Intimate parts in Islam

The intimate parts (Arabic: عورة 'awrah, ستر, satr) of the human body must, according to Islam, be covered by clothing.

The Qur'an tells the male believers (Muslims) to talk to the wives of Muhammad from behind a hijab (curtain or veil).

(Quran 24:31) While the meaning of khimār is debated, it is often believed to be a headcover that pre-Islamic Arab women wore as an adornment.

[...] (Quran 33:58–59) This hadith is frequently cited by Islamic scholars to support their definition of the female 'awrah:[12] "Asma, daughter of Abu Bakr, entered upon the Apostle of Allah (Peace be upon him) wearing thin clothes.

He said: O Asma’, when a woman reaches the age of menstruation, it does not suit her that she displays her parts of body except this and this, and he pointed to her face and hands."

The Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanafi and Hanbali schools of thought observe that there is a difference on whether the belly button and the knee itself are included.

In particular, these observations generally require that the cloth not be too thin, that it is not pale to the extent the color of the skin can be seen, that a man ensures extra covering if his genitals' shape is discernible, and that the modesty of adulthood applies once a boy becomes ten years old.

[16] The authentic opinion that Islamic scholars hold is that, in public, a woman must cover the entire body except the eyes as indicated in the Sunnah and the Qur'an on [al-Nur 24:31], [al-Ahzab 33:59], and numerous Hadiths.

[18] All qualified Muslim scholars throughout Islamic history agree on the obligation of hijab, and this can be confirmed through an overwhelming amount of sources.

[24] Consequently, slave women during the era of slavery in the Muslim world did not wear hijab and could also be displayed with a bare chest.

[25] In accordance with this definition, Umar b. al-Khaṭṭāb once reproached a slave girl for wearing a hijab with the words: “Remove your veil (ikshifī qināʿik) and do not imitate free women!”[26] In the contemporary world, some Muslims insist that a woman's awrah in front of unrelated men is her entire body including her face and hands, which must be covered at all times in front of non-mahram men.

[citation needed] The type most commonly worn in the West is a rectangular scarf that covers the head and neck but leaves the face visible.

Also, according to tradition[clarification needed], at a mosque, a woman should invite the attention of the Imam by clapping, while men will speak.