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Wearing shorts at home

Answered as per Shafi'i Fiqh by Qibla.com

Answered by Shaykh Hamza Karamali, SunniPath Academy Teacher

Is it ok to wear shorts that go above the knee at home? (No one but my husband and baby here) Its so hot were we live and i’ve become so accustomed to it.

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

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate

assalamu `alaykum wa rahmatullah

Scholars mention that men and women have a minimum nakedness that must be covered even when alone. For men, this minimum nakedness is the front and rear private parts. For women, it is everything between the navel and the knee. The default ruling, then, is that it would not be permissible for women to wear shorts that come above the knee, even when alone.

This minimum nakedness can, however, be uncovered when alone (or in front of one’s husband) if there is a need–even if slight. An example of such a need is the need to cool off when it is hot, in which case it would be permissible to uncover one’s nakedness to the extent necessary in order to cool off, but no more. Other examples of needs that permit one to uncover one’s nakedness are: relieving oneself, taking a bath, having intercourse with one’s spouse, or even scratching oneself. There are many other examples of needs, and each need permits uncovering this nakedness to the extent of the need.

(Taken from I`anat al-Talibin, 1.110 and Fath al-`Allam, 2.143)

And Allah knows best.

Hamza.

This answer was indexed from Qibla.com, which used to have a repository of Islamic Q&A answered by various scholars. The website is no longer in existence. It has now been transformed into a learning portal with paid Islamic course offering under the brand of Kiflayn.

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