Editing Intimate parts in Islam (section)

==Differences between men and women==

===Men===
[[File:Pilgrims head to the 'mountain of mercy' - Flickr - Al Jazeera English.jpg|170px|thumbnail|left|Pilgrims head to the '[[Mount Arafat|mountain of mercy]]'.]]

In [[Sunni]] interpretations, the'' 'awrah'' of a man refers to the part of the body from the navel to the knees. The [[Maliki]], [[Shafi'i]], [[Hanafi]], and [[Hanbali]] schools of thought observe that there is a difference on whether the navel and the knee itself are included. In particular, these observations generally require that the cloth not be too thin, that it is not pale to the extent the color of the skin can be seen, that a man ensures extra covering if his genitals' shape is discernible, and stipulate that the modesty of adulthood applies once a boy becomes ten years old.<ref name=":0">Lee, Nazirah, and Zanariah Noor. "Islam or progress of the nation?: An assessment of the aurat issue in Malay newspapers and magazines in the 1930s." Geografia-Malaysian Journal of Society and Space 12.6 (2017).</ref>

===Women===
[[Image:Kalkan market 2.JPG|thumb|250px|right| A Turkish woman wearing a [[headscarf]]. Most Muslims hold that the face and the hands are excluded from '' 'awrah'' parts.]]
[[Image:Muslim woman in Yemen.jpg|thumb|150px|right|A Yemeni woman covering her face with [[niqab]]. Women who wear the niqab may believe that a woman's face is also part of her ''<nowiki/>'awrah''.]]

Most modern Islamic scholars agree that, in public, a woman must cover the entire body except the face, hands, and feet.<ref>Sahar Amer (2014), <u>What is Veiling?</u>, University of North Carolina Press, p. 36 </ref>

The covering of the female'' 'awrah'' changes according to the situation:

*'''In [[salah|ritual prayer]]''': A woman should cover her entire body excluding her entire face and her hands to the [[wrist]]. However, the [[Hanafi]]s solely differ on this matter, as they consider that feet, including the [[ankle]]s, also can be excluded. The area between the [[throat]] and the [[chin]] is generally accepted to be excluded as well, although different scholars have different opinions on this.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}} A woman should cover her [[Scalp|hair]] and body while performing the ritual prayer, whether she is praying in presence of her husband or she is praying alone in her chamber, as the basis for covering in prayer is different from the basis for covering in front of people; as ''salat'' is the daily communion with Allah, a Muslim is required to show modesty while communing with God.

*'''In front of her husband''': There is no restriction in Islam on what body parts a woman may show to her husband in private; the husband and wife can see any part of each other's body, especially during [[sexual intercourse]].

*'''Among other women''': The'' 'awrah'' of a woman amongst other women is the same as the ''<nowiki/>'awrah'' of men (from her navel to her knees). '' 'Awrah'' in front of non-Muslim women is a point of debate. Some scholars say that women should cover all but the hands and face, while according to the most preferred opinion, a Muslim woman can reveal in front of a non-Muslim woman as much as she would in front of other Muslim women.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

* '''In front of a [[mahram]]''': There are three Sunni opinions, representing the four major [[Madhhab|schools of thought in Sunni Islam]]:
#The [[Maliki]] and [[Hanbali]] schools of thought opine that the female '' 'awrah'' must be covered from the shoulders and neck down (or navel) to below the knees.
#The [[Shafi'i school|Shafi'i]] school of thought opines that the female '' 'awrah'' must be covered from the navel to the knees and everything in between it.
#The [[Hanafi school|Hanafi]] school of thought opines that the female '' 'awrah'' must be covered from the navel to the knees and stomach and the part of the back parallel to the stomach. 
* '''In front of male children:''' If the child understands what the ''<nowiki/>'awrah'' is{{what?|date=March 2025|please clarify what counts as 'understanding'; does the child just need to know it exists, or do they need to understand its purpose, etc?}}, then it is not considered permissible for a woman to uncover her '' 'awrah'' in front of him.
* '''In front of non-mahram men:''' There is a difference of opinion on which body parts a woman should cover in front of men who are not her mahram. In the contemporary world{{where?|date=March 2025}}, there is a general agreement that the body of a woman (except for her face and her hands up to her wrists/forearms) is ''<nowiki/>'awrah'' and therefore must be covered not only during prayer but also in public and in front of all non-mahram men. The Hanafis view the feet (including the ankles) to be excluded from ''<nowiki/>'awrah'' as well.{{efn|The Hanbali school of thought also views the face as the '' 'awrah'', though this view is rejected by Hanafis, Malikis and Shafi'is.}}<ref>Hsu, Shiu-Sian. "Modesty." Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an. Ed. Jane McAuliffe. Vol. 3. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill Academic Publishers, 2003. 403-405. 6 vols.</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.hizb-ut-tahrir.org/english/books/socialsystem/chapter_08.html 
 |title=Not comupulsory to cover the face. 
 |date=March 7, 2008 
 |author=Abdullah Atif Samih 
 |publisher=Mutaqqun 
 |access-date=2008-06-02 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060503084427/http://www.hizb-ut-tahrir.org/english/books/socialsystem/chapter_08.html 
 |archive-date=May 3, 2006 
}}</ref>

Other non-dominant views also exist, notably the more relaxed view that a woman must cover her '' 'awrah'' only during [[salah]] and [[ihram]], rather than almost all the time, and the opposite view that a woman must cover her '' 'awrah'' all the time except in front of her husband.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://islam-rahmah.com/tag/aurat-aridhiyah/|title=aurat 'aridhiyah|website=Islam Rahmah Mission 1}}</ref>{{Dead link|date=March 2025}}

Historically, the awrah for a slave woman during the [[history of slavery in the Muslim world|era of slavery in the Muslim world]], who per Islamic law was [[slavery in Islam|a non-Muslim]], was different than that of the awrah of a free Muslim woman. The awrah of a female slave was defined as being between her navel and her knee.<ref>Anchassi, O. (2021). Status Distinctions and Sartorial Difference: Slavery, Sexual Ethics, and the Social Logic of Veiling in Islamic Law. Islamic Law and Society, 28(3), 125-155. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685195-bja10008</ref> Consequently, slave women during the era of [[history of slavery in the Muslim world|slavery in the Muslim world]] did not wear hijab and could also be displayed with a bare chest.<ref>Anchassi, O. (2021). Status Distinctions and Sartorial Difference: Slavery, Sexual Ethics, and the Social Logic of Veiling in Islamic Law. Islamic Law and Society, 28(3), 125-155. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685195-bja10008</ref>  
In accordance with this definition, [[Umar ibn al-Khattab]] once reproached a slave girl for wearing a hijab with the words: “Remove your veil and do not imitate free women!”<ref>Anchassi, O. (2021). Status Distinctions and Sartorial Difference: Slavery, Sexual Ethics, and the Social Logic of Veiling in Islamic Law. Islamic Law and Society, 28(3), 125-155. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685195-bja10008</ref>

In the contemporary world, some Muslims insist that a woman's '' 'awrah'' in front of unrelated men is her entire body including her face and hands, which must be covered at all times in front of non-mahram men. Others disagree and claim it is permissible to show the face and hands. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://seekingilm.com/archives/44 |title=In Defense of The Obligation of Niqab |date=March 23, 2007 |author=Mohammad Nasir |publisher=Seeking Ilm |access-date=2008-06-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080701174545/http://seekingilm.com/archives/44 |archive-date=July 1, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/12861795/What-is-Awrah |title=What is Awrah? |date=March 7, 2008 |author=Abdullah Atif Samih |publisher=Mutaqqun |access-date=2008-06-02 |archive-date=2012-10-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025180042/https://www.scribd.com/doc/12861795/What-is-Awrah |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Marfuqi pg 133">Marfuqi, Kitab ul Mar'ah fil Ahkam, pg 133</ref>