What Is the Ruling for a Man To See a Non-Muslim Slave Woman?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

what is the ruling for a man to see a woman who is non-Muslim/Muslim/Non-Muslims but a slave (enslaved by Islamic rulings), how much is their nakedness (‘awra)?

I heard Non-Muslim’s nakedness (‘awra) is from navel to knee, then if we see the dancing of girls in shorts what’s wrong with them?

This thought always bothers me. I want to clarify myself.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

Men Looking at Muslim, Non-Muslim Women

The nakedness (‘awra) in front of marriageable (non-Mahram) males consists of the whole body except the face, hands, and feet.

Women Looking at Non-Muslim Women

The nakedness (‘awra) of a Non-Muslim woman is that of a Muslim woman in front of Muslim women i.e. the whole body must be covered from the navel to the knees with the condition that one does not look with desire and with the intention of pleasure. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar; al-Mawsu’a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya; Al-Nahlawi, al-Durar al-Mubaha]

Dancing of Girls

However, seeing the dancing of girls, be they Muslim or Non-Muslim with shorts that are not below the knee, is not permissible, especially since people tend to copy the dancing of the corrupt and that which is associated with the immoral type.

In conclusion, in a world where social media is common and everyone possesses a mobile phone. People tend to video anything and share it amongst family and friends and it ends up being watched by all. Also, we live in a world of ever-increasing trials (fitna) of aggressive homosexuality and lesbianism where caution needs to be observed.

Read the detailed exposition provided in the link below that covers the nakedness of men and women in front of others.

Check these links:
A Detailed Exposition of the Fiqh of Covering One’s Nakedness (awra) – SeekersGuidance
What Are the Ethical Standards for Interacting with Opposite Genders? – SeekersGuidance
Do Non-Muslims in Muslim Lands Have to Live According Islamic Rulings? (seekersguidance.org)
Women’s Attire in Private and Around Unmarriageable Relatives (seekersguidance.org)

Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersAcademy (seekersguidance.org)

I pray this helps in your question.

[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey.

He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled into an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and Alimiyyah sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan.

He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for a number of years. He has taught hifz of the Qur’an, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to both children and adults onsite and online extensively in UK and Ireland. He was teaching at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences.

He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His personal interest is the love of books and gardening.