Questions and Answers about Islamic Veil

The 4 subtypes of the second category of Satr

Now we will explain the second type of Satr (i.e. ‘covering’ outside the alāĥ) in question-answer form. The rulings related to this category are further divided into 4 subtypes:

1. The Satr of a man for a man

The Satr of a woman for a woman.

The Satr of a non-Maram man for a woman.

The Satr of a woman for a man.

1. The Satr of a man for a man

Question: What is a man’s Satr area?

Answer: A man’s Satr is from directly under his navel up to and including his knees, excluding the navel. adr-ush-Sharī’aĥ, Badr-u-arīqaĥ, ‘Allāmaĥ Maulānā Muftī Muhammad Amjad ‘Alī A’amī عَـلَيْهِ رَحْـمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ الۡـقَـوِی wrote: A man may look at every part of another man’s body except those parts that must remain concealed; that is the area below the navel to below the knees; covering this area is Far. The parts that must remain covered are called ‘Awrat. Hence, if you see someone exposing his knee, then you should prohibit him. If you see someone exposing his thigh, (you should) prohibit him strictly, and if he exposes his private parts, then he should be punished. (Baĥār-e-Sharī’at, part 16, pp. 85)

Remember! Handing out such punishments is the duty of rulers, and not the common public. If necessary, a father can chastise his son, a teacher his student, and a Pīr [spiritual guide] his disciple,   he may even punish him. It is stated in Baĥār-e-Sharī’at, volume 1, page 482: If someone is exposing his front or back private parts (‘Awrat-e-Ghalī), then anyone who is able to beat him like the father or the ruler should beat him.

 

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