at ten years of age, when they are disciplined for neglecting prayer. This is the apparent meaning of the hadith. Two men or two women must not lie naked beneath a single covering, because the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, prohibited this: a man engaging in mukāma'a with another man without an undergarment, or a woman doing so with another woman. The word is also transmitted as mu'ākama. Mukāma'a means a man lying beside his companion beneath a single garment. It derives from kam' (bedfellow), which is also what a woman’s husband is called. Mu'ākama, however, derives from joining one thing to another; hence the expression 'akamtu al-thiyāb, meaning “I tied the garments together.” Related to this is the report of Abū Hurayra that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “No woman should lie skin to skin with another woman, nor any man with another man.” Success comes through Allah.

Section
On What a Man May Look at of Women

A man must not be alone with a woman whom he is not permanently forbidden to marry, because of the prohibition against this and the Prophet’s statement, peace and blessings be upon him: “Satan is the third of them.” This means that, when they are alone together, Satan whispers to him to commit a sin with her until he begins to entertain the thought.

A man may look at an elderly woman, because Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says:

“As for elderly women who no longer expect to marry, there is no blame on them if they lay aside their outer garments, without displaying their adornment.” [al-Nūr: 60]

He may not look at a young woman except for a valid reason, such as giving testimony or providing medical treatment,