“That is purer for them.”

Purity and cleanliness may be attained without this, but this is purer. When looking and appearing before others lack purity and cleanliness because of desire in the heart and pleasure taken in looking, refraining from looking and screening oneself from view are all the more obligatory. There can be no purity without safeguarding one’s private parts against sexual immorality. Such safeguarding includes protecting them from unlawful vaginal or anal intercourse and lesser sexual acts, from direct bodily contact, from being touched by others, from being exposed to others, and from others looking at them. One must therefore protect one’s private parts from the gaze and touch of others.

For this reason, in the hadith narrated by Bahz ibn Hakīm from his father, from his grandfather, the latter asked the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“Messenger of Allah, regarding our private parts, what may we expose and what must we keep covered?”

He replied: “Guard your private parts except from your wife or those whom your right hand possesses.”

He asked: “What about when people are crowded together?”

He replied: “If you can ensure that no one sees them, then let no one see them.”

He asked: “What if one of us is alone?”

He replied: “Allah is more entitled to your modesty than people are.”

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, also “forbade a woman to lie in direct bodily contact with another woman under a single covering, and a man to lie in direct bodily contact with another man under a single covering.” He “forbade walking about naked” and “forbade a man to look at another man’s private parts and a woman to look at another woman’s private parts.”

He said: “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day must not enter the bathhouse except wearing a waist-wrapper.”

In another version: “Any woman of my community who believes in Allah and the Last Day must not enter the bathhouse except wearing a waist-wrapper.”