We have a foreign maid; is it permissible for her to uncover herself in front of the women of the household, given that she is Muslim?

The questioner : The questioner says: We have a foreign maid; is it permissible for her to uncover herself in front of the women of the household, given that she is Muslim?

The Shaykh : A woman may look at another woman’s face, head, hands, forearms, feet, and legs, whether that woman is Muslim or a disbeliever. This is because the stronger opinion regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted: is that “their women” refers to the category of women, not a specific description. Some scholars have said that “their women” means the women of the believers, and that it is not permissible for a Muslim woman to uncover herself in front of a disbelieving woman. However, the correct view is that “their women” refers to the category, meaning women of their kind, and that it is permissible for a Muslim woman to uncover herself in front of a disbelieving woman.

The questioner : The questioner says: The questioner asks...

The Shaykh : Here I point out an issue in which some people have been deceived, which is . Some women have thought that it is permissible for a woman to wear short clothes that reach the knee, and to wear also upper garments from which the upper arm, the chest, and the neck are visible, and the like. This is an error. The hadith clarifies that a woman does not look at the 'awrah of a woman; it addresses the one looking, not the one wearing. As for the one wearing, she must wear covering clothes. The clothes of the women of the Companions reached the hand and the foot, to the ankle, and perhaps they had trains when going out to the market that reached the length of the arm, all of this in order to cover the feet. Here there is a distinction between the clothing and the looking. However, if we suppose that the hadith is applied in the sense that if a woman was wearing covering clothes but her leg became visible, either because she lifted her garment for a need or the like, then it is permissible for the other woman to look at it. Likewise, if she was among women and wearing covering clothes, but her breast came out to nurse her child, or her chest came out for some reason, then there is no harm in that in front of women. As for adopting short clothes, that is not permissible because of the evil and corruption in it.