What is permissible for a woman to reveal of her body in front of her mahrams?
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The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The questioner : I read a response in your handwriting to a question that states: "She may reveal to her mahrams her face, head, neck, hands, forearms, feet, and lower legs, and cover everything else." Is this statement absolute, especially given that your position on short clothing for children and women in general is that it is not permissible?
The Shaykh : Yes, when we say that it is permissible to reveal such and such, it does not mean that it is permissible for the clothing to be of that length. However, suppose a woman is wearing a garment that reaches the ankles, and her lower leg becomes exposed due to work or otherwise; she does not sin by this if only her mahrams are present, or if only women are present.
As for adopting short clothing, we forbid it and warn against it, because we know that even if it is permissible, the situation will deteriorate to something more than that, as is the custom in other matters where people do something initially in a permissible way, and then the situation deteriorates until they descend into a forbidden matter without doubt. Similarly, the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Ibn Majah 661Sahih (Darussalam) does not mean that a woman is permitted to wear only what covers the area between her navel and her knees, and no one says this. Rather, the meaning is that if a woman's chest and lower leg become exposed while her garment is ample and wide, that does not make looking at it forbidden for a woman looking at another woman. Let us give an example: a woman nursing her child, and her breast becomes exposed in order to nurse the child; we do not tell the other woman that looking at this breast is forbidden, because this is not part of the 'awrah.
As for a woman coming and saying, "I wear nothing but trousers that cover the area between the navel and the knee," no one says this, and it is not permissible. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned that the clothing of the women of the Companions was from the palm of the hand to the ankle of the leg, if they were in their homes. But if they went out to the market, the hadith of Umm Salama is well known: that a woman lets her garment hang down,, so that her feet are not exposed when she walks.
The questioner : Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The questioner : I read a response in your handwriting to a question that states: "She may reveal to her mahrams her face, head, neck, hands, forearms, feet, and lower legs, and cover everything else." Is this statement absolute, especially given that your position on short clothing for children and women in general is that it is not permissible?
The Shaykh : Yes, when we say that it is permissible to reveal such and such, it does not mean that it is permissible for the clothing to be of that length. However, suppose a woman is wearing a garment that reaches the ankles, and her lower leg becomes exposed due to work or otherwise; she does not sin by this if only her mahrams are present, or if only women are present.
As for adopting short clothing, we forbid it and warn against it, because we know that even if it is permissible, the situation will deteriorate to something more than that, as is the custom in other matters where people do something initially in a permissible way, and then the situation deteriorates until they descend into a forbidden matter without doubt. Similarly, the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him):
No woman should look at the nakedness of another woman
لا تنظر المرأة إلى عورة المرأةAs for a woman coming and saying, "I wear nothing but trousers that cover the area between the navel and the knee," no one says this, and it is not permissible. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned that the clothing of the women of the Companions was from the palm of the hand to the ankle of the leg, if they were in their homes. But if they went out to the market, the hadith of Umm Salama is well known: that a woman lets her garment hang down,