women-only chat rooms to learn how to do makeup and other adornments,
it says that itis permissible to show pictures of fashion outfits in
chat rooms with the head cut off or with the facial features blotted
out completely. I was confused by this. How canthis be permissible
when a man who goes to this page could see it? Does blotting out the
facial features cancel out the fitnah altogether? How many men have
been tempted by a woman's body even though her face is ugly! If it is
permissible, then what is the benefit of the command to wear the
abayah if the body is not a source of temptation and it is permissible
for men to look at it? Aren't all parts of the woman's body 'awrah and
don't men have to lower their gaze and not look at her? What is the
evidence for this being permissible?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We appreciate your concern and your keenness to seek good. We ask
Allah to make us and you steadfast in obedience to Him.
Secondly:
The fatwa you mention has to do with women's chat rooms. It stated
that it is haraam to publish pictures of women on the Internet, but it
granted a concession allowing posting pictures of "outfits minus the
head, or with the facial features blotted out completely". That is
because of what was mentioned in the question, which is that it is for
the purpose of learning and benefitting. Undoubtedly the aim of the
fatwa was to avoid fitnah and block the causes that lead to it. If the
pictures of outfits leadto fitnah, such as if they were physical
bodies or they were provocative pictures, then the answer is that it
is also forbidden to post them.
There is no doubt that men are enjoined to lower their gaze and avoid
looking at women, their faces and their bodies, with no
differentiation. And there is no doubt that the woman's entire body is
'awrah as you say. But thepoint that should be noted here is that the
chat room is for women and this means will divertmany women from
looking at harmful fashion magazines, and sothey can find what they
need on these websites. But we affirm that if the pictures of fashion
outfits are done in a way that promotes fitnah, then they should not
be allowed and ways must be sought of presenting them without showing
them on bodies.
To sum up: we have to differentiate here between two things having to
do with this issue:
1. The issue of the image itself, regardless of whether it results
in fitnah or not. This is the one for which it is stipulated that the
head be cut off
2. The issue of fitnah, which must be warded offand prevented, if
it is thought most likely that itwill occur.
And Allah knows best.
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