for protective jealousy is part of the religion to such an extent that it is impermissible for a man who is not a legal guardian to so much as hear the sound of an unrelated woman pounding grain in a mortar. If a stranger knocks at the door, it is unlawful for the woman of the house to answer him in a soft, pleasing voice, for men’s hearts are attracted by the most insignificant as well as the greatest of things. Should she be compelled to reply, she ought to place a finger in her mouth and speak, so that her voice resembles that of elderly women.
Nor is it permissible for women to look at men who are not their maḥrams, even if the man being looked at is himself blind. It is reported that the Messenger of Allah entered the house of ʿĀʾisha and saw ʿAbd Allāh ibn Umm Maktūm sitting with the women. He said, “O ʿĀʾisha, it is not lawful for a woman to sit in the company of anyone who is not her maḥram.” She responded, “Messenger of Allah, he is blind.” He replied, “Even though he cannot see you, you can see him.”
Story: It is said that al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī—may Allah have mercy on him—went with a group of his companions to visit Rābiʿa al-ʿAdawiyya. When they reached her door they asked, “Will you permit us to enter?” She said, “Wait a moment.” She then hung her cloak between herself and them as a curtain and gave them permission to come in. They entered and greeted her, and she returned their greeting from behind the curtain. They asked, “Why have you placed a screen between us and you?” She replied, “I have been commanded to do so by His words: ‘…and when you ask them for something, ask them from behind a screen’ (Quran 33:53).”
Likewise, it is obligatory for a man never to gaze at an unrelated woman, for before he is called to account for it in the Hereafter he will be requited for it in this world, as the following incident shows.
Story: In the city of Bukhārā there was a water-carrier who had been delivering water to the house of a goldsmith for thirty years. The goldsmith’s wife was extraordinarily beautiful, refined, and perfected in every way—known for her piety, praised for her modesty and chastity. One day the water-carrier came as usual, emptied the water into the household cistern, and found the woman resting in the middle of the courtyard. He drew near, seized her hand, twisted it, rubbed it, and squeezed it, then went on his way. When her husband returned from the market she said, “I want you to tell me what you did today in the marketplace that was not for the sake of Allah Most High.”