The Statement on the Hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “The thigh is an awrah (part of the body that must be covered).”

The questioner: His EminenceThe Shaykh : , Is ... of the awrah ... the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)?

Another questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Yes?

Another questioner : ... .

The Shaykh: The scholars have differed, both in the past and the present, regarding the thigh of a man. Some say it is not an awrah, while others say it is a minor awrah, and that the major awrah consists only of the two private parts. The correct view is what is authentically reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) through more than one chain, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . Once such a hadith is established, it is not permissible for a Muslim who knows the authenticity of this hadith to contradict the hadith and say: “No, it is not an awrah.” This is except if he has a shubhah (a doubtful matter) that prevents him from accepting this hadith, or that leads him to interpret the hadith as you heard earlier, where some say: “The thigh is an awrah, but it is a minor awrah.” What leads them to this is what they read in some of the authentic books of the Sunnah, in al-Bukhari or in Sahih Muslim, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) exposed his thigh in some occasions. They take this as a proof that the thigh is not an awrah. But whoever is knowledgeable about the principles of jurisprudence, as we mentioned before the prayer: when his action (peace be upon him) contradicts his statement, his statement is given precedence over his action. This is because the statement is legislation for his entire ummah (the Muslim community).
As for his action, it may have been specific to himself (peace and blessings be upon him). Likewise, if one is knowledgeable about the other principle which states: when a prohibitive ruling and a permissive ruling conflict, the prohibitive ruling is given precedence over the permissive one. His statement (peace and blessings be upon him): is a prohibitive ruling; meaning it is a barrier; meaning it is a prohibition. The Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) exposure of his thigh in some incidents is an action that is permissive. When the prohibitive ruling conflicts with the permissive one, the prohibitive ruling is given precedence over the permissive one. Here, two principles are present; if either one stood alone, it would make the thigh an awrah. How much more so when both these principles are present? So his statement: contradicts his action. Therefore, his action is given precedence over his statement. His statement is a prohibitive, barrier, prohibiting the exposure of the thigh. His action exposed it, so the prohibitive ruling is given precedence over the permissive one. Therefore, the correct view is that it is obligatory for the Muslim to strive to cover his thigh, because it is part of the awrah. As for delving into details for which there is no evidence, such as saying: “The thigh is a minor awrah, and the two private parts are a major awrah,” this is a matter of opinion and ijtihad (independent legal reasoning). There is no doubt that, theoretically, the thigh is not, in terms of being an awrah, like the two private parts... But on the other hand, the thigh may be more strictly prohibited, because it may arouse desire more than the two private parts. Therefore, there is no need to delve into this distinction between a major awrah or a minor awrah. It is sufficient for us that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
Yes.

The questioner: Well, Shaykh; but how is it ... those who say: How did the Messenger ... act, while the thigh is an awrah?

The Shaykh: How did the Messenger marry more than four wives? Is that not a concern?

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh: Because of the specificity of his status. But here, the researching jurist may mention more than this excuse. But the truth is, my answer was to stop the thinker in this question from refuting his statement (peace be upon him) by asking: How did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commit a prohibited act? The answer: It was a dialectical question, as I told you earlier, but it is not a prohibited act for him. This is the precise answer to the matter. But what is the reason? There are three possibilities regarding his (peace be upon him) exposure of his thigh in some hadiths. The answer: Why did he expose it? The answer is from three angles:
The first answer: It may have been before his statement: . This is a consistent answer for many matters where his action (peace and blessings be upon him) contradicts his statement. It may also have been for a matter beyond his control, such as his garment slipping off. I did not intend to delve into these details so as not to lengthen the answer. Among those hadiths where the Messenger’s (peace and blessings be upon him) thigh was exposed is the hadith of Anas in the two Sahihs (al-Bukhari and Muslim), that when he (peace and blessings be upon him) raided Khaybar while on his horse, there are two narrations which are two wordings:
One is in Sahih al-Bukhari: “The Messenger of Allah uncovered his thigh.”
And the narration in Muslim: “The lower garment slipped off his thigh.” This is a very natural image if we imagine how the early riders used to ride; they would tuck their clothes and shirts so as not to be restricted in riding on their horses. It is possible that the matter was when he (peace and blessings be upon him) tucked his garment and lower garment, so the narrator said: “He uncovered his thigh.” But one of them narrated the hadith with a more precise expression: “The lower garment slipped off his thigh”; meaning: that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not intend this exposure, but it happened without his intention. So with such possibilities, the answer is given.
And finally: The third and last possibility: It may have been a specificity, like his (peace be upon him) marriage to more than four wives. There are many hadiths that serve as examples for reconciling them according to these two principles. I do not want to open a new door for you, so let us be content with the questions we have.
Yes.