her. How can he eat with her while looking at her hand (70)! That is not permissible for him. The Qadi said: It is forbidden for him to look at anything other than her face and hands because they are private parts (awrah), but it is permissible for him to look at them (71) with aversion, provided he is safe from temptation and is not looking with desire. This is the school of al-Shafi'i, based on the saying of Allah, the Almighty: {And not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof}. Ibn Abbas said: [This refers to] the face and the hands. 'A'isha narrated that Asma' bint Abi Bakr entered upon the Messenger of Allah - peace and blessings of Allah be upon him - while wearing thin clothes. He turned away from her and said: "O Asma', when a woman reaches the age of menstruation, it is not proper that anything be seen of her except this and this," and he gestured toward his face and his hands (73). Recorded by Abu Bakr and others. This is because they are not private parts, so looking at them without suspicion is not forbidden, just like the face of a man. Our evidence is the saying of Allah, the Almighty: {And when you ask [his wives] for something, ask them from behind a partition} (74). And the saying of the Prophet - peace and blessings of Allah be upon him -: "If one of you has a mukatab (slave with a contract of manumission) and he possesses the means to pay, she should cover herself from him" (75). Umm Salama narrated: I was sitting with the Prophet - peace and blessings of Allah be upon him - along with Hafsa, when Ibn Umm Maktum sought permission to enter. The Prophet - peace and blessings of Allah be upon him - said: "Cover yourselves from him." Recorded by Abu Dawud (76). Al-Fadl ibn Abbas was the riding companion of the Messenger of Allah - peace and blessings of Allah be upon him - when the Khath'amiyyah woman came to ask him for a legal ruling. Al-Fadl began looking at her and she looked at him, so the Messenger of Allah - peace and blessings of Allah be upon him - turned his face away from her (78). From Jarir ibn 'Abd Allah, he said: I asked the Messenger of Allah - peace and blessings of Allah be upon him - about an accidental glance (79), and he commanded me to turn my gaze away. A sound (80) hadith. From 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, he said: The Messenger of Allah - peace and blessings of Allah be upon him - said to me: "Do not follow one glance with another, for you have the first one, and the last is not for you." Both were recorded by Abu Dawud (81). In the permissibility of looking at a woman when one intends [to marry her] (82) lies evidence for prohibition when such [intent] is absent, for if it were permissible absolutely, what would be the purpose of specifying this [case]? As for the hadith of Asma' - if it is authentic - it is possible that it was before the revelation of the [command for] the veil (hijab), so we interpret it accordingly.

Section: As for an elderly woman, the likes of whom are not desired, there is no harm in looking at what usually appears of her, due to the saying of Allah, the Almighty: {And women of post-menstrual age who do not desire marriage} (83), the verse. Ibn (84) Abbas said regarding the saying of Allah, the Almighty: {Tell the believing men to reduce [some] of their vision} (85) {and tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision} (86), the verse: He abrogated and excepted from that: {And women of post-menstrual age who do not desire marriage}, the verse. Within this meaning is the ugly woman (88) who is not desired.