Awrah for men and women, Hanafi first.
The awrah is the part of the body that must be covered. Choose whose awrah and the situation to see what must be covered, the Hanafi ruling first and then the other madhhabs.
A man in salah
From below the navel to below the knees, with the knees included. The navel itself is not awrah. If a quarter of a part of the awrah (such as a quarter of the thigh) is uncovered for as long as it takes to say Subhanallah three times, the prayer is broken.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Hanbali
- Between the navel and the knee. Neither the navel nor the knee is awrah, but a little of each should be covered to be sure the rest is. The Hanbali school also requires something over the shoulders in a fard prayer, if one can.
- Maliki
- The private parts are the strict awrah; uncovering them breaks the prayer. The rest, to the knee, should be covered, and if it is not, the prayer is repeated within its time.
A man in front of other people
The same, from below the navel to below the knees, in front of men and women. Looking at another man's awrah is not allowed. A man should still dress decently: going about with the chest and thighs bare is against good manners.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali
- Between the navel and the knee, with the navel and knee not included in the relied-upon views. In front of non-mahram women, the Shafi'i school counts the whole body as awrah in terms of her looking.
A man alone
Covering the area from the navel to the knees is still required when alone, except when there is a need, such as bathing or using the toilet.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali
- Covering the private parts when alone is required or strongly recommended. Allah is more deserving of modesty than people.
A woman in salah
The whole body except the face, the hands and the feet. The hair, neck, forearms and shins must be covered. If a quarter of any part, such as a quarter of the hair or a forearm, is uncovered for the length of three Subhanallah, the prayer is broken. Covering the feet as well is a good precaution.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- The whole body except the face and the hands, front and back. The feet, including the soles, must be covered.
- Maliki
- The whole body except the face and hands. If the hair, chest, forearms or feet show, the prayer is valid but repeating it within its time is recommended.
- Hanbali
- The whole body except the face. The hands and feet are covered in the relied-upon view of the school.
A woman in front of non-mahram men
The whole body except the face, the hands and the feet (up to the ankles). The face is not awrah, but later Hanafi scholars say a young woman should cover her face in front of non-mahram men where there is fear of fitnah. Clothing must be loose and thick enough not to show the body.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- In the school's relied-upon view, the whole body, including the face and hands, should be covered in front of non-mahram men.
- Maliki
- The whole body except the face and hands. Covering the face is not required, but it becomes required if there is fear of fitnah.
- Hanbali
- In the relied-upon view, the whole body, including the face and hands, is awrah in front of non-mahram men.
A woman in front of other women
From the navel to the knees, the same as a man's awrah in front of men, in front of Muslim women. She should still dress modestly, as women usually do around each other. In front of non-Muslim women, many Hanafi scholars say she covers as she would in front of non-mahram men, except her face, hands and feet, with a concession where this is hard.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali
- Between the navel and the knee in front of Muslim women. The schools differ about non-Muslim women: some treat them like other women, some like non-mahram men.
A woman in front of her mahram men
Her father, sons, brothers, uncles and other mahrams may see her head, hair, face, neck, chest, arms and legs below the knees. What must be covered is from the navel to the knees, plus the stomach and the back. This is only where there is no fear of desire.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Between the navel and the knee, in the relied-upon view.
- Maliki, Hanbali
- She may show what normally shows at home: the head, face, neck, hands, forearms and feet. The rest is covered.
A woman alone
From the navel to the knees, in the more correct view, except when there is a need, such as bathing, using the toilet or changing. In front of her husband there is no awrah.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali
- Similar: the private parts and what is near them are covered when alone, except for a need.
For a man, choose "A man: in front of others".
For a man, choose "A man: in front of others".
For a man, choose "A man: in front of others".
For a woman, choose who she is in front of: non-mahram men, other women or her mahrams.
Hanafi, at a glance
- Man
- Below navel to below knees
- Woman in salah
- All but face, hands, feet
- Woman, non-mahram
- All but face, hands, feet
- Woman, mahram
- Navel to knees, stomach, back
- Woman, women
- Navel to knees
Pick a person and a situation to see the Hanafi ruling first, then the other madhhabs. This is guidance; ask a scholar about your own case.
Guide
Awrah, what must be covered and why.
Awrah is the part of the body that must be covered, in salah and in front of other people. In the Hanafi school, a man's awrah is from below the navel to below the knees, with the knees included. A woman's awrah in salah and in front of non-mahram men is her whole body except the face, the hands and the feet. In front of her mahram relatives and other women, less is required.
يَٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ قَدْ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ لِبَاسًۭا يُوَٰرِى سَوْءَٰتِكُمْ وَرِيشًۭا ۖ وَلِبَاسُ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌۭ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ ءَايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ
Yaa Baneee Aadama qad anzalnaa 'alaikum libaasany yuwaaree saw aatikum wa reeshanw wa libaasut taqwaa zaalika khair; zaalika min Aayaatil laahi la'allahum yaz zakkaroon
"O children of Adam, We have bestowed upon you clothing to conceal your private parts and as adornment. But the clothing of righteousness - that is best. That is from the signs of Allah that perhaps they will remember."
Quran 7:26, translation by Sahih International.
The awrah of a man
From below the navel to below the knee, and the knee is part of the awrah. The navel is not. This applies in salah, in front of men and women, and when alone unless there is a need.1
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali
- Between the navel and the knee, with the navel and the knee themselves not included, in the relied-upon views. The Maliki school distinguishes the private parts, whose uncovering breaks the prayer, from the rest of the area.
The Prophet ﷺ said the thigh is awrah.2 The Hanafi school includes the knee from a report that "the knee is part of the awrah" in ad-Daraqutni, which is weak, and as a precaution, since the thigh ends at the knee. In practice, wear clothes that cover well past the knee, and make sure your lower back does not show when you bow in ruku or sujud.
The awrah of a woman
In salah and in front of non-mahram men, the whole body except the face, the hands and the feet. The feet are not awrah in the more correct view, but covering them in salah is a good precaution. The face is not awrah, but later Hanafi scholars say a young woman should cover it in front of non-mahram men when there is fear of fitnah.3
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- In salah, the whole body except the face and hands. Outside salah, the relied-upon view is that she covers her face and hands as well in front of non-mahram men.
- Maliki
- In salah and before non-mahram men, the whole body except the face and hands.
- Hanbali
- In salah, the whole body except the face. Before non-mahram men, the relied-upon view is the whole body, including the face and hands.
The face-and-hands view rests on the words "except that which [necessarily] appears thereof" in Quran 24:31, which Ibn Abbas and others explained as the face and hands, and on a hadith of Asma in Sunan Abi Dawud, which Abu Dawud himself noted is mursal (its chain is broken). See the hijab guide for the verses in full.
Who is a mahram?
A mahram is a man a woman can never marry: her father and grandfathers, sons and grandsons, brothers, nephews, uncles, her father-in-law, stepsons and stepfather (after her mother's marriage was consummated), and men related to her through breastfeeding in the same way. Cousins and brothers-in-law are not mahram.
Conditions of the clothing
- It covers: the skin should not show through. Thin, see-through cloth does not count as covering.
- It is loose: tight clothing that shows the shape is disliked, though it does not break the prayer if it is not see-through.
- It stays in place when you bow and prostrate, so check the back and the ankles.
Lowering the gaze
قُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا۟ مِنْ أَبْصَٰرِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا۟ فُرُوجَهُمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ أَزْكَىٰ لَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرٌۢ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ
Qul lilmu' mineena yaghuuddoo min absaarihim wa yahfazoo furoojahum; zaalika azkaa lahum; innallaaha khabeerum bimaa yasna'oon
"Tell the believing men to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what they do."
Quran 24:30, translation by Sahih International.
Covering the awrah goes with not looking at the awrah of others. Allah commands both men (24:30) and women (24:31) to lower their gaze. A doctor may see what is needed for treatment, and no more.
- Al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Bab Shurut al-Salah and Kitab al-Karahiyah; Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar; ash-Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah, on the quarter rule.
- Jami at-Tirmidhi and Sunan Abi Dawud, from Jarhad; al-Bukhari mentions it in a chapter heading.
- Al-Haskafi, ad-Durr al-Mukhtar, and Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar 1/405-406; Fatawa al-Hindiyyah. Summarised with Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam's exposition of the Hanafi rules. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
Good to know.
What is the awrah of a man in Islam?
In the Hanafi school, from below the navel to below the knees, with the knees included. The other three schools say between the navel and the knee, without the knee itself.
Is the knee part of the awrah?
In the Hanafi school, yes, so the knee must be covered. In the Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools the knee is not awrah, but a little of it is covered to be sure the thigh is.
What is the awrah of a woman in front of non-mahram men?
In the Hanafi school, her whole body except the face, the hands and the feet. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools, in their relied-upon views, include the face and hands too.
What is the awrah of a woman in front of other women?
From the navel to the knees, in front of Muslim women. She should still dress modestly, as women normally do around each other.
Can a woman pray with her feet uncovered?
In the Hanafi school, yes: the feet are not awrah in the more correct view, though covering them is a good precaution. In the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools the feet must be covered.
Does tight clothing break the prayer?
Not if it covers the skin and is not see-through. But clothing that shows the body's shape is disliked, especially in front of others.