2 Convincing Answers Why Modelling is Not Haram in Islam
C.J Ahmed-02.04.2023
Modelling is a profession where a man or woman promote and advertise products and clothing by means of photoshop, runways, fashion shows and commercial. As far as Islam is concerned, there is nothing haram in modelling. The first argument of those who are against modellig is that the awrh of a man or woman is exposed hence modelling is haram. Let me explain what awrah is in Islam. , the awrah for a man in front of a man is only his private parts and the awrah for a woman in front of a woman is also her private parts only and anything else can be uncovered.
Lets examing in detail how and when the awrah differs among men and women.
Awrah for women in front of women is only the private parts. A girl who has attained puberty need not cover any other area apart from the private parts. The evidence for this is in the below hadiths.
Narrated AbuSa'id al-Khudri:
The Prophet (sal) said: A man should not look at the private parts of another man, and a woman should not look at the private parts of another woman. A man should not lie with another man without wearing lower garment under one cover; and a woman should not be lie with another woman without wearing lower garment under one cover.
(Abu Dawud-authenticaged by albani Albani)
Abd al-Rahman, the son of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, reported from his father:
The Messenger of Allah (sal) said: A man should not see the private parts of another man, and a woman should not see the private parts of another woman, and a man should not lie with another man under one covering, and a woman should not lie with another woman under one covering.
( Sahih Muslim)
Some scholars say by using the above hadiths that the awrah of a women is between the naval and the knee but this is not what is mentioned in these hadiths. Its only the private parts that are mentioned. Sheikh Salih Al Uthaymin said:
"With regard to her mahrams what she may uncover is the same as that which she may uncover in front of other women, so she may uncover her head, neck, feet, hands, forearms and calves, etc. But she should not make her clothes short".
(Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 12/276, 277)
The above fatwa of Imam Uthaymin is only his opinion and there is no evidence from the Quran and the Sunnah to prove that a women cannot wear a short dress in front of other women.
The awrah for men in front of men us the same as that women and that is the private parts. Its based on the same hadiths as mentioned above for women. Some scholars are of the view that the awrah for men is what is between the navel and the knees. This argument could be accepted if there are no opposing evidences but the truth is there are many hadiths stating otherwise. The hadiths proving that the Thigh is not an awrah is as follows.
Narrated by Aisha (rali):
"The Prophet was sitting with his thigh exposed when Abu Bakr asked, and received permission to enter. The same thing happened with 'Umar. However, when Uthman sought permission to enter, the Prophet covered himself with his clothes. When they left, I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, you permitted Abu Bakr and 'Umar to enter while your thigh was exposed. When 'Uthman asked permission to enter, you covered yourself with your clothes.' He said, 'O 'Aishah, should I not be shy of a man who, by Allah, even the angels are shy of'?"
(Bukhari,Muslim and others)
Some argue that in the above hadith, the narrator was not shure whether the prophet (sal) uncovered his thigh or his shank But the below hadiths clearly mention that the prophet (sal) uncovered his thigh to everyone implying the thigh is not an awrah.
Anas (Rali) Narrates:
"During the battle of Khaibar, the Prophet's gown was withdrawn from his thigh until I could see its whiteness."
(Bukhari)
If the thigh was an awrah the prophet (sal) would have never exposed his awrah like this. The other hadth is as below
Abu'l-'Aliyat al-Bara Narrated:
"Ibn Ziyad delayed the prayer. 'Abdullah b. Samit came to me and I placed a chair for him and he sat in it and I made a mention of whit Ibn Ziyad had done. He bit hit lips (as a sign of extreme anger and annoyance) and struck at my thigh and said: I asked Abu Dharr as you have asked me, and he struck my thigh just as I have struck your thigh, and said: I asked the Messenger of Allah (Sal) as you have asked me and he struck my thigh just as I have struck your thigh, and he ( Prophet (Sal)) said: Observe prayer at its prescribed time, and if you can say prayer along with them. do so, and do not say." I have observed prayer and so I shall not pray."
(Sahih Muslim)
If the thigh was the awrah the prophet (sal) would have not touched it. Based on these evidences it is very clear that the thigh is not an awrah and this view was supported by scholars like sheikh Salih al Uthaymin,Ibn Jareer,Ibn Hazm and others.
The next argument against modelling is that men and women mixing is haram hence modelling is haram. This dubious thinking has no basis whatsoever in Islam and let me explain.
Men and women mixing and Surah Ahzab Misquoted
Allah says in the Quran
"For anything you want, ask them from before a screen: that makes for greater purity for your hearts and for theirs"
(Al-Quran-33:53)
The above verse is been given by some to prove that men and women mixing is haram. When we look at the above verse it is very clear that the verse was sent down by Allah (swt) specifically to the wives of the prophet (sal) and not all the women in general. Allah says
the reason for the above verse been revealed was mentioned in the below hadith,
Anas bin Malik said: "The Prophet married Zaynab bint Jahsh with (a wedding feast of) meat and bread. I sent someone to invite people to the feast, and some people came and ate, then left. Then another group came and ate, and left. I invited people until there was no one left to invite. I said, `O Messenger of Allah, I cannot find anyone else to invite.' He said, ‘Take away the food’. There were three people left who were talking in the house. The Prophet went out until he came to the apartment of `Aa’ishah, May Allah is pleased with her, and he said,
May peace be upon you, members of the household, and the mercy and blessings of Allah’? She said, `And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah. How did you find your (new) wife, O Messenger of Allah May Allah bless you.' He went round to the apartments of all his wives, and spoke with them as he had spoken with `Aa’ishah and they spoke as `Aa’ishah had spoken. Then the Prophet came back, and those three people were still talking in the house. The Prophet was extremely shy, so he went out and headed towards `A'ishah's apartment. I do not know whether I told him or someone else told him when the people had left, so he came back, and when he was standing with one foot over the threshold and the other foot outside, he placed the curtain between me and him, and the Ayah of Hijab was revealed.''
"For anything ye want, ask them from before a screen: that makes for greater purity for your hearts and for theirs..."
(Bukhari)
Using the above verse proves nothing at all to say that men and women mixing is haram.
Proof-2-Women Leaving Before Men in the Mosque Has Nothing to Do With Gender Segregation
There is a hadith which has been wrongly quoted frequently to indoctrinate Muslims into believing that mixing of men and women is haram. This hadith has been used as a fatwa with personal interpretations.
Umm Salamah (Rali) Narrated,
"After Allah’s Messenger (Sal) said "as-Salamu ‘Alaykum wa Rahmatullah’ twice announcing the end of prayer, women would stand up and leave. He would stay for a while before leaving. Ibn Shihab said that he thought that the staying of the Prophet (Sal) was in order for the women to be able to leave before the men who wanted to depart."
(Sahih Al Bukhari)
The above hadith only tells how the prophet (sal) would stay for a while before leaving and the reason is not mentioned. Some scholars use this hadith to argue by assuming that the prophet (sal) stayed for a while because it was haram for men and women to mix. First of all an assumption cannot be taken as evidence to prove a point. And secondly, to base the assumption and drawing ones conclusions is totally erroneous. The phrase of Ibn Shihab is very clear. Ibn Shihab thought and was not sure and even if the prophet (sal) stayed because for the women to leave first, the reason is not mentioned and assuming that it was because of the prohibition of mixing between sexes is totally wrong because no clear evidence is available from the Quran or the Sunnah to prove that it is haram for men and women to mix.
It was reported from Asma’ bint Yazid that she was with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and men and women were sitting with him and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Would any man say what he did with his wife? Would any woman tell others what she did with her husband?” The people kept quiet and did not answer. I [Asma’] said: “Yes, by Allaah, O Messenger of Allaah, they (women) do that, and they (men) do that.” He said, “Do not do that. It is like a male devil meeting a female devil in the road and having intercourse with her whilst the people are watching.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood, no. 1/339; classed as saheeh by al-Albani in Adaab al-Zafaaf, p. 143).
The above hadith is proof that men and women did mix during the time of the prophet (sal) and the prophet (sal) did not forbid them to do so. All the above evidence proves without doubt that modelling is halal in Islam.
Modelling is a profession where a man or woman promote and advertise products and clothing by means of photoshop, runways, fashion shows and commercial. As far as Islam is concerned, there is nothing haram in modelling. The first argument of those who are against modellig is that the awrh of a man or woman is exposed hence modelling is haram. Let me explain what awrah is in Islam. , the awrah for a man in front of a man is only his private parts and the awrah for a woman in front of a woman is also her private parts only and anything else can be uncovered.
Lets examing in detail how and when the awrah differs among men and women.
Awrah for women in front of women is only the private parts. A girl who has attained puberty need not cover any other area apart from the private parts. The evidence for this is in the below hadiths.
Narrated AbuSa'id al-Khudri:
The Prophet (sal) said: A man should not look at the private parts of another man, and a woman should not look at the private parts of another woman. A man should not lie with another man without wearing lower garment under one cover; and a woman should not be lie with another woman without wearing lower garment under one cover.
(Abu Dawud-authenticaged by albani Albani)
Abd al-Rahman, the son of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, reported from his father:
The Messenger of Allah (sal) said: A man should not see the private parts of another man, and a woman should not see the private parts of another woman, and a man should not lie with another man under one covering, and a woman should not lie with another woman under one covering.
( Sahih Muslim)
Some scholars say by using the above hadiths that the awrah of a women is between the naval and the knee but this is not what is mentioned in these hadiths. Its only the private parts that are mentioned. Sheikh Salih Al Uthaymin said:
"With regard to her mahrams what she may uncover is the same as that which she may uncover in front of other women, so she may uncover her head, neck, feet, hands, forearms and calves, etc. But she should not make her clothes short".
(Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 12/276, 277)
The above fatwa of Imam Uthaymin is only his opinion and there is no evidence from the Quran and the Sunnah to prove that a women cannot wear a short dress in front of other women.
The awrah for men in front of men us the same as that women and that is the private parts. Its based on the same hadiths as mentioned above for women. Some scholars are of the view that the awrah for men is what is between the navel and the knees. This argument could be accepted if there are no opposing evidences but the truth is there are many hadiths stating otherwise. The hadiths proving that the Thigh is not an awrah is as follows.
Narrated by Aisha (rali):
"The Prophet was sitting with his thigh exposed when Abu Bakr asked, and received permission to enter. The same thing happened with 'Umar. However, when Uthman sought permission to enter, the Prophet covered himself with his clothes. When they left, I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, you permitted Abu Bakr and 'Umar to enter while your thigh was exposed. When 'Uthman asked permission to enter, you covered yourself with your clothes.' He said, 'O 'Aishah, should I not be shy of a man who, by Allah, even the angels are shy of'?"
(Bukhari,Muslim and others)
Some argue that in the above hadith, the narrator was not shure whether the prophet (sal) uncovered his thigh or his shank But the below hadiths clearly mention that the prophet (sal) uncovered his thigh to everyone implying the thigh is not an awrah.
Anas (Rali) Narrates:
"During the battle of Khaibar, the Prophet's gown was withdrawn from his thigh until I could see its whiteness."
(Bukhari)
If the thigh was an awrah the prophet (sal) would have never exposed his awrah like this. The other hadth is as below
Abu'l-'Aliyat al-Bara Narrated:
"Ibn Ziyad delayed the prayer. 'Abdullah b. Samit came to me and I placed a chair for him and he sat in it and I made a mention of whit Ibn Ziyad had done. He bit hit lips (as a sign of extreme anger and annoyance) and struck at my thigh and said: I asked Abu Dharr as you have asked me, and he struck my thigh just as I have struck your thigh, and said: I asked the Messenger of Allah (Sal) as you have asked me and he struck my thigh just as I have struck your thigh, and he ( Prophet (Sal)) said: Observe prayer at its prescribed time, and if you can say prayer along with them. do so, and do not say." I have observed prayer and so I shall not pray."
(Sahih Muslim)
If the thigh was the awrah the prophet (sal) would have not touched it. Based on these evidences it is very clear that the thigh is not an awrah and this view was supported by scholars like sheikh Salih al Uthaymin,Ibn Jareer,Ibn Hazm and others.
The next argument against modelling is that men and women mixing is haram hence modelling is haram. This dubious thinking has no basis whatsoever in Islam and let me explain.
Men and women mixing and Surah Ahzab Misquoted
Allah says in the Quran
"For anything you want, ask them from before a screen: that makes for greater purity for your hearts and for theirs"
(Al-Quran-33:53)
The above verse is been given by some to prove that men and women mixing is haram. When we look at the above verse it is very clear that the verse was sent down by Allah (swt) specifically to the wives of the prophet (sal) and not all the women in general. Allah says
the reason for the above verse been revealed was mentioned in the below hadith,
Anas bin Malik said: "The Prophet married Zaynab bint Jahsh with (a wedding feast of) meat and bread. I sent someone to invite people to the feast, and some people came and ate, then left. Then another group came and ate, and left. I invited people until there was no one left to invite. I said, `O Messenger of Allah, I cannot find anyone else to invite.' He said, ‘Take away the food’. There were three people left who were talking in the house. The Prophet went out until he came to the apartment of `Aa’ishah, May Allah is pleased with her, and he said,
May peace be upon you, members of the household, and the mercy and blessings of Allah’? She said, `And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah. How did you find your (new) wife, O Messenger of Allah May Allah bless you.' He went round to the apartments of all his wives, and spoke with them as he had spoken with `Aa’ishah and they spoke as `Aa’ishah had spoken. Then the Prophet came back, and those three people were still talking in the house. The Prophet was extremely shy, so he went out and headed towards `A'ishah's apartment. I do not know whether I told him or someone else told him when the people had left, so he came back, and when he was standing with one foot over the threshold and the other foot outside, he placed the curtain between me and him, and the Ayah of Hijab was revealed.''
"For anything ye want, ask them from before a screen: that makes for greater purity for your hearts and for theirs..."
(Bukhari)
Using the above verse proves nothing at all to say that men and women mixing is haram.
Proof-2-Women Leaving Before Men in the Mosque Has Nothing to Do With Gender Segregation
There is a hadith which has been wrongly quoted frequently to indoctrinate Muslims into believing that mixing of men and women is haram. This hadith has been used as a fatwa with personal interpretations.
Umm Salamah (Rali) Narrated,
"After Allah’s Messenger (Sal) said "as-Salamu ‘Alaykum wa Rahmatullah’ twice announcing the end of prayer, women would stand up and leave. He would stay for a while before leaving. Ibn Shihab said that he thought that the staying of the Prophet (Sal) was in order for the women to be able to leave before the men who wanted to depart."
(Sahih Al Bukhari)
The above hadith only tells how the prophet (sal) would stay for a while before leaving and the reason is not mentioned. Some scholars use this hadith to argue by assuming that the prophet (sal) stayed for a while because it was haram for men and women to mix. First of all an assumption cannot be taken as evidence to prove a point. And secondly, to base the assumption and drawing ones conclusions is totally erroneous. The phrase of Ibn Shihab is very clear. Ibn Shihab thought and was not sure and even if the prophet (sal) stayed because for the women to leave first, the reason is not mentioned and assuming that it was because of the prohibition of mixing between sexes is totally wrong because no clear evidence is available from the Quran or the Sunnah to prove that it is haram for men and women to mix.
It was reported from Asma’ bint Yazid that she was with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and men and women were sitting with him and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Would any man say what he did with his wife? Would any woman tell others what she did with her husband?” The people kept quiet and did not answer. I [Asma’] said: “Yes, by Allaah, O Messenger of Allaah, they (women) do that, and they (men) do that.” He said, “Do not do that. It is like a male devil meeting a female devil in the road and having intercourse with her whilst the people are watching.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood, no. 1/339; classed as saheeh by al-Albani in Adaab al-Zafaaf, p. 143).
The above hadith is proof that men and women did mix during the time of the prophet (sal) and the prophet (sal) did not forbid them to do so. All the above evidence proves without doubt that modelling is halal in Islam.