Intimate parts in Islam

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"Awrah" redirects here. For the related term, see Aurat.
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The intimate parts (

Islamic law
.

The

Islamic scholars have used the relevant surahs and the hadiths to elaborate the concept of 'awrah which is used in fatwas
.

Etymology

Main article: Aurat (word)

In Arabic, the term 'awrah or 'awrat (عورة), with the root ‘-w-r, means "defectiveness", "imperfection", "blemish," or "weakness". The most common English translation of awrah is "nakedness".[1] In Arabic, the word 'awrah is used in reference to both men and women.

In Persian and Kurdish, the word 'awrat (Persian: عورت, Kurdish: عەورەت) derived from the Arabic 'awrah, had been used widely to mean "nakedness."

In modern-day

sexist language. In Turkish, avrat is an often derogatory term for 'woman' or 'wife'. However, in Urdu
the word 'aurat' refers to a woman, especially when showing politeness or respect.

In the Quran

Salat, the awrah must be covered.[2][3]

The term 'awrah as it is used in the Quran is confined neither to women nor to the body. The Quran uses the term in various passages in

Al-Ahzab
. For example:

... [Let] those of you who are still under age ask for your permission to come in at three times: before dawn prayer, when you take off your outer clothes at noon, and after the late evening prayer. These are three times of privacy for you. Other than these times, there is no blame on you or them to move freely, attending to one another. (Quran 24:58)

Another passage using the term 'awrah (in this case, to mean "vulnerable"[4][5]) is in Surah Al-Ahzab, where it concerns fleeing from battle:

And remember when a group of them said, “O people of Yathrib! There is no point in you staying here, so retreat!” Another group of them asked the Prophet’s permission to leave, saying, “Our homes are vulnerable,” while in fact they were not vulnerable. They only wished to flee.[5] (Quran 33:13)

'Awrah is also found in the story of creation of Adam and Eve:

O children of Adam! We have provided for you clothing to cover your nakedness and as an adornment. However, the best clothing is righteousness. This is one of Allah’s bounties, so perhaps you will be mindful. (Quran 7:26)

Another word with an almost identical meaning to 'awrah is the word farj (

Arabic: فروج).[6]
Another quote concerning covering the 'awrah is:

O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful. (Quran 33:59)

The Quran admonishes Muslim women to dress modestly and cover their private areas.[7] It explicitly states that "O wives of The Prophet, you are not like anyone among women" and as such has separate rules specifically for the wives of Muhammad. The Quran tells the male believers to talk to the wives of Muhammad from behind a hijab (curtain or veil). This passage is as follows:

And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their khimār over their breasts and not display their beauty except to their husband, their fathers, their

brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. (Quran 24:31
)

While the meaning of khimār is debated, it is often believed to be a head covering that pre-Islamic Arab women wore as an adornment. Part of the people mentioned in the surah above are those among a woman's mahram.

In the Hadith

This hadith is frequently cited by Islamic scholars to support their definition of the female 'awrah:[8]

"Asma, daughter of Abu Bakr, entered upon the Apostle of Allah (Peace be upon him) wearing thin clothes. The Apostle of Allah (Peace be upon him) turned his attention from her. He said: O Asma’, when a woman reaches the age of menstruation, it does not suit her that she displays her parts of body except this and this, and he pointed to her face and hands." Abu Dawud 4104 [9][10]

A hadith prohibits looking at private parts. According to Abu Saʽid al-Khudri, Muhammad said,

"A man should not look at the private parts of another man, and a woman should not look at the private parts of another woman. A man should not lie with another man without wearing lower garment under one cover; and a woman should not be lie with another woman without wearing lower garment under one cover." (Sahih Muslim 338a) [11]

Differences between men and women

Men

Pilgrims head to the 'mountain of mercy'.

In

Hanbali schools of thought observe that there is a difference on whether the navel and the knee itself are included. In particular, these observations generally require that the cloth not be too thin, that it is not pale to the extent the color of the skin can be seen, that a man ensures extra covering if his genitals' shape is discernible, and stipulate that the modesty of adulthood applies once a boy becomes ten years old.[12]

Women

A Turkish woman wearing a headscarf. Most Muslims hold that the face and the hands are excluded from 'awrah parts.
A Yemeni woman covering her face with niqab. Women who wear the niqab may believe that a woman's face is also part of her 'awrah.

Most modern Islamic scholars agree that, in public, a woman must cover the entire body except the face, hands, and feet.[13]

The covering of the female 'awrah changes according to the situation:

  • Among other women: The 'awrah of a woman amongst other women is the same as the 'awrah of men (from her navel to her knees). 'Awrah in front of non-Muslim women is a point of debate. Some scholars say that women should cover all but the hands and face, while according to the most preferred opinion, a Muslim woman can reveal in front of a non-Muslim woman as much as she would in front of other Muslim women.[citation needed]
  1. The
    Hanbali
    schools of thought opine that the female 'awrah must be covered from the shoulders and neck down (or navel) to below the knees.
  2. The Shafi'i school of thought opines that the female 'awrah must be covered from the navel to the knees and everything in between it.
  3. The Hanafi school of thought opines that the female 'awrah must be covered from the navel to the knees and stomach and the part of the back parallel to the stomach.
  • In front of male children: If the child understands what the 'awrah is[clarification needed], then it is not considered permissible for a woman to uncover her 'awrah in front of him.
  • In front of non-mahram men: There is a difference of opinion on which body parts a woman should cover in front of men who are not her mahram. In the contemporary world[where?], there is a general agreement that the body of a woman (except for her face and her hands up to her wrists/forearms) is 'awrah and therefore must be covered not only during prayer but also in public and in front of all non-mahram men. The Hanafis view the feet (including the ankles) to be excluded from 'awrah as well.[a][14][15]

Other non-dominant views also exist, notably the more relaxed view that a woman must cover her 'awrah only during salah and ihram, rather than almost all the time, and the opposite view that a woman must cover her 'awrah all the time except in front of her husband.[16][dead link]

Historically, the awrah for a slave woman during the

a non-Muslim, was different than that of the awrah of a free Muslim woman. The awrah of a female slave was defined as being between her navel and her knee.[17] Consequently, slave women during the era of slavery in the Muslim world did not wear hijab and could also be displayed with a bare chest.[18]
In accordance with this definition,
Umar ibn al-Khattab once reproached a slave girl for wearing a hijab with the words: “Remove your veil and do not imitate free women!”[19]

In the contemporary world, some Muslims insist that a woman's 'awrah in front of unrelated men is her entire body including her face and hands, which must be covered at all times in front of non-mahram men. Others disagree and claim it is permissible to show the face and hands. [20][21][22]

Debates, deliberations and activism

See also:
Islamic feminist views on dress codes

In modern times, the concepts of 'awrah,

cultural Muslims; liberals and progressives, modernists and Islamic feminists.[12]
In the 1930s just after Turkish reformations under Kemal Atatürk, Malaysians debated adherence to traditional Islamic social restraints over 'awrah and modesty in contemporary Islamic clothing and whether Western modernism is really essential and beneficial.[12]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The Hanbali school of thought also views the face as the 'awrah, though this view is rejected by Hanafis, Malikis and Shafi'is.

References

  1. ^ Wehr Arabic-English Dictionary pg 131
  2. ISBN 978-1-78041-019-7
    .
  3. ISBN 978-1-78308-446-3
    .
  4. ^ Tafsir An-Nur Volume 2 Page 45
  5. ^ a b Haideh Moghissi (2004). Women And Islam: Critical Concepts In Sociology, Social conditions, obstacles and prospects. p. 82.
  6. ^ Sura Al-Anbia 91, Sura Al-Muminun 3
  7. ISBN 978-0028656038
  8. ^ Sahar Amer (2014, What Is Veiling?, University of North Carolina Press, p. 33-34
  9. ^ "The Hadith Tradition | ReOrienting the Veil".
  10. ^ Dawud, Abi. "34 Clothing (Kitab Al-Libas)". sunnah.com. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  11. ^ "كتاب الحيض 3 The Book of Menstruation". sunnah.com. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  12. ^ a b c Lee, Nazirah, and Zanariah Noor. "Islam or progress of the nation?: An assessment of the aurat issue in Malay newspapers and magazines in the 1930s." Geografia-Malaysian Journal of Society and Space 12.6 (2017).
  13. ^ Sahar Amer (2014), What is Veiling?, University of North Carolina Press, p. 36
  14. ^ Hsu, Shiu-Sian. "Modesty." Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an. Ed. Jane McAuliffe. Vol. 3. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill Academic Publishers, 2003. 403-405. 6 vols.
  15. ^ Abdullah Atif Samih (March 7, 2008). "Not comupulsory to cover the face". Mutaqqun. Archived from the original on May 3, 2006. Retrieved 2008-06-02.
  16. ^ "aurat 'aridhiyah". Islam Rahmah Mission 1.
  17. ^ Anchassi, O. (2021). Status Distinctions and Sartorial Difference: Slavery, Sexual Ethics, and the Social Logic of Veiling in Islamic Law. Islamic Law and Society, 28(3), 125-155. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685195-bja10008
  18. ^ Anchassi, O. (2021). Status Distinctions and Sartorial Difference: Slavery, Sexual Ethics, and the Social Logic of Veiling in Islamic Law. Islamic Law and Society, 28(3), 125-155. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685195-bja10008
  19. ^ Anchassi, O. (2021). Status Distinctions and Sartorial Difference: Slavery, Sexual Ethics, and the Social Logic of Veiling in Islamic Law. Islamic Law and Society, 28(3), 125-155. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685195-bja10008
  20. ^ Mohammad Nasir (March 23, 2007). "In Defense of The Obligation of Niqab". Seeking Ilm. Archived from the original on July 1, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-02.
  21. ^ Abdullah Atif Samih (March 7, 2008). "What is Awrah?". Mutaqqun. Archived from the original on 2012-10-25. Retrieved 2008-06-02.
  22. ^ Marfuqi, Kitab ul Mar'ah fil Ahkam, pg 133
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