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their fathers or their husbands’fathers, or their sons or their husbands’sons, or their brothers or their
brothers‘ sons or their sisters‘ sons, or their women, or those whom their right hands possess, or male
servants who lack sexual desire, or children who are not aware of women’s nakedness; and that they should
not strike their feet in order to make known what they hide of their adornment.... (24:30-31)
Several divine injunctions are contained in these two verses. Two of them pertain to both men and women,
namely, the lowering of the gaze and the guarding of the sexual organs, while the rest are addressed
exclusively to women.
A difference is to be noted here between the expressions, “lower their gazes” and “guard their sexual
organs,” signifying that while the sexual organs must be totally guarded without any leeway, the lowering of
the gaze is only partial, because necessity and the general interest of the people require that some looking
at members of the opposite sex be allowed.
“Lowering the gazes” does not mean that in the presence of the Opposite sex the eyes should be shut or
that the head should be bowed toward the ground, since this would be impossible; in another place the
Qur‘ân says, “Lower thy voice” (31:19), which does not mean sealing the lips. Here “lowering of the gazes”
means to avert one’s gaze from the faces of the passers-by and not to caress the attractive features of the
members of the opposite sex with one’s eyes. The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) told ‘All ibn Abû Talib, “Ali, do not let a
second look follow the first. The first look is allowed to you but not the second.’‘(Reported by Ahmad, Abû
Daoud, and al-Tirmidhî) The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) considered hungry and lustful looks at a person of the
opposite sex as “the zina of the eye,” according to his saying, “The eyes also commit zina, and their zina is
the lustful look.” (Compiled by al-Bukhâri and others.) He termed the lustful look zina because it gives
sexual pleasure and gratification in an unlawful way. This is also what Jesus (s.a.w.s.) is reported to have
said in the Gospel of Matthew: You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery‘. But I say to
you that everyone who so much as looks at woman with evil desire for her has already committed adultery
with her in his heart. (Matt. 5:2728)
Indeed, such hungry and lustful looks are not merely a danger to chastity but they also result in agitation of
the mind and disturbed thoughts. The poet says, “If you let your looks go a-wandering, Many charming
sights will make your heart pine.The one you see cannot belong to you altogether, Nor will your heart remain
content with the little you saw.”
The Prohibition of Looking at the ‘Awrah of Others
Looking at the ‘awrah (Awrah (lit., that which is to be hidden) denotes those parts of the body which Islâm
requires to be covered in front of others whether of the same or the opposite sex. (Trans.)) of another person
must be avoided. The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) forbade that any person should look at the ‘awrah of another,
whether of the same or the opposite sex, and whether with or without desire, saying, A man should not look
at the ‘awrah of another man, nor a woman of a woman, nor should a man go under one cloth with another
man, nor a woman with another woman. (Compiled by Muslim, Abû Daoud, and al-Tirmidhî. Scholars have
inferred from this that two men, or two women, should not lie under the same covering so that parts of their
bodies touch)
The ‘awrah of a man referred to in this hadith is from his navel to his knee, although some scholars, such as
Ibn Hazm and some Maliki jurists, do not include the knee. With respect to a man who is not her mahrem, a
woman’s ‘awrah is her entire body excepting only her face and hands, while with respect to a mahrem such
as her father or brother it is different. This we will discuss later.
What it is haram to look at is also of course haram to touch with the hands or with any other parts of the
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body.
What we have said concerning the prohibition of looking at or touching the parts of the body which must be
covered becomes void in case of need or necessity such as first aid or medical treatment. At the same time,
what we have said about the permissibility of looking becomes void in case of lust, as the ways leading to
sin must be blocked.
What May Be Seen of the Man or Woman
It is clear from the above discussion that a woman may look at a man’s body, apart from his ‘awrah, which is
from the navel to the knee, provided that her looking is free of lust and that no temptation is feared. The
Prophet (s.a.w.s.) let ‘Aishah watch the Abyssinians while they were engaging in spear play in the courtyard
of the Prophet’s mosque; she watched their performance until she had enough and retired. (Compiled by al-
Bukhâri and Muslim.)
Similarly, a man is permitted to look at a woman’s face and hands, since they are not part of her ‘awrah,
provided that the looking is without lust and that no temptation is feared. ‘Aishah narrated that her sister
Asma once came to the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) clad in transparent clothes which revealed her body. The Prophet
(s.a.w.s.) averted his gaze and told her, ‘Asma, when a woman begins to menstruate, nothing should be
seen of her except this and this,‘ and he pointed to his face and hands. (Reported by Abû Daoud.)
This hadith is classified as weak, but there are other sound ahadith which support the thesis that only the
face and hands may be seen if they can be viewed without temptation.
In summary, the innocent look at what is other than the ‘awrah of a man or a woman is permissible as long
as it does not become an intent look or is repeated with perhaps a taint of pleasure and lust. It is the
reasonableness of the Islâmic Shari‘ah that a glance which accidentally falls on something which it is not
permissible to see is forgiven. Jarir ibn ‘Abdullah narrated, “I asked Allâh’s Messenger (s.a.w.s.) about the
unexpected glance. He replied, ‘Avert your eyes,‘ meaning, do not look back deliberately.” (Reported by
Ahmad, Abû Daoud, Muslim, and al-Tirmidhî)
The Display of Women’s Adornment: What Is and What Is Not
Thus far we have discussed the subject of the lowering of the gaze, which is commanded for both
menand women in the two verses cited. These verses also contain other divine instructions. Says
Allâh Subhanahu wa Ta‘ala: That they should...not display their adornment, except that which is
apparent of it. (24:31)
The adornment of women includes both natural features such as the face, hair, and other attractive
parts of the body, and artificial enhancement of beauty, such as the dress, ornaments, make-up, and
the like. In this noble ayah Allâh Ta‘ala commands women not to show their adornment “except that
which is apparent of it.”
There is some difference of opinion among scholars concerning the extent of this exception. Does it
mean what is exposed by necessity and without intention, for example, if the wind exposes some
part? Or does it mean what is custumarily, or instinctively, or by its very nature exposed?
The majority of the early Muslim jurists accept the latter meaning. Ibn ‘Abbas interprets “except what
is apparent of it” to mean kohl and a ring, and Anas has said something similar; the permissibility of
showing the face and hands is implicit in the permissibility of showing kohl and a ring. Sa‘id ibn
Jubayr, ‘Ata and al-Awzai have stated explicitly that the showing of the face and hands is
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