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I have a question that I would like to ask you. A father uncovered his reproductive organ and explained to his sons after they reached puberty how they should shave the pubic hair, and said that doing that is mustahabb in Islam. Is this correct? Or is what this father did haram (impermissible)?.
Praise be to Allah.
What the father did of uncovering his ‘awrah in front of his sons is haram, because it is obligatory to cover the ‘awrah, except in the presence of his wife. It is also haram to look at the ‘awrah of another person. It is not permissible to do any of these things except in the case of extreme necessity, such as medical treatment. Teaching one’s sons how to shave the pubic hair is not regarded as a need or necessity which makes it permissible to uncover the ‘awrah, because it is permissible to teach them by describing and speaking, without uncovering anything; it is also possible to tell them how to remove the hair by other methods.
The saheeh (authentic) texts clearly indicate that it is haram for a man to look at the ‘awrah of another man, and for a woman to look at the ‘awrah of another woman. The scholars are unanimously agreed on this prohibition.
It was narrated that Abu Sa‘eed al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “No man should look at the ‘awrah of another man, and no woman should look at the ‘awrah of another woman.”
Narrated by Muslim (338).
Al-Tirmidhi (2794), Abu Dawood (4017) and Ibn Maajah (1920) narrated from Bahz ibn Hakeem, from his father, that his grandfather said: I said, O Messenger of Allah, with regard to our ‘awrah, what may we uncover of it and what must we conceal? He said: “Cover your ‘awrah except from your wife and those whom your right hand possesses (i.e., concubines).” I said, O Messenger of Allah, what if the people live close together? He said, “If you can make sure that no one sees it, then do not let anyone see it.” I said, O Messenger of Allah, what if one of us is alone? He said, “Allah is more deserving that you should feel shy before Him than people.”
This hadeeth was classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.
Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Sharh Muslim: The words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), “No man should look at the ‘awrah of another man, and no woman should look at the ‘awrah of another woman”, indicate that it is haram for a man to look at the ‘awrah of another man, and for a woman to look at the ‘awrah of another woman. There is no difference of (scholarly) opinion concerning this matter. The same prohibition applies to a man looking at the ‘awrah of a woman, and a woman looking at the ‘awrah of a man, according to scholarly consensus. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) mentioned a man’s looking at the ‘awrah of another man and a woman’s looking at the ‘awrah of another woman, which implies that a man’s looking at the ‘awrah of a woman is even more forbidden. This prohibition applies with regard to people other than husbands or masters. In the case of spouses, each may look at the entire ‘awrah of the other. End quote.
This father has to repent to Allah, may He be exalted, regret what he has done, and resolve never to do it again. He should raise his children to be modest and to have a good attitude; he should refrain from these abhorrent actions which are indicative of a lack of modesty.
And Allah knows best.