Satr of Muslim Woman

· 12 Muharram 1434 AH1 min readFatwa 23268English

Question

Why is the satr a muslim women has to cover different in fornt of another muslim women and a non muslim women?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

As Muqallideen (those who follow a Mazhab), we follow the rulings and inferences of the Fuqahaa (jurists) who have deduced the juridical injunctions from the four main sources of the Shari’ah, viz. Qur’an, Hadeeth, Qiyaas and Ijmaa. Just as we do not question an expert in a certain field of study, similarly we do not question the rulings and injunctions of the Fuqahaa, who are the experts of Fiqh.

The Fuqahaa (Jurists) have mentioned that the Awrah of a Muslim woman unto another Muslim woman is the area between the navel and the knees.

However, the Awrah of a Muslim woman unto a non-Muslim woman is the entire body besides the hands, feet and face.[1]

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Ismail Desai,
Student Darul Iftaa
Durban, South Africa

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim

References (Arabic / Urdu sources)

1 و تنظر المرأة المسلمة من المرأة كالرجل من الرجل و الذمية كالرجل الأجنبي في الأصح فلا تنظر الي بدن المسلمة مجتبي (تنوير الأبصار و جامع البحار، ج 4، ص 371، ايج ايم سعيد)

و في شرح الأستاذ عبد الغني النابلسي علي هدية ابن العماد عن شرح والده الشيخ اسماعيل علي الدرر و الغرر: لا يحل للمسلمة ان تنكشف بين يدي يهودية أو نصرانية أو مشركة الا أن تكون أمة لها كما في السراج (رد المحتار، ج 4، ص 371، ايج ايم سعيد)

Answered by
Ismail Desai
Checked & approved by
Mufti Ebrahim
Questions about this ruling, answered only from the archive with sources.

Where scholars differ, it’s safer to take the more cautious view.

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