and her hands and feet, she was forbidden to expose them only to unrelated men, not to women or her male relatives whom she is permanently forbidden to marry. It is thus clear that these do not fall into the same category as the awrah that a man must conceal from another man or a woman from another woman, whose exposure is forbidden because of its indecency and ugliness.

Rather, exposing these parts is a precursor to sexual immorality, so prohibiting their exposure was a prohibition of what leads to sexual immorality, as He says in the verse:

“That is purer for you.”

And in the verse concerning the screen, He says:

“That is purer for your hearts and their hearts.”

This was therefore prohibited to block the means to wrongdoing, not because these parts are unconditionally awrah, whether in prayer or otherwise. That, then, is the distinction.

Requiring a woman to cover her hands during prayer is very far-fetched. The hands prostrate just as the face does. Women in the time of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—had only tunics, and they carried out their tasks wearing them. A woman would expose her hands when kneading, grinding grain and baking. Had covering the hands during prayer been obligatory, the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—would have made that clear. The same applies to the feet.

He prescribed only a head-covering in addition to the tunic, so they prayed in their tunics and head-coverings:

“As for the garment that a woman would let trail, she asked the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—about it, and he said, ‘A handspan.’ They said, ‘Then their lower legs will be exposed.’ He said, ‘A cubit, and they must not exceed that.’”

And the words of Umar ibn Abī Rabīah: