Does One Have To Keep Covered Around One’s Pets?
Question: It is not uncommon for cat owners to have their furry friends with them in all places of their home, including in the bedroom, sleeping together on the bed, and a curious cat coming into a bathroom or closet. Is there anything wrong with a cat (or pets generally) seeing or coming in contact with one’s awra?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate,
Walaikum assalam,
I hope you are doing well, insha’Allah.
You do not need to take special precautions to cover in front of your pets—as they are not morally responsible.
However, it is necessary (wajib) to cover one’s basic nakedness (awra)—for both men and women—beyond need or benefit, even when alone. [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar; Ibn al-Humam/Marghinani, Fath al-Qadir Sharh al-Hidaya]
The basis of this is the words of the Beloved Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace), “Allah is more deserving of one’s modesty than people are,” when asked about covering when alone. [ِAbu Dawud, Tirmidhi, others; sound]
Please see:
https://seekers.flywheelstaging.com/answers/hanafi-fiqh/awra-nudity/
https://seekers.flywheelstaging.com/answers/hanafi-fiqh/what-is-considered-awra-nakedness-for-men/
And Allah is the giver of success and facilitation.
[Shaykh] Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Faraz Rabbani spent ten years studying with some of the leading scholars of recent times, first in Damascus, and then in Amman, Jordan. His teachers include the foremost theologian of recent times in Damascus, the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas (may Allah have mercy on him), as well as his student Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, one of the leading Hanafi fuqaha of the present age. He returned to Canada in 2007, where he founded SeekersGuidance in order to meet the urgent need to spread Islamic knowledge–both online and on the ground–in a reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible manner. He is the author of: Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004.) Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center.
