The Awrah of a woman in front of her mahrams and other women

by Asma bint Shameem Recently, I was invited to a wedding.

The invitation said that the men and women were “completely separated” and so we can take off our hijaabs.

But Subhaan Allaah, was I in for the SHOCK of my life when I got there!

The women at the wedding had taken off MUCH MORE than just the Hijaab!

Extremely TIGHT FITTING clothes that showed every curve of the body;

Lownecks that showed cleavage,

Clothes without backs...

Dresses so short to expose all of the thighs...

Spaghetti straps, see-through clothes, mini skirts, you name it!

Yaa Allaah!

Are these “MUSLIM” women?!!

And their excuse for all this?

“I’m among ‘women’ so I can wear whatever I like”.

Subhaan Allaah!

Is this how a Muslim woman dresses?!

Even if we’re among women?!

No my sister, NO!

As muslim women we’re encouraged to be modest and keep ourselves covered.

It’s part of common decency and Hayaa that we don’t wear revealing clothes or clothes that are tight-fitting, showing the shape of the body or clothes that are see-through, EVEN IF we’re among women or our mahrams.

That’s because there’s a certain level of ‘awrah’ of the woman (parts that she has to conceal) even in front of her mahrams and other women.

🍃 Allaah says:

“and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils all over themselves and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband’s fathers, or their sons, or their husband’s sons, or their brothers or their brother’s sons, or their sister’s sons, or their (Muslim) women”

(Surah al-Noor :31)

The ulama explain that the word “adornment” is used because the ONLY parts of a woman’s body that can be seen by women and mahrams are the places that are usually ‘adorned’ like face, hands, arms, lower legs, neck and upper part of the chest etc.

The REST of the body should be COVERED with LOOSE clothing that does NOT show her shape.

🍃Shaikh al-Albaani said explaining this Aayah:

“Therefore , there in this Aayah, Our Lord The Most Glorious The Most Majestic has allowed her to reveal in front of her mahram and the women ; the parts of their bodies which take adornments.

Nothing else.

So we have the hands where there is the bracelets and bangles, then we have the head where there is adornments on the ears [earrings] , and the neck as we mentioned, then the feet and some parts of her shins where the anklet is worn.

These are the parts which Allaah has permitted the women to expose in front of her mahram and her Muslim sister.”

(Silsilah muhadharah: 13)

In other words, the “ONLY” parts of a woman that can be seen by her mahrams and other women are these places of adornments such as the face, neck, hair, forearms, shin, feet etc.

She CANNOT wear TIGHT clothes or SHORT clothes.

She CANNOT show her cleavage.

She CANNOT bare her back.

She CANNOT SHOWER with other women.

Or CHANGE her CLOTHES in front of them.

Or wear SWIMSUITS in front of them.

ALL of that is FORBIDDEN.

🍃Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen said:

“She is allowed to show to her Mahrams: her face, head, neck, hands, arms, feet, shanks (the part of the lower limb between the knee and the ankle), and she should cover everything else other than that.”

(Hijab Mar’a wa zinatuqa, page 43)

🍃The scholars of the Standing Committee said:

“What a woman is permitted to uncover in front of her children (and other women) is that which is customarily uncovered, such as the face, hands, forearms, feet and so on.”

[Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (17/297)]

🔺BUT isn’t the awrah of a woman only between the navel and the knees?

Yes it’s true that the scholars said that the awrah is between the navel and the knees.

However that does not mean that a woman can go around exposing herself above the navel to other women or her mahrams.

Think about it!

How can a woman expose her bare breasts to her father or brother or son?

That kind of understanding is surely flawed.

🍃Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen explains:

“We must understand that there is a difference between saying “What is ‘awrah?” and “What is the clothing that it is prescribed for a woman to wear?” so that there will be no confusion between the two matters.

The clothing that is prescribed for a woman to wear in front of mahrams is that which covers ALL of her body EXCEPT the head, hands and feet.

This is what is prescribed.

With regard to the issue of ‘awrah, the ‘awrah for a woman in front of other women is like the ‘awrah for a man in front of other men, i.e., the area between the navel and the knee.

But saying that does not mean that it is permissible for a woman to appear in front of other women wearing nothing but pants that cover from the navel to the knee. No one would say that.

Whoever says such a thing is misguided.

Rather what is meant is that if a woman is wearing covering clothes, and she needs to uncover her forearms to do some work or because of some disease in the forearms and like, or she wants to breastfeed her child in front of other women, so she uncovers her breast in front of the women, there is nothing wrong with that.

So there is a difference between the concept of “‘awrah” and the “manner of dress” that is prescribed.

What is prescribed for women is that their clothing should cover them properly, and it is permissible for a woman to uncover her head, face, neck and hands, and even her forearms, feet and lower legs in front of her mahrams.

But that does not mean that we say she can wear short dresses in front of her mahrams; not at all.

This is another matter.

But if we assume, for example, that she lifts up her dress for some reason, and her mahrams are present and her lower leg shows, then there is nothing wrong with that.”

(al-Liqa’ al-Maftooh. 126/23 and 31/17)

🔺Ok what about clothes that cover but they’re tight and show my shape.

Tight clothes that are form-fitting and show the shape of the body can ONLY be worn in front of your HUSBAND.

You can NOT wear clothes that show the shape of your body or clothes that are see-through, even in front of women or your mahrams.

🍃Someone asked Shaikh Saalih al-Fawzaan:

“Does a woman wearing tight clothes in front of other women come under the hadeeth “...women who will be clothed yet naked...”?”

The Shaikh said:

“There is no doubt that the wearing of tight clothes which reveal the alluring parts of the body is something not permissible, NOT permissible except for wearing it for her husband only.

As for in front of other than her husband then it is NOT permissible, even if there is only women present; because she will represent as a bad example for them.

When they see her doing so they may follow her in it.

Also she has been ordered to COVER her awrah with that which is LOOSE and be covered in front of everyone except her husband.

So she covers her awrah in front of other women as she does in front of men except that which is considered normal and befitting of her to show amongst other women like the face, hands, feet and that which there is a need to uncover/reveal..”

(al muntaqaa min fataawa vol.3 p307 #454)

🍃And he said:

“It is obligatory upon the women that their clothing is not of the likes that it is so thin that the color of the skin may be seen through it, neither that it is so tight as to reveal the shape of her bodily parts.

This is because the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:

“There are two types of the people of Hell whom I have not seen, men with whips like the tails of cattle with which they strike the people, and women who are clothed yet naked, walking with an enticing gait with their heads like the humps of camels leaning to one side. They will not enter Paradise nor smell its fragrance.” (Saheeh Muslim 2128)

(al muntaqaa min fataawa vol.3 p307 #453)

🍃The scholars of the Standing Committee said:

“ The meaning of the phrase “clothed yet naked” is that the woman is wearing clothes that do not cover her, so she is clothed, but in fact she is NAKED, such as when she wears a thin dress that shows the “color” of her skin, or a dress that shows the “outline” of her body, or a “short” dress that does not cover part of her limbs.”

(Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 17/290)

🔺Oh come on! Women don’t get tempted among each other!

Yes they do sister!

Do you not see the horrifying rate at which the number of lesbians and gays are multiplying in the world?

Where does this “desire” for the same gender come from?

Is it not the Shaytaan beautifying and tempting women for each other?!

🍃The scholars of the Standing Committee said:

“With regard to going to extremes in uncovering, there is no evidence in the Qur’aan and Sunnah that this is permissible.

This is also the way that leads to a woman TEMPTING or BEING TEMPTED by other women, which happens among them.

It also sets a bad example to other women, as well as being an imitation of kaafir women, prostitutes and immoral women in the way they dress.

It was proven that the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:

“Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” (Ahmad and Abu Dawood 4031; saheeh by al-Albaani)

So what Muslim women have to do is to adhere to the guidance followed by the Mothers of the Believers (the Prophet’s wives) and the womenfolk of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them), and the women of this ummah who followed them in truth, and strive to cover themselves and be modest.

This is farthest removed from the causes of fitnah and will protect them from the things that lead to provocation of desires and falling into immorality.”

(Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 17/290)

And Allaah knows best