The ʿAwrah (Private Parts to Be Covered) of a Free Woman and a Female Slave in Salah
✍ By: Imran Ayub Lahori
The ʿawrah of a free woman is her entire body except the face and hands, while the ʿawrah of a female slave is her entire body except the face — this distinction being for the sake of differentiation between a free woman and a slave.
➊ Allah Taʿālā says:
﴿وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا﴾
[Al-Nūr: 31]
"And they (women) should not display their beauty except what is (naturally) visible."
Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه) interpreted "مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا" to mean the face and hands.
[Ibn Abī Shaybah 4/973]
A similar interpretation is reported from Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما).
[Tamām al-Minnah, p. 160]
➋ The verse continues:
﴿وَلَا يَضْرِبْنَ بِأَرْجُلِهِنَّ لِيُعْلَمَ مَا يُخْفِينَ مِنْ زِينَتِهِنَّ﴾
[Al-Nūr: 31]
"And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment."
Ibn Ḥazm (رحمه الله) states that this is a clear textual evidence that a woman’s legs and shins are part of her ʿawrah.
[Al-Muḥallā 3/243]
➌ Narrated by Ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه):
“The woman is entirely ʿawrah.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Al-Mishkāt 3109; Tirmidhī 1093; Kitāb al-Raḍāʿ: Bāb Mā Jāʾa fī Karāhiyyat al-Dukhūl ʿalā al-Mughayyibāt]
This Hadith confirms that a woman’s entire body is ʿawrah, except for the exceptions clarified through other evidences (face and hands for a free woman).
The scholars differed regarding the ʿawrah of a female slave in comparison to a free woman:
They do not differentiate between the free woman and the slave in terms of ʿawrah, arguing that the word "ḥā’iḍ" (mature woman) in the Hadith is general and includes both.
They maintain that a female slave’s ʿawrah is like that of a man, i.e., from the navel to the knees.
Evidence cited:
A narration from ʿAmr ibn Shuʿayb, from his father, from his grandfather:
“If one of you marries his slave to his female slave, then he should not look at her ʿawrah.”
[Ḥasan: Al-Mishkāt 3111; Abū Dāwūd 418; Kitāb al-Ṣalāh: Bāb Matā Yuʾmar al-Ghulām bi-l-Ṣalāh]
In another version:
“...He should not look at what is below the navel and above the knees.”
Note: This Hadith refers specifically to the slave owner and his married slave, not a general rule for everyone regarding a slave woman’s ʿawrah.
References:
The stronger and preferred opinion is the one presented at the beginning:
✍ By: Imran Ayub Lahori
Introduction
The ʿawrah of a free woman is her entire body except the face and hands, while the ʿawrah of a female slave is her entire body except the face — this distinction being for the sake of differentiation between a free woman and a slave.
❖ Qur'anic Evidence
➊ Allah Taʿālā says:
﴿وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا﴾
[Al-Nūr: 31]
"And they (women) should not display their beauty except what is (naturally) visible."
Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه) interpreted "مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا" to mean the face and hands.[Ibn Abī Shaybah 4/973]
A similar interpretation is reported from Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما).[Tamām al-Minnah, p. 160]
➋ The verse continues:
﴿وَلَا يَضْرِبْنَ بِأَرْجُلِهِنَّ لِيُعْلَمَ مَا يُخْفِينَ مِنْ زِينَتِهِنَّ﴾
[Al-Nūr: 31]
"And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment."
Ibn Ḥazm (رحمه الله) states that this is a clear textual evidence that a woman’s legs and shins are part of her ʿawrah.[Al-Muḥallā 3/243]
❖ Prophetic Statement on the ʿAwrah of Women
➌ Narrated by Ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه):
“The woman is entirely ʿawrah.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Al-Mishkāt 3109; Tirmidhī 1093; Kitāb al-Raḍāʿ: Bāb Mā Jāʾa fī Karāhiyyat al-Dukhūl ʿalā al-Mughayyibāt]
This Hadith confirms that a woman’s entire body is ʿawrah, except for the exceptions clarified through other evidences (face and hands for a free woman).
Scholarly Opinions on the ʿAwrah of a Female Slave
The scholars differed regarding the ʿawrah of a female slave in comparison to a free woman:
➊ Ẓāhiriyyah (Literalists):
They do not differentiate between the free woman and the slave in terms of ʿawrah, arguing that the word "ḥā’iḍ" (mature woman) in the Hadith is general and includes both.
➋ Jumhūr (Majority Scholars) including Imām al-Shāfiʿī, Abū Ḥanīfah, and others:
They maintain that a female slave’s ʿawrah is like that of a man, i.e., from the navel to the knees.
Evidence cited:
A narration from ʿAmr ibn Shuʿayb, from his father, from his grandfather:
“If one of you marries his slave to his female slave, then he should not look at her ʿawrah.”
[Ḥasan: Al-Mishkāt 3111; Abū Dāwūd 418; Kitāb al-Ṣalāh: Bāb Matā Yuʾmar al-Ghulām bi-l-Ṣalāh]
In another version:
“...He should not look at what is below the navel and above the knees.”
Note: This Hadith refers specifically to the slave owner and his married slave, not a general rule for everyone regarding a slave woman’s ʿawrah.References:
- Nayl al-Awṭār 1/538
- Al-Umm 1/183
- Fatḥ al-Wahhāb 1/149
- Al-Ḥāwī 2/167
- Sharḥ Fatḥ al-Qadīr 1/225
- Tuḥfat al-Fuqahāʾ 1/250
- Al-Kāfī, p. 63
Preferred (Rājih) Opinion
The stronger and preferred opinion is the one presented at the beginning:
- A free woman is entirely ʿawrah in Salah, except the face and hands.
- A slave woman must cover her entire body except the face, to maintain a visible distinction from the free woman.
