Modesty is one of the foundations upon which the pillars of Islam are built. In order to uphold good morals in society, certain rules require the members of the Muslim community to protect their awrah. This designates the part or parts of the body that the Muslim must keep from the gaze of others. It is defined in Islamic law and it is obligatory for every pubescent man to respect this rule of the sharia at certain times of the day but also in specific places where he might be led to uncover himself.
What are these parts of the body to cover? What are the conditions, the places or the moments where the man's awrah must be respected? This is what we are going to see together.
Men's awrah : definition
Awrah is the phonetic term for the Arabic word عورة which means: parts of the body that one must hide out of modesty. From this word also derive the meanings: a place where one is exposed, that of which one is ashamed, an uncovered spot, laid bare, a vulnerable point, private parts.
The word awrah, which has the sense of nakedness, can, as seen above, have the sense of vulnerability, and it is in this sense that it is found in the Holy Quran in verse 13 of surah 33 in these terms :
Verse 31 of surah 24 speaks more of the hidden parts of women :
And in verse 58 of this same surah An Nur Allah teaches us that the moments when Muslims may be led to uncover themselves number three:
three occasions on which you undress.
It is in these three verses the plural form of the word awrah that is cited to designate the nakedness to be hidden or the vulnerability (our houses, those who are inside them) that one does not wish to leave exposed without protection.
Men's awrah : Which parts must a man cover ?
The parts of a man's awrah that he is obliged to cover in Islam, and that he must therefore protect from the gaze of others, are located between the navel and the knees according to the majority of scholars. Some scholars, even though it is always said to be preferable to cover them, say that it is not obligatory to cover the knees and the navel but rather what is between them. Everything that lies between these two points must remain covered at certain moments of our daily life such as during prayer but also outside of it. The particularity of prayer is that even the upper body of the man must remain covered during it, and this, according to the opinion of the majority of scholars.
Thus, the lower belly, the thighs and the private parts are part of the man's awrah and must not remain in the sight of others.
How to cover the awrah of a man ?
Only the wife is the one who may see the awrah of the man and vice versa.
To cover themselves and preserve their nakedness from the gaze of others, men may dress in loose and ample garments. No legislated outfit is imposed upon them in Islam. Only the protection of their nakedness, by all the means suited to each according to the preferences, the culture and the tastes of each person, is an obligation.
Qamis, djellabas, gandouras, or even loose and ample tunics are adopted by the men of the Muslim community, but it is not an obligation to wear them in order to cover one's awrah correctly. These are the most commonly used, for example on Friday in order to attend the communal prayer. Others wear them every day because they suit them.
Fairly loose trousers, not close to the body, so as to avoid revealing one's front and back parts, are sufficient, just as loose t-shirts and jumpers are also called for if one wishes to remain covered in a proper manner.
Indeed, even though it is not located within the part of the body mentioned by the awrah properly speaking, the torso cannot be uncovered by the man if he wishes to preserve his nakedness. Even for prayer, it is not permitted to the man to uncover his torso. So what then if he is in the presence of people who are strangers to his family ? One need only observe that even in civil society, uncovering one's torso in public transport, and certain places, is forbidden, and may be considered a breach of public order.
The thighs, for their part, have been the subject of divergence regarding the forbidden nature of revealing them, but the most followed opinion is to cover them because to display one's thighs, by wearing shorts for example, is likened by the scholars to provocation. Indeed, arousing desire in the opposite sex is forbidden in Islam, and modesty for men as for women is an essential foundation that protects the relations between the members of the community and of society in general.
Men's awrah : What are the places where a man must cover his awrah ?
There is no specific place where one must cover one's man's awrah. It is in daily life that the man makes sure to wear decent clothing that does not let his torso appear nor the parts of his awrah. If he is led to go to places such as the swimming pool, the river or the beach, he must take the precautions he ought to in order to respect the guideline that Islam has taught him concerning his nakedness.
The Muslim man will therefore prefer to wear swimming shorts that have the characteristic of being loose rather than cycling shorts and even less a brief. A swimming t-shirt should also be provided. Failing that, he will make sure, as far as possible, not to frequent bathing places where mixing of the sexes encourages depravity, Islam teaching us to keep away from anything that provokes the degradation of good morals and goes against modesty.