Why did Allah not mention the maternal and paternal uncles in the verse of prohibited relatives in Surat al-Nur? Is it, as Ibn Kathir said, that they describe the woman to their sons?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. A questioner says: Allah the Exalted mentioned in Surat al-Nur the relatives before whom a woman may appear, but He did not mention the maternal and paternal uncles. Ibn Kathir stated in his tafsir that the maternal and paternal uncles were not mentioned because they describe the woman to their sons. Is it permissible for a woman not to wear her khimar in front of her maternal or paternal uncle and not to display her adornment before them?
The Shaykh : A woman may display her adornment before her maternal and paternal uncles just as she displays it before her brother, father, and son. However, a woman may fear fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) from her uncle, in which case she should veil herself from him. And this, may Allah know best, is the secret behind Allah the Exalted not mentioning the maternal and paternal uncles. It is not because they describe her to their sons, but because the further the kinship, the closer the fitnah. The further the kinship, the closer the fitnah. There is no doubt that the gaze of a father or son toward a daughter or mother is not like his gaze toward an aunt or uncle; that is, an aunt or uncle may be tempted by her. Likewise, the mahram (a relative one may not marry) through breastfeeding is not like the mahram through blood relation, because a person’s jealousy (ghirah) regarding blood relatives is stronger than his jealousy regarding relatives through breastfeeding. So the secret, may Allah know best, is this: Allah did not mention the maternal and paternal uncles because their case requires detail. If fitnah is feared from the maternal or paternal uncle, it is obligatory to veil oneself from him. If fitnah is not feared, then he is like the brother, son, and father. Yes.
The questioner : Complete veiling?
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : Complete veiling?
The Shaykh : No, no. There is no veiling required except if fitnah is feared. Then she veils herself as she veils herself from non-mahram men. When the time for the Ishraq prayer comes, inform me.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : You are the one responsible. There is nothing.
The Shaykh : A woman may display her adornment before her maternal and paternal uncles just as she displays it before her brother, father, and son. However, a woman may fear fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) from her uncle, in which case she should veil herself from him. And this, may Allah know best, is the secret behind Allah the Exalted not mentioning the maternal and paternal uncles. It is not because they describe her to their sons, but because the further the kinship, the closer the fitnah. The further the kinship, the closer the fitnah. There is no doubt that the gaze of a father or son toward a daughter or mother is not like his gaze toward an aunt or uncle; that is, an aunt or uncle may be tempted by her. Likewise, the mahram (a relative one may not marry) through breastfeeding is not like the mahram through blood relation, because a person’s jealousy (ghirah) regarding blood relatives is stronger than his jealousy regarding relatives through breastfeeding. So the secret, may Allah know best, is this: Allah did not mention the maternal and paternal uncles because their case requires detail. If fitnah is feared from the maternal or paternal uncle, it is obligatory to veil oneself from him. If fitnah is not feared, then he is like the brother, son, and father. Yes.
The questioner : Complete veiling?
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : Complete veiling?
The Shaykh : No, no. There is no veiling required except if fitnah is feared. Then she veils herself as she veils herself from non-mahram men. When the time for the Ishraq prayer comes, inform me.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : You are the one responsible. There is nothing.