The woman's awrah rests on the same principle as that of the man, that of respect for modesty and good morals. The awrah thus constitutes an essential rule in Islam that enjoins women and men to cover their bodies out of concern for their own intimacy and for preservation against temptations and debauchery within the community. This Islamic foundation neither restricts Muslims in their deeds and gestures nor gives them complexes. On the contrary, respecting the awrah of the Muslim woman extricates her from that status of object-woman in which modern society may confine her.
What is the woman's awrah and how should it be protected ? Who has the right to see the awrah of the woman ? This is what we are going to see in this article.
Women's awrah: reminder of the definition of an awrah
The awrah is the phonetic form of the Arabic word عورة which means nakedness, parts of the body that one wishes to hide out of modesty. It is a word found in the Holy Quran and carries more meanings in Islam than the simple act of covering a part of one's body. It can mean a place where one is exposed, a vulnerable point, that of which one is ashamed, private parts.
Women's awrah : Which parts must a woman cover ?
According to the majority of scholars, and this, contrary to men, the woman in her entirety is an awrah except for the areas of her face and her two hands.
As proof upon which the various schools of jurisprudence rely, including the Maliki school, there is this hadith reported by Abu Dawud :
According to 'Aicha (may Allah be pleased with her), Asma Bint Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her and her father) came in to the Prophet (may the prayer of Allah and His salutation be upon him) while she was wearing a thin garment.
The Prophet (may the prayer of Allah and His salutation be upon him) then turned away from her and said: « O Asma! Indeed, when a woman reaches the age of menstruation, it is fitting that nothing of her be seen except this and this » and he pointed to his face and his two hands.
It therefore befits the pubescent woman to cover all the parts of her body with legislated garments that constitute a preservation for her against any bad intention or covetousness. Whether married or not, as soon as she enters the age of puberty the Muslim woman learns to dress in such a way as to be preserved from bad intentions. It is a means of protecting herself and not of confining herself. The pious woman is not defined by the display of her adornments and the admiration that ensues, but by the weight of her impact (intellectual, spiritual, emotional or even material) around her.
Her body is revealed only within the limits that Allah and His Messenger, peace and salutation be upon him, have prescribed and taught her.
Her hair, her neck and her nape, her ears (and thus the jewellery she wears), as well as her chest (and the jewellery hidden there), will be covered with a wide and opaque Islamic veil. Her arms and forearms (and again the jewellery), shoulders and the rest of her body, feet included, will be covered by the garments that please her as long as they respect the principles of modesty and are legislated. For this, they must be :
- Loose
- Opaque
- Not close-fitting
- Not attract attention nor be extravagant (not constitute in themselves an adornment such as a wedding or festive garment that draws the gaze)
- Not be among the garments of men or of non-Muslim women
- Not be perfumed
Women's awrah : who may see the woman's awrah ?
The maharim (plural of mahram) are the people whom a woman cannot marry and before whom she may unveil herself within the bounds of decency and propriety. The list was revealed by the Lord of the Worlds in the Quran : husband, father of her husband, father, maternal and paternal grandfathers, maternal and paternal uncles, brothers, sons of her brothers and sons of her sisters, sons, sons of her sons, sons of her daughters, sons of her husband. Milk-brothers are included in this rule.
It is easy to understand that if no limit is imposed on the woman regarding undressing and adorning herself before her husband (the only one who may see the adornments and the body of his wife), the other maharim, such as her children or the other members of her family, may, for their part, see her awrah only with modesty. Thus the woman may remain without a veil before her offspring and her brothers and sisters for example, but will be dressed in a modest manner before them.
Questions around the woman's awrah
Are the feet awrah for the woman ?
Yes. As cited above, the ulema (scholars in Islam) are for the most part of the opinion that the feet are awrah for the woman. This is testified by this verse of the Quran and this prophetic tradition :
-"And let them not stamp their feet so as to make known what they hide of their adornment." Surah An Nur (24) Verse 31
-According to 'Abdallah Ibn 'Omar (may Allah be pleased with them), the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "Whoever lets his garment trail out of pride, Allah will not look at him on the Day of Judgement."
Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) said: How should women do with their hems ?
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "They may lower them by a span."
She said: Then their feet will be uncovered.
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "They may lower them by a cubit and let them not add to that."
Is the voice part of the woman's awrah ?
No. The Quranic text proves that the voice of the woman is not a nakedness to be hidden.
O wives of the Prophet ! You are not comparable to any other woman. If you are pious, do not be too soft in your speech, so that the one whose heart is diseased [the hypocrite] does not covet you. And speak in a decent manner. Surah Al Ahzab verse 32
What we learn in this verse of the Quran is not a prohibition made to the mothers of the Believers, may Allah be pleased with them all, who are our examples to us all, but an incitement, a recommendation to modesty.
What then of women among themselves ? Must they cover themselves when they are together or not ?
How to preserve their awrah among women ?
Modesty is a foundation upon which the pillars of the daily life of the Muslim woman (and of Muslim men) are built. Thus certain aspects of her life will have to be thought through in order to preserve what Allah, and His Messenger peace and salutation be upon him, has already legislated for her. The body of the woman being entirely nakedness, the woman must guard herself against doing any act contrary to the laws meant to preserve the woman's awrah.
Islam in no way prevents the Muslim woman from taking care of herself, quite the contrary, but she must choose the means and the places that respect these principles.
Thus, and to cite only this case, the removal of hair from the parts of her body must be done by her own care, or, without exceeding the limits set for her, that is to say not letting appear what she must hide of her woman's awrah.