Questions regarding mahram status?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The student: ...
The Shaykh : It may have occurred, yes, but the original issue is... if it happens from him, he becomes her uncle, the son of the brother... if it happens from him, she becomes his aunt, meaning no one among the relatives whose children are permitted to marry them except the maternal uncle and the paternal uncle; all those mentioned, their descendants cannot marry them.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : No, perhaps he does not say it to a non-mahram because a non-mahram is certainly someone for whom there is a stronger bond upon him than a non-mahram; she displays her adornment and beautifies herself, and she has such and such clothing, but she will not show it to them. However, the fact that she displays it to her sister's son for her son, this may be possible because the matter in his heart is one scale, so perhaps he displays it to him. And this reasoning, in reality, as the brother Salih said, is not apparent, because this may be a rare matter. However, they sought this thing, and the only cause is that Allah did not exclude it. If He did not exclude it, and the matter is not based on mahram status, as evidenced by the fact that among them are those who are not mahrams, this indicates that this is an independent issue. So whoever Allah excluded, we exclude, and whoever Allah did not exclude, we do not exclude.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : No, this is a misconception. The adornment that Allah created... rather, the fact that a woman comes, for example, it may happen that she comes and says, "My husband, and the wife of so-and-so has such and such clothing, and the woman so-and-so has such and such clothing," this may happen, but this is something that cannot be guarded against. We say, no...
The student: ...?
The Shaykh : How? If he sees something, it is not permissible. It may have happened.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : And after that, it is limited to what the scholars have permitted. They do not permit except the face and the hands only, those who permit this thing... the head, the neck, and the legs to the knees.
The student: ...?
The Shaykh : We cannot judge Allah and say He intended such and such, these are such and such. We say, for example, this verse, "And do not display their adornment except to such and such," this is a general text from which this was excluded.
The student: ...?
The Shaykh : And mahram status regarding displaying the face and hands and the like, this is established by the text. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his wivesSahih al-Bukhari 2647 and permitted their sisters through breastfeeding, permitting them to enter upon his wives with the descent of the hijab. So the issue of looking at the face and hands and the like is different from the issue of displaying adornment; this is a different matter from this. Yes.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : This requires consideration because this is regarding the hijab in al-Ahzab. The issue of the hijab and the issue of adornment, because we said that Surat al-Nur is entirely for the preservation of private parts and for purification and cleansing; it has no relation to the hijab and what is related to it. Meaning, even that a woman does not display her adornment to the maternal uncle or the paternal uncle, fearing that what happens may happen.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Read the verse:[An-Nur 24:31]
The student: ...
The Shaykh : The stepdaughters, the daughters of the husband... their husbands.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Meaning, the father of her husband, so she is the wife of his son. Visualize these issues; there may be obscurity for a person in them. The stepdaughter is considered the husband as the "ba'l" (husband) of her mother, so this falls under the verse or does it not? What do you say? This is what 'Abdullah asked about? The stepdaughter means that she will display her adornment to the "ba'l" of her mother, is that not so? Does it fall under the verse or not? It does not fall under the verse by way of reversal. The sons of their husbands, like this, or otherwise it is not permissible by way of reversal.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : It does not contradict. We say that guarding against it is difficult. She displays her face and her legs, but she does not come beautified.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes, because the rule with us is that the issue of mahram status: the descendants of the wife, even if they descend, these are mahrams for the wife. The descendants of the husband, even if they descend, are mahrams for the wife. Meaning, the stepson from the daughters and the daughters of the daughters, and so on, becomes her husband's grandfather.
The Shaykh : It may have occurred, yes, but the original issue is... if it happens from him, he becomes her uncle, the son of the brother... if it happens from him, she becomes his aunt, meaning no one among the relatives whose children are permitted to marry them except the maternal uncle and the paternal uncle; all those mentioned, their descendants cannot marry them.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : No, perhaps he does not say it to a non-mahram because a non-mahram is certainly someone for whom there is a stronger bond upon him than a non-mahram; she displays her adornment and beautifies herself, and she has such and such clothing, but she will not show it to them. However, the fact that she displays it to her sister's son for her son, this may be possible because the matter in his heart is one scale, so perhaps he displays it to him. And this reasoning, in reality, as the brother Salih said, is not apparent, because this may be a rare matter. However, they sought this thing, and the only cause is that Allah did not exclude it. If He did not exclude it, and the matter is not based on mahram status, as evidenced by the fact that among them are those who are not mahrams, this indicates that this is an independent issue. So whoever Allah excluded, we exclude, and whoever Allah did not exclude, we do not exclude.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : No, this is a misconception. The adornment that Allah created... rather, the fact that a woman comes, for example, it may happen that she comes and says, "My husband, and the wife of so-and-so has such and such clothing, and the woman so-and-so has such and such clothing," this may happen, but this is something that cannot be guarded against. We say, no...
The student: ...?
The Shaykh : How? If he sees something, it is not permissible. It may have happened.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : And after that, it is limited to what the scholars have permitted. They do not permit except the face and the hands only, those who permit this thing... the head, the neck, and the legs to the knees.
The student: ...?
The Shaykh : We cannot judge Allah and say He intended such and such, these are such and such. We say, for example, this verse, "And do not display their adornment except to such and such," this is a general text from which this was excluded.
The student: ...?
The Shaykh : And mahram status regarding displaying the face and hands and the like, this is established by the text. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his wives
Be sure about your foster brothers, as fostership is only valid if it takes place in the suckling period (before two years of age).
انظرن من إخوانكن فإنما الرضاعة من المجاعةThe student: ...
The Shaykh : This requires consideration because this is regarding the hijab in al-Ahzab. The issue of the hijab and the issue of adornment, because we said that Surat al-Nur is entirely for the preservation of private parts and for purification and cleansing; it has no relation to the hijab and what is related to it. Meaning, even that a woman does not display her adornment to the maternal uncle or the paternal uncle, fearing that what happens may happen.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Read the verse:
except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons
إلا لبعولتهن أو آبائهن أو آباء بعولتهن أو أبنائهن أو أبناء بعولتهنThe student: ...
The Shaykh : The stepdaughters, the daughters of the husband... their husbands.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Meaning, the father of her husband, so she is the wife of his son. Visualize these issues; there may be obscurity for a person in them. The stepdaughter is considered the husband as the "ba'l" (husband) of her mother, so this falls under the verse or does it not? What do you say? This is what 'Abdullah asked about? The stepdaughter means that she will display her adornment to the "ba'l" of her mother, is that not so? Does it fall under the verse or not? It does not fall under the verse by way of reversal. The sons of their husbands, like this, or otherwise it is not permissible by way of reversal.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : It does not contradict. We say that guarding against it is difficult. She displays her face and her legs, but she does not come beautified.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes, because the rule with us is that the issue of mahram status: the descendants of the wife, even if they descend, these are mahrams for the wife. The descendants of the husband, even if they descend, are mahrams for the wife. Meaning, the stepson from the daughters and the daughters of the daughters, and so on, becomes her husband's grandfather.