becomes exposed when he prostrates and spreads apart. Thus, covering the anus takes precedence over covering the front private part. What is required is to minimize the matter as far as possible. The apparent meaning of the author’s words is that covering the anus here takes precedence as an obligation. However, in al-Inṣāf ⦗1⦘ it says: “The disagreement concerns only which is preferable.” A second narration from Ahmad states that he should cover the front private part, and this is preferable, because it is more indecent than the anus. This is why it is permissible, when relieving oneself in a built structure, to have one’s back toward the Ka‘bah, but not to face it.

If he is lent something with which to cover himself, he must accept it.

His statement, “If he is lent something with which to cover himself, he must accept it”: “if” is a conditional particle; “is lent” is the conditional verb, and “must” is the response to the condition. A loan for use is permission to benefit from an item that remains after its use.

In saying, “If he is lent,” the author did not mention the agent, so as to include any person who lends it to him, whether the lender is one of his relatives, a non-relative Muslim, or a disbeliever.

The reason is that he is able to cover his nakedness without harm or any burdensome favor, for a favor in such a matter is slight and something everyone can bear. People all borrow from one another, and all people lend to one another.

However, if the lender intends this loan to be a means of attaining some illegitimate aim of his, then he is not required to accept it. For he fears that, if he does not do what the lender wants, the latter will use it as a pretext to hold the favor over him and humiliate him before people. The discussion, however, concerns a loan free of any prohibited element; in that case, he must accept it.