Who are the mahrams in front of whom a woman can uncover?
11-03-2008
Question:
what people can a muslimah take her hijab off from?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
It is permissible for a woman to take off her hijaab in front of her mahrams.
A woman’s mahram is a person whom she is never permitted to marry because of
their close blood relationship (such as her father, grandfather,
great-grandfather, etc., and her son, grandson, great-grandson, etc., her
paternal and maternal uncles, her brother, brother’s son and sister’s son), or
because of radaa’ah or breastfeeding (such as the brother and husband of
the woman who breastfed her), or because they are related by marriage (such as
the mother’s husband, the husband’s father, grandfather, etc., and the husband’s
son, grandson, etc.). More details on this subject are given below:
Mahrams by ties of blood
These are the ones mentioned in Soorat al-Noor, where Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
“… and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers,
or their husband’s fathers, or their sons, or their husband’s sons, or their
brothers or their brother’s sons, or their sister’s sons…” [al-Noor 24:31].
The mufassireen said: the woman’s male mahrams by ties of blood, as stated
clearly in this aayah or inferred by it are as follows:
1- the woman’s forefathers, no matter how far back the line of ascent
goes through her father and her mother, such as her father’s forefathers and her
mother’s forefathers. As for her husband’s forefathers, they are her mahrams by
marriage, as we shall see below.
2- her sons, which includes her children’s children, no matter how the
line of descent goes and whether they are descended from males or females, such
as her sons’ sons and her daughters’ sons. As for her “husband’s sons” mentioned
in the aayah, these are the husband’s sons from other wives, and these are her
mahrams by marriage, not by blood, as we shall see below.
3- her brothers, whether they are her brothers through both the mother
and father, or through the father only or the mother only.
4- the children of her siblings, whether they are descended through the
males or females, such as the sons of her sister’s daughters.
5- paternal uncles and maternal uncles. They are mahrams by blood even
though they are not mentioned in the aayah, because they are like parents and
are regarded by people as having the same status as parents, and a paternal
uncle may be called a father. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Or were you witnesses when death approached Ya‘qoob (Jacob)? When he said unto
his sons, “What will you worship after me?” They said, “We shall worship your
Ilaah (God — Allaah) the Ilaah (God) of your fathers, Ibraaheem (Abraham),
Ismaa’eel (Ishmael), Ishaaq (Isaac)…” [al-Baqarah 2:133]. Ismaa’eel was the
paternal uncle of the sons of Ya’qoob.
(Tafseer al-Raazi, 23/206; Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 12/232, 233; Tafseer al-Aaloosi,
18/143; Fath al-Bayaan fi Maqaasid al-Qur’aan by Siddeeq Hasan Khaan, 6/352)
Mahrams by radaa’ah (breastfeeding)
A woman may have mahrams through radaa’ah. It says in Tafseer al-Aloosi:
“The relationship of mahram which permits a woman to show her adornments may be
through radaa’ah as well as through blood ties, so it is permissible for a woman
to show her adornments to those who are her fathers or sons through radaa’ah.” (Tafseer
al-Aaloosi. 18/143) The relationship of mahram by radaa’ah is like the
relationship of mahram by blood – it means that marriage is forever forbidden by
virtue of that relationship of mahram. This was the view stated by Imaam al-Jassaas
when he commented on this aayah. He said (may Allaah have mercy on him): “When
Allaah mentioned the fathers and that their marriage to these women is forbidden
forever, this indicates that the same prohibition applies in other relationships
of mahram, such as the mother of the woman and those who are mahrams by radaa’ah,
etc.” (Ahkaam al-Qur’aan by al-Jassaas, 3/317).
The same things are made haraam by radaa’ah as by ties of blood.
It also says in the Sunnah: “The same things are made haraam by radaa’ah as by
ties of blood.” This means that the people who are mahram to a woman because of
blood ties are also mahram because of radaa’ah. It was reported in Saheeh Muslim
that ‘Aa’ishah Umm al-Mu’mineen (may Allaah be pleased with her) said that Aflah
the brother of Abu Qu’ays came and asked permission to see her. He was her uncle
through radaa’ah. This was after hijaab had been revealed, so she refused to
give him permission. When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) came, she told him about what she had done and he told her to give
him permission. (Saheeh al-Bukhaari bi Sharh al-‘Asqallaani, 9/150). This
hadeeth was also narrated by Imaam Muslim, where the wording is: from ‘Urwah
from ‘Aa’ishah, who told him that her uncle by radaa’ah, who was called Aflah,
asked permission to see her and she did not let him. She told the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he said to her, “Do not observe
hijaab in front of him, because the same relationships of mahram are created by
radaa’ah as by blood ties.” (Saheeh Muslim bi Sharh al-Nawawi, 10/22)
A woman’s mahrams through radaa’ah are the same as her mahrams through blood
ties
In accordance with the Qur’aan and Sunnah, the fuqahaa’ have stated that a
woman’s mahrams through radaa’ah are the same as her mahrams through blood ties.
It is permissible for her to display her adornments before her mahrams by
radaa’ah just as it is permissible for her to display her adornments before her
mahrams by blood ties. It is permissible for her mahrams by radaa’ah to see
whatever of her body it is permissible for her mahrams by blood ties to see.
Mahrams by marriage
A woman’s mahrams by marriage are those whom it is forever forbidden to marry,
such as the father’s wife, the son’s wife or the wife’s mother. (Sharh al-Muntahaa,
3/7).
The mahram by marriage of the father’s wife is his son from another wife, for
the wife of the son it is his father, and for the mother of the wife it is the
husband. Allaah says in Soorat al-Noor (interpretation of the meaning):
“… and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers,
or their husband’s fathers, or their sons, or their husband’s sons…” [al-Noor
24:31]. Their husband’s fathers and their husband’s sons are mahrams of the
woman by marriage. Allaah mentioned them along with their (the women’s own)
fathers and sons, and made them all the same in the sense that women may display
their adornments in front of them. (Al-Mughni, 6/555)
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
Submitted by a Mujahid