should describe another woman to her
husband so that it is as if he can see her.” What this
means is that if her charms, such as her chest, her
shoulders, her stomach, her back, her arms, her neck
and her calves, become visible, whoever sees that will
inevitably have an impression of her, and usually
women talk about what they have seen to their
families, male and female alike. So a woman may mention that in front of non-mahram
men [i.e., men who are not mahrams of the woman being
described] in a manner that may provoke them to pursue
her, or which may cause bad people to form an
attachment to her. For this reason, women have to
cover their charms – such as their chests, backs,
arms, calves, etc., - even in front of mahrams and
other women. This covering becomes even more essential
in parties, leisure facilities, hospitals and schools,
even if there are only women present, because some
non-mahram men and adolescent boys may see them or
take pictures of them naked which will be a cause of
temptation to those who see them. A stern warning has
been issued to those who make a wanton display of
themselves and wear see-through or tight clothing,
when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: Comments 💬 التعليقات |