Women in Islam

According to Islamic Sharia, a Mahram man can see the whole body of a woman, except for her vagina and buttocks.

This means:

A father can see even the naked breast of his daughter,
and a son can also see the naked breasts of his mother,
and a brother can also see the naked breasts of his sister.
And a nephew/uncle can also see the naked breasts of their aunt/niece.

It is written in Fatawa Alamgiri (also knowns as Fatawa-e-Hindiya, as it was compiled by 500 scholars from India on the orders of Emperor Aurganzeb Alamgir). Link:

وَأَمَّا نَظَرُهُ إلَى ذَوَاتِ مَحَارِمِهِ فَنَقُولُ : يُبَاحُ لَهُ أَنْ يَنْظُرَ مِنْهَا إلَى مَوْضِعِ زِينَتِهَا الظَّاهِرَةِ وَالْبَاطِنَةِ وَهِيَ الرَّأْسُ وَالشَّعْرُ وَالْعُنُقُ وَالصَّدْرُ وَالْأُذُنُ وَالْعَضُدُ وَالسَّاعِدُ وَالْكَفُّ وَالسَّاقُ وَالرِّجْلُ وَالْوَجْهُ ، وَهُوَ الصَّحِيحُ ، كَذَا فِي الْمُحِيطِ . وَمَا حَلَّ النَّظَرُ إلَيْهِ حَلَّ مَسُّهُ وَنَظَرُهُ وَغَمْزُهُ مِنْ غَيْرِ حَائِلٍ

As for looking at his Mahram women (like mother, adult daughter, sister and every Mahram female like the grandmother, child, grandchild and aunt) we say that it is permissible for him to look at the apparent and hidden areas of their adornment, which include the head, hair, neck, chest, ears, shoulders, upper arms, forearms, hands, legs, and face. This is the correct view, as mentioned in Al-Muhit. Whatever is permissible to look at, it is also permissible to touch, look at, and wink at without any barrier.

Please read the following fatwa:

https://daruliftaa.com/womens-issue/are-a-womans-breasts-part-of-her-awra-in-front-of-mahram-men/

Question:

Your answer on the female awra in front of her mahram’s seems to suggest she can expose her chest (breasts) to her mahram (father, brother, son etc). Please clarify as this is causing confusion.

Answer:

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

As you rightly point out, it was stated in an earlier detailed article that the nakedness (awra) of a woman in front of her Mahram men (unmarriageable kin) such as the father, brother, son, paternal uncle (father’s brother), maternal uncle (mother’s brother), father in-law, grandson, husband’s son (from another marriage) and son in-law consists of the area between the navel and knees (including the knees) and the stomach and back. It was also stated that as a consequence it will be permissible for a woman to expose her head, hair, face, neck, chest, shoulders, hands, forearms, and legs from below the knees in front of Mahram men and impermissible to expose the stomach, back or any area which is between the navel and knees. This ruling was based on the verse of Surah al-Nur (24-31) as explained by the Hanafi jurists (fuqaha) in al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, 5/328, al-Hidaya, 4/461 and elsewhere.

It is also evident from this Hadith of 'Aisha.

Sahih Bukhari, 251:

Narrated Abu Salama: `Aisha's brother and I went to `Aisha and he asked her about the bath of the Prophet. She brought a pot containing about a Sa` of water and took a bath and poured it over her head and at that time there was a screen between her and us.

Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqallani is considered as an ultimate Hadith Master by Muslims. He wrote the commentary of Sahih Bukhari. And under the commentary of this Hadith, he wrote (link):

قال القاضي عياض : ظاهره أنهما رأيا عملها في رأسها وأعالي جسدها مما يحل نظره للمحرم ; لأنها خالة أبي سلمة من الرضاع أرضعته أختها أم كلثوم وإنما سترت أسافل بدنها مما لا يحل للمحرم النظر إليه

Qadi Ayad said: It is apparent that they could see her actions from her head and the top half of her body, because they were allowed to do as she was a milk-aunt to Abu Salamah and his brother from her sister Umm Kulthum. As for the lower part of her body, this was covered.

The Prophet’s wife exposed the entire upper half of her body, hair, breasts, and all. The Muslim Scholars say that this is permissible because the sister of Aisha had nursed Abu Salamah and his brother.

The 'Awrah of a slave woman is also from the navel to the knee

Moreover, the 'Awrah of a slave woman in Islam was also from the navel to the knee. And thus all people were allowed to see their naked breasts. There were thousands of slave women present in public and in front of Muhammad with naked breasts.

You can find all the references to the naked breasts of slave women in this article:

Part 2: Allah/Muhammad forced the poor slave women to move with naked breasts in the public

Background: How is it possible?

There were many cultures present where women did not hide their breasts. Even today, such cultures still exist.

In pre-Islamic Arabia, women also did not hide their breasts.

However, there was an old tradition in Arabia where women of high status used to wear a hijab, which was considered their right and honor. Slave women and prostitutes, on the other hand, were not allowed to wear a hijab.

Muhammad later reintroduced this old Arabic custom, allowing only "free Muslim women" to wear a hijab. He prohibited slave women from wearing one.

Thus, all slave women were present in public with naked breasts throughout 1300 years long the history of Islamic slavery.

However, it's important to note that the free Muslim women were not required to wear a hijab in front of their mahram men, such as their fathers, sons, brothers, or uncles. As a result, their breasts were exposed in front of these men.

It's worth mentioning that the association of the hijab with modesty is a later development and not part of its original purpose. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) introduced the hijab as a way to distinguish between high-status free Muslim women and low-status slave women.

This has led to a significant contradiction, making it challenging for Muslims to justify the hijab in modern times. The reality is that the hijab has become a symbol of the oppressive treatment of millions of enslaved women throughout history, rather than a symbol of modesty or piety.

Please read the details in this article: Part 1: Crimes of Islamic Slavery against Humanity