Does the wife sin by obeying her husband who orders her not to trim her pubic hair out of jealousy, fearing that a female doctor might see her 'awrah during childbirth?
"Jealousy is out of place here. Jealousy should arise from committing something forbidden, not from practicing a Sunnah to which the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, invited us. Al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: 'Five things are part of the fitra: circumcision, shaving the pubic hair, plucking the armpit hair, clipping the nails, and trimming the mustache.' Shaving the pubic hair is referred to as istihdad. Muslim also narrated from Anas ibn Malik: 'A time limit was set for us for trimming the mustache, clipping the nails, plucking the armpit hair, and shaving the pubic hair: that we should not leave it for more than forty nights.'
Therefore, a woman should be diligent in maintaining this cleanliness, and the husband should encourage and help her, not forbid her. This is because the female doctor has viewed her awrah (private parts) in all circumstances, and there is no harm in that, neither customarily nor Islamically. The husband should be convinced that good lies in applying the Sunnah, and jealousy that contradicts the Sunnah is not praiseworthy."
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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