When must a woman veil herself from boys who have not reached puberty?
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The Shaykh : Here is a question: it saysThe questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. When must a woman veil herself from young boys?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Boys? Say "boys."
The Shaykh : The answer to this question requires an introduction and a preamble, and I believe that the majority of Muslims today are either ignorant of it or neglect it. That is because the Noble Qur'an explicitly states that a Muslim woman is not permitted to display her hidden adornment except to her father and her mahrams, let alone her husband. People today do not observe this legal ruling. Women expose their chests, necks, and arms in front of brothers and sisters, and perhaps in front of non-mahram relatives such as cousins and maternal cousins, and the like. We must know that a Muslim woman, with regard to non-mahrams—even if they are relatives—is not permitted to appear before them except as she appears before a stranger; that is, with only her face and her hands. This is if she wishes to take a dispensation and adopt the permissibility. Otherwise, the most complete for her is also not to show her face to strangers. Accordingly, a woman is not permitted to appear before what they call her "salf"—that is, her sister's husband. She is not permitted to appear before her sister's husband except as she appears before any stranger. This is what the verse[An-Nur 24:31] conveys. The first adornment is apparent adornment, and the scholars differed greatly on it. The stronger position is that it is the face and the hands, as we mentioned. As for the other adornment: [An-Nur 24:31] to the end of the verse; it is hidden adornment, and it is what a woman is accustomed to being lenient and taking a dispensation in displaying while in her own home; such as the arms, for example, and the lower half of the legs, and the like. This hidden adornment is not permissible for a Muslim woman to display except before mahrams.
The Shaykh : Once we know this preamble, the answer to this question is: When must a woman veil herself before small boys who have not reached puberty; that is, the age of legal accountability?
The Shaykh : The answer to this question is: The small boy and the small child have two states. At the time when he has not reached the age of legal accountability, he has two states:
The Shaykh : The first state is that he is an ordinary boy and child; meaning his sexual desire has not been stirred. In this state, it is permissible for a Muslim woman to appear before him as she appears before mahrams, and not more than that.
The Shaykh : As for if the boy, despite not having reached the age of legal accountability, shows signs that he has come to know what is there regarding sex, as they say today, and that he may speak, or wink, or touch, and the like; then in that case—in this situation—he should be treated, despite not having reached the age of legal accountability, as one who has reached the age of legal accountability, by way of blocking the means to harm; because he is among those who have seen the private parts of women, even though the original rule in this, as we said, is the age of legal accountability.
The Shaykh : This is the answer to this question.
The Shaykh : And we must pay great attention to this issue; because people have neglected it completely, except for those whom Allah protects, and they are few. You hardly find a Muslim home where this legal aspect is observed. For example, the mother covers herself in front of her son, she veils herself with this obligatory veil in front of her daughter. The mother enters the bathroom and perhaps takes a full ritual bath, and her entire upper body is exposed in front of her adult, mature daughter, on the pretext that there is no stranger and she is her daughter! This is a great error. It is not permissible for the daughter to see the woman's private parts. And the woman's private parts, we know, with regard to all mahrams, male or female, there is no difference in that. So the woman is entirely a private part except the neck where the collar is; except the arms which she is compelled to expose when she performs ablution in her house; except a part of the lower legs. This is all that is permissible for a woman to be lenient in displaying before her mahrams, including the children, whether male or female. Accordingly, it is not permissible for a woman to take her adult daughter into the bathroom on the pretext of rubbing her back! Because the mother's back is a private part with regard to the daughter. This is what many people are ignorant of, and the few who know this ruling are lenient and negligent with it. So this is a reminder, and the reminder benefits the believers.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Boys? Say "boys."
The Shaykh : The answer to this question requires an introduction and a preamble, and I believe that the majority of Muslims today are either ignorant of it or neglect it. That is because the Noble Qur'an explicitly states that a Muslim woman is not permitted to display her hidden adornment except to her father and her mahrams, let alone her husband. People today do not observe this legal ruling. Women expose their chests, necks, and arms in front of brothers and sisters, and perhaps in front of non-mahram relatives such as cousins and maternal cousins, and the like. We must know that a Muslim woman, with regard to non-mahrams—even if they are relatives—is not permitted to appear before them except as she appears before a stranger; that is, with only her face and her hands. This is if she wishes to take a dispensation and adopt the permissibility. Otherwise, the most complete for her is also not to show her face to strangers. Accordingly, a woman is not permitted to appear before what they call her "salf"—that is, her sister's husband. She is not permitted to appear before her sister's husband except as she appears before any stranger. This is what the verse
not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons
وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا ... وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَائِهِنَّ ... أَوْ أَبْنَائِهِنَّexcept to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons
وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَائِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَاءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَائِهِنَّThe Shaykh : Once we know this preamble, the answer to this question is: When must a woman veil herself before small boys who have not reached puberty; that is, the age of legal accountability?
The Shaykh : The answer to this question is: The small boy and the small child have two states. At the time when he has not reached the age of legal accountability, he has two states:
The Shaykh : The first state is that he is an ordinary boy and child; meaning his sexual desire has not been stirred. In this state, it is permissible for a Muslim woman to appear before him as she appears before mahrams, and not more than that.
The Shaykh : As for if the boy, despite not having reached the age of legal accountability, shows signs that he has come to know what is there regarding sex, as they say today, and that he may speak, or wink, or touch, and the like; then in that case—in this situation—he should be treated, despite not having reached the age of legal accountability, as one who has reached the age of legal accountability, by way of blocking the means to harm; because he is among those who have seen the private parts of women, even though the original rule in this, as we said, is the age of legal accountability.
The Shaykh : This is the answer to this question.
The Shaykh : And we must pay great attention to this issue; because people have neglected it completely, except for those whom Allah protects, and they are few. You hardly find a Muslim home where this legal aspect is observed. For example, the mother covers herself in front of her son, she veils herself with this obligatory veil in front of her daughter. The mother enters the bathroom and perhaps takes a full ritual bath, and her entire upper body is exposed in front of her adult, mature daughter, on the pretext that there is no stranger and she is her daughter! This is a great error. It is not permissible for the daughter to see the woman's private parts. And the woman's private parts, we know, with regard to all mahrams, male or female, there is no difference in that. So the woman is entirely a private part except the neck where the collar is; except the arms which she is compelled to expose when she performs ablution in her house; except a part of the lower legs. This is all that is permissible for a woman to be lenient in displaying before her mahrams, including the children, whether male or female. Accordingly, it is not permissible for a woman to take her adult daughter into the bathroom on the pretext of rubbing her back! Because the mother's back is a private part with regard to the daughter. This is what many people are ignorant of, and the few who know this ruling are lenient and negligent with it. So this is a reminder, and the reminder benefits the believers.
Source
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The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.