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Impossibility of not seeing brothers’ awrah

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Qibla.com

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

It is impossible for me to not see the awras of my brothers, who aren’t exactly religious, as they walk around the house in their underwear. They snap at me whenever I try to get them to pray, so I’m afraid that they’ll flip out if I tell them to cover themselves. What do I do? Please help.

Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Wa Alaykum Assalam wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu,

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful & Compassionate

Don’t deliberately look, and dislike their sins themselves, while treating them with love and excellence even when they treat you otherwise. This is the sunna of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Faraz Rabbani.

From a previous answer:

The Essentials Of The Fiqh Of Commanding The Good And Forbidding The Evil

1. Commanding the good and forbidding the evil is one of the most important of Islamic duties. The Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) cautioned us, “”Command the right and forbid the wrong, or Allah will put the worst of you in charge of the best of you, and the best will supplicate Allah and be left unanswered.”

2. Scholars mention, however, that commanding the good and forbidding the evil is only obligatory if one thinks that the person would listen.

3. Otherwise, if one does not think they will listen, it is recommended.

4. However, if a greater harm or worsening of the situation is feared, then it would be better (or even obligatory, in some cases) not to say anything, because legally one choose the less harmful of two matters.

5. It would be an obligation, however, to hate the wrong in one’s heart.

6. With this, if it is ongoing in one’s presence (such as listening to unlawful talk) it would be obligatory to leave if even stopping it (such as by subtly changing the topic) is not possible. Similarly, if a sister is not properly covered, one cannot allow oneself to look at her uncovered hair or limbs. Similarly, if a brother is wearing very tight trousers, one cannot look at the (tightly-covered) area between his navel and knees.

7. Sayyidi Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi (Allah have mercy on him) cautions that the general Prophetic way in commanding the good and forbidding the evil is to do so in a discreet, non-specific manner, in order to preserve the honor and feelings of the one who is wrongdoing to the extent possible.

[From: Sharh al-Tariqa al-Muhammadiyya, Sayyidi Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi; Radd al-Muhtar, Allama Ibn Abidin; al-Hadhr wa’l Ibaha, Shaykh Khalil al-Nahlawi]

Wassalam,

Sunni Path Fiqh Team

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