Mahram

A mahram is an unmarriageable kin with whom marriage or sexual intercourse would be considered haram, illegal in Islam, or people from whom hijab is not obligatory.

91666

Wife . Sister . Husband . Mahram . Man . Home . Qur'an . Marriage

My wife believes that her sister's husband is her Mahram on the basis that the Quran says that a man cannot marry the sister of his wife. Is this true, and can she stay at their home?

Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 2 days ago

Your wife has misunderstood the Islamic rule in this matter. Mahram is the person who is permanently forbidden for marriage with her under any circumstance for life e.g. her real brother , real uncle, real father, father in law, her son and son in law. Her sister's husband is not permanently forbidden to marry her, but only when her sister is his wife. If she dies, God forbid, or if she is divorced from him, marriage will be then allowed between this man and any of the unmarried sisters of his ex-wife.

Her sister's husband is not Mahram at all and must observe full Hijab in front of him like any other non Mahram man.

Wassalam.

Wife . Sister . Husband . Mahram . Man . Home . Qur'an . Marriage

My wife believes that her sister's husband is her Mahram on the basis that the Quran says that a man cannot marry the sister of his wife. Is this true, and can she stay at their home?

Zaid Alsalami, Shaykh Dr Zaid Alsalami is an Iraqi born scholar, raised in Australia. He obtained a BA from Al-Mustafa University, Qom, and an MA from the Islamic College in London. He also obtained a PhD from... Answered 4 days ago

Bismihi ta'ala

It is very important for your respected wife to educate herself about the definition and rulings related to maḥram/non-maḥram cases.

Unfortunately she is misinformed, and has only half of the facts correct.

In Islam, a man cannot marry two sisters at one time, but this does not mean that the wife's sister becomes maḥram to the husband, nor does it mean that the sister's husband becomes maḥram to the wife's sister.

So, although he cannot marry his sister's wife as long as he is married to his wife, it still does not mean that she becomes maḥram to him.

It is still haram for him to see her without hijab, or look at her with lust, or shake her hand, or be alone with her, and so on.

This is a view that all our jurists have.

As for the case of her staying at their home, if all other shar'i matters are observed, yes she can.

And Allah knows best.

90852

Women . Respect . Mahram . Man . Salah (Prayers)

Why do women stand behind men in prayer? I read somewhere that it was to respect them and to prevent the men from staring at them and that makes sense to me. But why do they have to follow that rule in their own homes with Mahram relatives?

Bismihi ta'ala

This is an interesting question, and it can be tackled from different angles.

In general, the ruling is that a female (mahram or non-mahram) cannot pray beside or in front of a male. This is not purely a matter of preventing men from unlawful glancing, because if that was the case, then a wife could pray in front of a husband.

Islam focuses on elevating the status of a women beyond her being sexualised by others, and even by herself. This can be seen not only in mandating hijab, but even in the obligatory or recommended (mustahab) acts in prayer, like how she prostrates, and how she stands back up.

This is all for the purpose of preserving her modesty, and also to eliminate any likelihood of a lustful gaze (haram or halal), during prayer in particular, for the purpose of gaining that absolute concentration in prayer.

Of course, we are assuming that this is just one of the reasons behind the ruling. It's similar to the story of Prophet Moses (a.s.) and the daughters of Prophet Shu'ayb (a.s.). However, the reality is that like many other rulings, we do not have the precise reason for it. There could certainly be more reasons.We are just assuming that it is a matter of convenience and a spiritual matter for concentration, but it could be more than that.

The main issue is in prayer we need to attain ḥudhūr al-qalb, which is presence of the heart.We need to be concentrating completely on our prayer, and remove anything that would distract us.

We understand that it is also the very natural structure of the female that Almighty God has created with her beauty and attraction that could contribute to a male (her mahram or non-mahram) being distracting and glancing at her.

Please look at all the other rulings for prayer, which can also hint to how important it is to avoid loss of concentration, like praying in front of an image, etc.

It could also be for convenience, so a woman does not feel embarrassed or exposed when she is bending down for ruku' or sujud.

And so on.

Furthermore, please refer to your Marja' taqleed on this ruling, because there are some jurists who consider it mustahab, and not wajib.

And Allah knows best.

91502

Mahram . Wife . Grandparents

Is the son-in-law Mahram to the maternal grandmother of his wife?

Yes. Grand mother of the wife is Mahram just like her real mother.

wassalam.

89873

Mahram . Family . Women . Man

Do you have to cover your arms and legs in front of Mahram family? Can you specifically explain the rules of what is allowed to remain uncovered for men and women when they are with their Mahram family members?

It depends on the age and situation of you and the Mahram member of your family. It is not obligatory to cover your arms and legs in from of an old Mahram being sure that uncovering arms and legs will never cause nor initiate unwanted feeling. In general, it is not obligatory to cover in front of Mahram, that parts of your body which are usually uncovered at home with your family, provided that it should not cause bad feeling of desire or shame.

Wassalam.

89515

Hijab . Mahram

I understand the Hijab for men and women around non-Mahrams, but is there a type of Hijab around Mahrams as well excluding the spouse? If so, what is that Hijab and why do we need it around them?

Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answer updated 3 weeks ago

As a female, it took some time for me to realise that it is not unusual for men to feel some physical attraction when they look at women in their immediate family (even a daughter or sister), especially if they are significantly uncovered. Also, that many men do subconsciously "track" the attractiveness of female relatives (even if they themselves would never act on it and would deny it, but still they may be subconsciously evaluating how attractive they may come across to other men).

Of course given the taboo of incest these thoughts are usually shoved aside. However, sometimes they come out, for instance, some men become uncomfortable when their daughters pass puberty and develop a womanly figure. Or sometimes in sharp comments about clothing and behaviour, etc.

I say "as a female" because I don't think most women tend to feel the same way about male relatives, and the majority of women would probably respond with something along the lines of "Ewwwww".

[An exception would be with respect to blood relatives who never met in childhood, for instance, a half brother and half sister who meet each other only in adulthood. There is some psychological phenomenon that happens whereby it is not uncommon to feel some sort of attraction, in which case that could also be taken into consideration here, even though technically they are mahram and certainly a marriage is unlawful.]

I am not saying that this always happens, but just that it isn't an unusual dynamic and is one that it took me time to put into words. So it could be considered, at the end of this day, this comment either will apply or won't apply to a person's family dynamic.

(Also I apologise for any generalisations in the above, generalistions happen but I do acknowledge the perils of them!)

Hijab . Mahram

I understand the Hijab for men and women around non-Mahrams, but is there a type of Hijab around Mahrams as well excluding the spouse? If so, what is that Hijab and why do we need it around them?

Yes, the obligatory dress in front of Mahram like real father, brother, real uncles must cover the parts of the body which if left uncovered can cause bad feelings or bad effect. Although full Hijab is not obligatory in front of Mahram close relatives ( mentioned above) but modest dress is obligatory.

Wassalam.

86698

Mahram . Woman

As a female, are my mother’s and father’s maternal and paternal uncles Mahram to me?

Yes. Your mother's or father's maternal or paternal direct uncles are Mahram for you just like any of your direct uncles.

Wassalam.

82630

Woman . Perfume . Mahram . Man

A woman is not allowed to wear a perfume that might attract non-Mahram men. Is a man is allowed to wear a perfume that might attract non-Mahram women? If so, why is it allowed for men?

It is not allowed for any Muslim, being male or female, to instigate others for sinful acts.

Wassalam.

81192

Mahram . Women . Man . Tattoo

Are men allowed to show their tattoos to non-Mahram women?

Men should avoid showing tattoo on their body to non Mahram women when there is a possibility of bad effect.

Wassalam.

79300

Breastfeeding . Mother . Blood . Children . Mahram

If I am a breastfeeding mother to a child, will my own blood children also be Mahram to that child?

Seyed Saied Alavi, Seyed Saied Alavi is a researcher based in Qom who has studied from the Howzah of Qom and also completed a Pastoral studies program. He is currently a university lecturer in the fields of Shia... Answer updated 3 months ago

In the name of Allah

The answer is Yes.

When You breastfeed someone else's child (with all the conditions that will be mentioned below) That child is basically like a child of Your own. So he/she will be Mahram to:

You (Breastfeeding mother), your parents, your grandparents and so on, your siblings, your aunts and uncles.
Your husband (Breastfeeding Father), his parents, his grandparents and so on, his siblings, his aunts and uncles.
Your Children (current and future), your grandchildren and so on.

But what are the conditions for breastfeeding to result in Mharamiyyat?

1. The child should suck the milk from the breast. So if the milk is poured into the child's mouth, it doesn't count.

2. The child should be under two years of age.

3. The milk should be the result of a Halal relationship.

4. The Child should not throw up the milk. If so, it doesn't count.

5. The quantity or duration of breastfeeding should be either of these:

Enough so that his/her body would grow due to that milk.
(Grow: muscles/meat are created or bones will be strengthened)
15 times in a row. (without any other food or milk from another woman)
24 hours straight. (without any other food or milk from another woman)

WasSalaam.

79092

Mahram . Clothing . Skin

I understand that touching between non Mahram people is not allowed unless it is through a layer of clothing such as gloves. Does that mean that only skin to skin contact is disallowed?

Any type of deliberate touching between non Mahram male and female is not allowed even with or over cloth.
Wassalam.