It was as Abu Saeed Khudri has described that his modesty was more than
that of a virgin behind the veil1 and when he was not pleased at something, we
saw its effect on his face, and Allah, the Mighty and the High had disciplined him not leaving a single negative quality, but disciplined it; till He considered his
noble morals as great and said:
وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَى خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ
“And most surely you conform (yourself) to sublime morality.”2
No one who has faith in His Eminence and his excellence, would permit
himself to attribute to him the like of this immodesty to him.
Moreover, the Shariat, which His Eminence brought, has deemed the thigh
to be a private part and has commanded it to be kept covered:
1. Ahmad, the leader of Hanbalis, in his Musnad,3 has narrated upon the
authority of Muhammad bin Jahash, nephew of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) [a wife of
the Prophet was Zainab binte Jahash] that: Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) passed by
Moammar,4 who sat in the Masjid and had stuck his knees to his belly and a part
of his thigh was exposed. Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) told him:
“O Moammar, cover your thigh; indeed the thigh is of the parts supposed to
be covered.”
2. Darqutni, in his Sunan5 has narrated from Abdullah bin Umar that: The
Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) said:
“Instruct you children to pray from the age of seven and when they are ten
years old, you should beat them if they don’t pray; and they should sleep
separately; and when one of you marries a slave girl or brings a servant, they
should not look between the navel and the knees, because what is there between
the navel and the knees is from the private parts.”
Senior jurists and scholars have accepted the verdict of this tradition and
agreed that the thigh is a private part; and what Nawawi6 has written is the
viewpoint of majority of scholars; and as Qastalani and Shaukani7 have written
that it is the point of view of all scholars.
In the book of Al-Fiqh Alal Mazahibul Arba,8 it is mentioned that: As for the
privies of the man in the condition that he is not praying, is between the navel
and the knees; and glancing at the other parts of his body is allowed if there is no
risk of mischief.
Supposing there is detestability in exposing the thigh, but there is no doubt that concealing is an etiquette of Shariah and from requirements of dignity and
equals awe and Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) more worthy to observe these
things, which he had himself advised.
Presence of this report in two Sahih books of Bukhari and Muslim is hard
upon you, because these two books – as we mentioned – are great vessels of
debased and valueless statements and full of errors, and in these two books, there
are so many shameful, worthless and false statements that they have spoiled the
reputation of authorship and made the arm of the science of traditions weak.
Alas, if these two books had stopped only with this shamefulness of
exposing of the thigh and had not mentioned the nakedness of His Eminence in
front of the people; Bukhari in his Sahih,9 has in the chapter of construction of
the Kaaba and Muslim in his Sahih10 has narrated from Jabir bin Abdullah that:
“While Allah’s Apostle was carrying stones (along) with the people of
Mecca for (the building of) the Kaaba wearing an Izar (waist-sheet cover), his
uncle Abbas said to him, “O my nephew! (It would be better) if you take off your
Izar and put it over your shoulders underneath the stones.” So he took off his Izar
and put it over his shoulders, but he fell unconscious; then he rose up and said:
Where is my garment? Where is my garment? Thus, the garment was put around
him; and since then he had never been seen naked.”
It is mentioned in the words of Muslim that:11 “Jabir bin Abdullah reported:
The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was carrying along with them
(his people) stones for the Kaaba and there was a waist wrapper around him. His
uncle, Abbas, said to him: O son of my brother! if you take off the lower garment
and place it on the shoulders underneath the stones, it would be better. He (Holy
Prophet) took it off and placed it on his shoulder and fell down unconscious. He
(the narrator) said: Never was he seen naked after that day.”
And in the story, which Ibne Hisham has mentioned in his Seerah,12 it is
stated that: Narrated for me the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) instances in which
Almighty Allah protected him during childhood and said: I found myself among
children of Quraish that we carried rocks in a game and I became stark naked and
I had placed my garment on my shoulders and upon it placed the rock and carried
and I went and returned with them in this manner; suddenly someone I did not
see, punched me and said: “Wrap yourself in your garment.” So I took the
garment and wrapped it around myself and then carried the stone. And among my
companions Ali is my garment and covering.
O Muslims, all of you come with me so that we may ask these two men
[authors of two Sahih books] whether this is the recompense of the labors of
Prophet and real thankfulness to his reforms? Is this appreciation and according honor? Is it right that it should be said: Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) walked among the
labors naked, without covering his genitals? And as Ibne Ishaq13 has said: His
Eminence on that day was aged thirty-five years.