Showing the Face, Hands, and Feet before Strangers

Showing the Face, Hands, and Feet before Strangers

On the other hand, a woman is not allowed to display her face, hands and feet before strangers according to the most vaild of the two opinions, unlike what was followed before the verse was nullified by Allah. She is only to display her clothes. However, she is not to cover them during prayer as all Muslims umanimously agree. They can be displayed in prayer according to mojority of the scholar, such as Abu Haneifa, As’Shafi and others.

Likewise, according to Abu Haneifa the feet can be displayed, which is the opinon most likely to be correct. According Aaisha, the feet are among the outward ornaments, she said: “That they should not display their beauty and the ornaments ecept what (must ordinaily) appear thereof.”^An-Nur:31

She also said “The toe ring is a ring made of silver for the toe.” Narrated by Abu Hatim, which proves that women used to show their feet, hands and faces and they also used to hang down their garments so that is a woman walks her feet could not be seen. Women did not use to wear shoes and so covering their feet in prayer would be an enormous inconvenience.

Umm Salamah said: “ A woman can pray in a shift that reaches down and covers the top of her feet” so that is she kneels down in prostration, the sole of her feet could be seen.

References: “Fatwas of Muslaim Women” By: Shaikh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah pages 36-37