What is the ruling on a woman removing her clothes in a store? Does this fall under the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “May Allah curse the woman who removes her clothes outside her husband’s house”?
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The questioner : Regarding a woman removing her clothes in a place of buying and selling, does the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) apply to her: Al-Mustadrak lil-Hakim 39:103 The hadith.
The Shaykh : First, I understand from this hadith that removing clothes means removing them completely, meaning becoming naked!
The questioner : And this does not happen in the store.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : So is this specific to the bathroom?
The Shaykh : No, I didn’t finish. I said first, and it may mean second, and it may mean third, Allah knows best. First, the hadith applies to the woman who strips herself completely of her clothes, and therefore it was used as evidence for the prohibition of entering the bathroom outside her home. However, I say that if a woman is compelled to bathe in a house other than the house of her people, her relatives, and her mahrams, then at that time one should look into securing the blocking of the means to harm, because this ruling is not purely devotional where the wisdom or the operative cause of the Messenger’s (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibition of the woman becoming naked is unknown. Rather, this is a ruling with a comprehensible meaning, because that may expose her to temptation regarding her honor. If there is a mahram with her who protects her in case someone tries to assault her, then at that time the prohibition is lifted. If such a barrier is found, even by a means other than a mahram, for example if she is in a house where she is certain there are no men, then it is permissible for her to bathe after also taking precautions so that no one, even among the women, sees her awrah. If we know the text and its jurisprudence, we can now arrive at the answer to the question directly. I say that these rooms set up in clothing trade places, if first they are secure and there are no eyes spying and watching who enters these rooms from among the women, then we hear that there are some halls in some large, massive hotels where wedding parties are held, and there are what are called cameras placed in some corners so that those sitting in that hall do not notice them, but they record, and whoever is in the hall does not feel it and says there is no one, but there are individuals and unseen eyes that see but are not seen. If first these rooms are secure and there are no such watching eyes, and second, there is with this woman, even outside the room, one of her mahrams or one of her friends such that she is safe for herself from any unexpected incident, with these precautions, it can be said that it is permissible for the Muslim woman to enter and try on the garment she wants to buy. But I say that I do not see it for the Muslim woman to be so concerned about the type of her clothing that she cannot be satisfied with it unless she wears it as a trial, because I understand that the intention of all this is for the clothes to be tight on her and not loose, and this is contrary to the ruling of the Shari'ah, which requires that her clothes not be transparent and not be form-fitting. Therefore, I think that merely entering such a room, with all the precautions we have stipulated, is not free from violating the Shari'ah!
Another questioner : In confirmation of what I said, may Allah reward you... In Amman, a man brought his family to get married in this hotel, and the wedding night was completely filmed, and the matter was exposed, and this hotel was closed as a result of this incident!
The Shaykh : Like this.
Another questioner : Yes, and this tape was being distributed for hundreds of dinars.
The Shaykh : I seek refuge in Allah. This is in the lands of Islam!! So what about the lands of disbelief and tyranny?
Another questioner: We ask Allah for safety.
Abu Layla : ... I mentioned, my Shaykh, in this issue... I said, my Shaykh, something, of course, is understood from your words. I understand from your words, you mentioned but... that the mahram is present and that the place is trustworthy. You know, my Shaykh, in Australia there is no trust in terms of merchants and such... because you know, most of them are disbelievers!
The questioner : And most fitting rooms are open from the bottom.
Abu Layla : Also, my Shaykh, there are recording cameras so that there is no theft of clothes. The customer might wear other clothes under their clothes, and this happens a lot in America, meaning...
The Shaykh : How, excuse me, I didn’t understand that.
Abu Layla : Now, my Shaykh, in some large stores, there are recording cameras to monitor customers, and this monitoring extends to the fitting rooms so that this customer does not steal other clothes he wears under his clothes and leaves with the clothes he entered with...
The Shaykh : Yes, it is possible.
Any woman who removes her clothes...
أيما امرأة نزعت ثيابها ...The Shaykh : First, I understand from this hadith that removing clothes means removing them completely, meaning becoming naked!
The questioner : And this does not happen in the store.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : So is this specific to the bathroom?
The Shaykh : No, I didn’t finish. I said first, and it may mean second, and it may mean third, Allah knows best. First, the hadith applies to the woman who strips herself completely of her clothes, and therefore it was used as evidence for the prohibition of entering the bathroom outside her home. However, I say that if a woman is compelled to bathe in a house other than the house of her people, her relatives, and her mahrams, then at that time one should look into securing the blocking of the means to harm, because this ruling is not purely devotional where the wisdom or the operative cause of the Messenger’s (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibition of the woman becoming naked is unknown. Rather, this is a ruling with a comprehensible meaning, because that may expose her to temptation regarding her honor. If there is a mahram with her who protects her in case someone tries to assault her, then at that time the prohibition is lifted. If such a barrier is found, even by a means other than a mahram, for example if she is in a house where she is certain there are no men, then it is permissible for her to bathe after also taking precautions so that no one, even among the women, sees her awrah. If we know the text and its jurisprudence, we can now arrive at the answer to the question directly. I say that these rooms set up in clothing trade places, if first they are secure and there are no eyes spying and watching who enters these rooms from among the women, then we hear that there are some halls in some large, massive hotels where wedding parties are held, and there are what are called cameras placed in some corners so that those sitting in that hall do not notice them, but they record, and whoever is in the hall does not feel it and says there is no one, but there are individuals and unseen eyes that see but are not seen. If first these rooms are secure and there are no such watching eyes, and second, there is with this woman, even outside the room, one of her mahrams or one of her friends such that she is safe for herself from any unexpected incident, with these precautions, it can be said that it is permissible for the Muslim woman to enter and try on the garment she wants to buy. But I say that I do not see it for the Muslim woman to be so concerned about the type of her clothing that she cannot be satisfied with it unless she wears it as a trial, because I understand that the intention of all this is for the clothes to be tight on her and not loose, and this is contrary to the ruling of the Shari'ah, which requires that her clothes not be transparent and not be form-fitting. Therefore, I think that merely entering such a room, with all the precautions we have stipulated, is not free from violating the Shari'ah!
Another questioner : In confirmation of what I said, may Allah reward you... In Amman, a man brought his family to get married in this hotel, and the wedding night was completely filmed, and the matter was exposed, and this hotel was closed as a result of this incident!
The Shaykh : Like this.
Another questioner : Yes, and this tape was being distributed for hundreds of dinars.
The Shaykh : I seek refuge in Allah. This is in the lands of Islam!! So what about the lands of disbelief and tyranny?
Another questioner: We ask Allah for safety.
Abu Layla : ... I mentioned, my Shaykh, in this issue... I said, my Shaykh, something, of course, is understood from your words. I understand from your words, you mentioned but... that the mahram is present and that the place is trustworthy. You know, my Shaykh, in Australia there is no trust in terms of merchants and such... because you know, most of them are disbelievers!
The questioner : And most fitting rooms are open from the bottom.
Abu Layla : Also, my Shaykh, there are recording cameras so that there is no theft of clothes. The customer might wear other clothes under their clothes, and this happens a lot in America, meaning...
The Shaykh : How, excuse me, I didn’t understand that.
Abu Layla : Now, my Shaykh, in some large stores, there are recording cameras to monitor customers, and this monitoring extends to the fitting rooms so that this customer does not steal other clothes he wears under his clothes and leaves with the clothes he entered with...
The Shaykh : Yes, it is possible.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.