Is it permissible for a woman to uncover her face and hair in front of an enslaved person (abd mamluk)? And is it permissible for her to uncover that in front of him after his manumission?
Scholars have agreed upon the obligation for a woman to observe hijab and not display her adornment except before those mentioned in the verse: "And let them not display their adornment except to their husbands..."
They have differed on the obligation for a woman to observe hijab from her slave whom she owns, with the following opinions: 1. Permissibility for a woman to appear before her slave in the same manner she usually appears before her mahrams, citing the verse ("or what their right hands possess") and the hadith of Anas and Umm Salama. 2. Obligation for a woman to observe hijab before her slave; because he is a non-mahram man, and the verse is specific to female slaves. They cite the general evidence prohibiting men from looking at women, and that his prohibition is not perpetual. 3. Permissibility for the slave to look at the face and hands only out of necessity, but not as her mahrams. Thus, he is not permitted to be alone with her or travel with her. This opinion reconciles the texts.
If the slave is emancipated, it becomes obligatory for the woman to observe hijab from him, as he becomes like any other non-mahram man.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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