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What is the ruling on family members differing on the legal (Shar’i) judgment of an issue, such as a mother and son disagreeing on the permissibility of the mother wearing trousers with a knee-length tunic over them, while showing something of her upper arm and upper chest in front of mahrams?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The awrah (intimate parts) of a woman in front of her mahrams (unmarriageable kin) is a matter of disagreement among jurists.

- The Malikis and Hanbalis: They hold that a woman's awrah for her mahram is everything except the face, head, hands, and feet. - The Hanafis: They hold that it is what is between the navel and the knee, as well as the back and the abdomen. - The Shafi'is: They permit looking at everything except what is between the navel and the knee. Another opinion states that it includes what is customarily exposed during work inside the house, such as the head, neck, hands up to the elbow, and legs up to the knee.

Jurists have permitted mahrams to look at parts of adornment, while prohibiting looking at what is between the navel and the knee. They differed on what is other than that.

It is not appropriate to censure the mother if she acts in accordance with what Islamic jurisprudence permits, especially when there is no fear of fitnah (temptation). When advising parents, gentleness and respect are necessary.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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