Lawful Instances of Looking at Women
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1- عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ جَمِيلِ بْنِ دَرَّاجٍ عَنِ الْفُضَيْلِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) عَنِ الذِّرَاعَيْنِ مِنَ الْمَرْأَةِ أَهُمَا مِنَ الزِّينَةِ الَّتِي قَالَ اللهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ قَالَ نَعَمْ وَمَا دُونَ الْخِمَارِ مِنَ الزِّينَةِ وَمَا دُونَ السِّوَارَيْنِ.
1. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from ibn Mahbub from Jamil ibn Darraj from Fudayl ibn Yasar who has said the following: “This is concerning my question before abu ‘ Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, about the arms of women if they are of beautification about which Allah, most Blessed, most High, has said, . . they must not expose their beauty except for their husband.’ (24:32) He (the Imam) said, ’Yes, whatever must be covered with the scarf is of their beauty and whatever is above their bracelet is of their beauty.’”
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2- مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ مَرْوَكِ بْنِ عُبَيْدٍ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ قُلْتُ لَهُ مَا يَحِلُّ لِلرَّجُلِ أَنْ يَرَى مِنَ الْمَرْأَةِ إِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ مَحْرَماً قَالَ الْوَجْهُ وَالْكَفَّانِ وَالْقَدَمَانِ.
2. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Marwak ibn ‘Ubayd from certain persons of our people who has said the following: “I once asked abu ’Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, about how much of the body of a woman who is not of one’s relatives one can look at. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is her face, both hands (from wrist down) and both feet (from the ankles down).”’
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3- أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ وَالْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ بُكَيْرٍ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فِي قَوْلِ اللهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى إِلا ما ظَهَرَ مِنْها قَالَ الزِّينَةُ الظَّاهِرَةُ الْكُحْلُ وَالْخَاتَمُ.
3. Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa has narrated from Muhammad ibn Khalid and al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from al-Qasim ibn al-‘Urwah from ‘Abd Allah ibn Bukayr from Zurarah who has said the following: “About the words of Allah, most Blessed, most High, ’. . . except what is exposed,’ abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, said, ‘The exposed beauty is kohl and rings.’”
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4- الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ عَنْ سَعْدَانَ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللهِ تَعَالَى وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلا ما ظَهَرَ مِنْها قَالَ الْخَاتَمُ وَالْمَسَكَةُ وَهِيَ الْقُلْبُ.
4. Al-Husayn from Muhammad has narrated from Ahmad ibn Ishaq from Sa‘dan ibn Muslim from abu Basir who has said the following: “I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, about the words of Allah, most High, ‘. . . they must not show off their beauty except for what is exposed.’ (24:32) He (the Imam) said, ‘It is the items like ring, anklet and bracelet.’”
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5- مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ سَيْفِ بْنِ عَمِيرَةَ عَنْ سَعْدٍ الإسْكَافِ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ اسْتَقْبَلَ شَابٌّ مِنَ الأنْصَارِ امْرَأَةً بِالْمَدِينَةِ وَكَانَ النِّسَاءُ يَتَقَنَّعْنَ خَلْفَ آذَانِهِنَّ فَنَظَرَ إِلَيْهَا وَهِيَ مُقْبِلَةٌ فَلَمَّا جَازَتْ نَظَرَ إِلَيْهَا وَدَخَلَ فِي زُقَاقٍ قَدْ سَمَّاهُ بِبَنِي فُلانٍ فَجَعَلَ يَنْظُرُ خَلْفَهَا وَاعْتَرَضَ وَجْهَهُ عَظْمٌ فِي الْحَائِطِ أَوْ زُجَاجَةٌ فَشَقَّ وَجْهَهُ فَلَمَّا مَضَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ نَظَرَ فَإِذَا الدِّمَاءُ تَسِيلُ عَلَى صَدْرِهِ وَثَوْبِهِ فَقَالَ وَاللهِ لآتِيَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) وَلأخْبِرَنَّهُ قَالَ فَأَتَاهُ فَلَمَّا رَآهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) قَالَ لَهُ مَا هَذَا فَأَخْبَرَهُ فَهَبَطَ جَبْرَئِيلُ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) بِهَذِهِ الآيَةِ قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصارِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا فُرُوجَهُمْ ذلِكَ أَزْكى‏ لَهُمْ إِنَّ اللهَ خَبِيرٌ بِما يَصْنَعُونَ.
5. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Sayf ibn ‘Amirah from Sa‘d al-Iskaf who has said the following: “Abu Ja‘far, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, has said, ‘Once a young man from al-Ansar (people of al-Madinah) came face to face with a woman in al-Madinah. Women would wear their scarf behind their ears. He looked at her when she was coming, and when she passed by he kept looking, and she entered in an alley that he called alley of so and so people. He kept looking behind her until his face hit a piece of bone or glass in the wall which caused a deep cut on his face. When the woman went away he found blood flowing on his chest and clothes and he said, ‘By Allah, I will go and tell it to the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause.’ He (the Imam) said that he went to him (the Messenger of Allah) and when he (the Messenger of Allah) saw him, he (the Messenger of Allah) asked, ‘What has happened to you?’ He inform him (the Messenger of Allah) and Jibril came with this verse, ‘Tell the believers to cast down their eyes and protect their genital organs (against indecent acts), it is more clean for them; Allah is well aware of what they do.’” (24:31)