What is the limit of a woman's awrah (part of the body that must be covered) in front of another woman?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Shaykh, what is the limit of a woman's awrah (part of the body that must be covered) in front of a woman, whether she is one of her relatives or a non-relative woman?
The Shaykh : Yes, it appears that her awrah (part of the body that must be covered) is like the awrah (part of the body that must be covered) of a man in front of a man; a woman's awrah (part of the body that must be covered) in front of a woman is like a man's awrah (part of the body that must be covered) in front of a man.
The questioner : Whether she is from her family or...?
The Shaykh : Whether she is from the family or from non-relative women, or from a believer or a disbeliever, there is no difference.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But what do you want from this question?
Do you want a woman to go out wearing a garment that covers only what is between the navel and the knee in front of her women?!
Do you want this?
The women who ask about this point want this; they want us to say: a woman goes out in front of a woman and she only needs a garment that covers what is between the navel and the knee. This is absolutely impossible to say. Even in front of disbelieving women, she must put something on her breast. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the one who looks but did not grant a dispensation to the one who wears [revealing clothing]. He said:Sunan Ibn Majah 661Sahih (Darussalam) Do you understand?
And there is a difference here, and therefore we say: the meaning of this hadith is that if a woman's leg is exposed while doing something in her house, or her arm or upper arm is exposed while doing something in her house, or her chest is exposed due to heat or something similar, or her breast comes out to nurse her child in front of women, there is no harm in it. However, the clothing must be loose and covering, as the women of the Companions did, meaning from the wrist to the ankle, and this is in the house. And when she goes out, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) permitted her, meaning the woman, to let her garment hang down to the forearm so that her foot is not exposed.
And leave alone those who follow the ambiguous (mutashabih) of the texts of the Book and the Sunnah, for these people are in great danger. And among the wisdom of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is that Allah made some of the texts of the Book and the Sunnah clear (muhkam) with no ambiguity or confusion, and it is known that every person will believe in this.
And He made some of them ambiguous (mutashabih) as a test. So whoever is a firm believer in knowledge interprets the ambiguous (mutashabih) according to the clear (muhkam), so that all of it becomes clear (muhkam). And whoever has a deviation in his heart interprets the clear (muhkam) according to the ambiguous (mutashabih) and follows the ambiguous (mutashabih). So let the believer beware of being among these people.
And know, O brother, that the trial (fitnah) of women is great, and that many of the previous nations perished because of it, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: And this trial (fitnah) will also be in this Ummah (the Muslim community) because of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): In our present age, our enemies have not come to us saying: worship Christ, or worship al-Lat and al-Uzza, or worship the cow, or the sun and the moon, because they know that this is not acceptable to us. But they come to us from the direction of desires, so they placed the trial (fitnah) in women. And it is known that if a person follows this trial (fitnah), he becomes like a beast, having no concern except satisfying his stomach and following his desire. So he perishes, goes astray, and leads others astray. Therefore, look at how people rush to buy Viagra pills when they appeared; they buy them at high prices, and they may sometimes kill a person, but he says: perhaps I will be among the saved. Why?
Because these pills strengthen desire, so people rush to them. If it were announced that a teacher in a nearby or distant country is teaching the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law) with its principles and branches, would you see them rushing to that?
Answer me, O brothers?
The questioner : We do not think so.
The Shaykh : I do not think so; if some of them mentioned it, the others would lag behind. So this trial (fitnah) has now become a problem. Modesty has been removed from many women, and they look at the women of the West from whom Allah has removed modesty and faith. And modesty, as we know, is from faith. And some people who follow desires, and whose women have ridden them, have become like this. Therefore, it is obligatory for the young men of the Muslims to beware of this trial (fitnah). This is a great trial (fitnah) and not a light one. And we must block every path and close every door that leads to us. We ask Allah to protect the Muslims.
The Shaykh : Yes, it appears that her awrah (part of the body that must be covered) is like the awrah (part of the body that must be covered) of a man in front of a man; a woman's awrah (part of the body that must be covered) in front of a woman is like a man's awrah (part of the body that must be covered) in front of a man.
The questioner : Whether she is from her family or...?
The Shaykh : Whether she is from the family or from non-relative women, or from a believer or a disbeliever, there is no difference.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But what do you want from this question?
Do you want a woman to go out wearing a garment that covers only what is between the navel and the knee in front of her women?!
Do you want this?
The women who ask about this point want this; they want us to say: a woman goes out in front of a woman and she only needs a garment that covers what is between the navel and the knee. This is absolutely impossible to say. Even in front of disbelieving women, she must put something on her breast. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the one who looks but did not grant a dispensation to the one who wears [revealing clothing]. He said:
No woman should look at the nakedness of another woman
لا تنظر المرأة إلى عورة المرأةAnd there is a difference here, and therefore we say: the meaning of this hadith is that if a woman's leg is exposed while doing something in her house, or her arm or upper arm is exposed while doing something in her house, or her chest is exposed due to heat or something similar, or her breast comes out to nurse her child in front of women, there is no harm in it. However, the clothing must be loose and covering, as the women of the Companions did, meaning from the wrist to the ankle, and this is in the house. And when she goes out, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) permitted her, meaning the woman, to let her garment hang down to the forearm so that her foot is not exposed.
And leave alone those who follow the ambiguous (mutashabih) of the texts of the Book and the Sunnah, for these people are in great danger. And among the wisdom of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is that Allah made some of the texts of the Book and the Sunnah clear (muhkam) with no ambiguity or confusion, and it is known that every person will believe in this.
And He made some of them ambiguous (mutashabih) as a test. So whoever is a firm believer in knowledge interprets the ambiguous (mutashabih) according to the clear (muhkam), so that all of it becomes clear (muhkam). And whoever has a deviation in his heart interprets the clear (muhkam) according to the ambiguous (mutashabih) and follows the ambiguous (mutashabih). So let the believer beware of being among these people.
And know, O brother, that the trial (fitnah) of women is great, and that many of the previous nations perished because of it, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
The trial (fitnah) of the Children of Israel was only in women
إنّما كانت فتنة بني إسرائيل في النّساءYou will surely follow the ways of those who were before you. They said: The Jews and the Christians? He said: Yes
لتركبنّ سنن من كان قبلكم، قالوا: اليهود والنّصارى؟ قال: نعمBecause these pills strengthen desire, so people rush to them. If it were announced that a teacher in a nearby or distant country is teaching the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law) with its principles and branches, would you see them rushing to that?
Answer me, O brothers?
The questioner : We do not think so.
The Shaykh : I do not think so; if some of them mentioned it, the others would lag behind. So this trial (fitnah) has now become a problem. Modesty has been removed from many women, and they look at the women of the West from whom Allah has removed modesty and faith. And modesty, as we know, is from faith. And some people who follow desires, and whose women have ridden them, have become like this. Therefore, it is obligatory for the young men of the Muslims to beware of this trial (fitnah). This is a great trial (fitnah) and not a light one. And we must block every path and close every door that leads to us. We ask Allah to protect the Muslims.