What a Muslim Woman Is Permitted to Reveal Before a Non-Muslim Woman

Q: What are the things a Muslim woman can reveal before a non-Muslim woman, such as a Buddhist? And is it true that she is not permitted to reveal anything except her face?

A: The correct view is that a woman reveals to another woman, whether she is Muslim or non-Muslim, what is above the navel and below the knee. As for what is between the navel and the knee, it is an awrah (part of the body that must be covered) in the case of everyone; a woman does not see it from another woman, whether she is Muslim or non-Muslim, close or distant, just as the awrah of a man is not seen by another man. So a woman may see another woman’s chest, head, and legs, and the like, just as a man may see another man’s chest, legs, and head.
As for the statement of some scholars that a non-Muslim woman is not to be revealed to by a believing woman, that is the weaker position of the two views of the scholars. This is because Jewish women used to enter upon the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) during his time, and likewise pagan women, for their needs. It is not recorded that they used to veil themselves from them, and they were the most God-fearing and best of women.