For a man, the ʿawrah—what must be covered—is the area between the navel and the knee. Accordingly, he may expose his chest and shoulders to another man, for it is permissible for a man to wear nothing more than an izār (waist-wrapper). This is illustrated by the ḥadith of the man who asked the Prophet ﷺ to marry him to the woman who had offered herself to the Prophet.

A woman once came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, “Messenger of Allah, I have offered myself to you.” He looked her up and down, then turned away; he felt no desire for her and kept silent, so the woman sat down. A man from the gathering then said, “Messenger of Allah, marry her to me.” The Prophet asked, “What do you have for a dowry?” He replied, “All I possess is my izār.” Sahl, the narrator, explains: “He had no cloak; he owned nothing but that single waist-wrapper.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “If you give her your izār, you will be left without one; and if you keep it, she will have no dowry. Go and look—search, even for an iron ring.” The man went off to search but found nothing, not even an iron ring, for he was poor. The Prophet ﷺ then asked him, “Do you know anything of the Quran?” He answered, “Yes—such-and-such a sūrah and such-and-such.” The Prophet said, “I marry her to you for what you know of the Quran,” meaning: teach her what you know of the Quran, and that will be her dowry.

The lesson here is that it is perfectly acceptable for a man to limit himself to wearing an izār, whereas a woman cannot do so; this was never the custom of the female Companions—may Allah be pleased with them. Allah is the One who grants success.

Question and answer: A maidservant living in the household, like any other woman, must cover her face. In fact, she poses an even greater risk, for if she uncovers her face and happens to be young or attractive, the head of the household—and his sons, if he has sons—may be tempted by her.