Can a Woman Wear Less Modest Clothing at Home for Her Husband?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

I know that when even alone at home we should cover our awrah. What if a husband asks his wife to wear something that exposes the navel-knee area (for the whole day while at home, for example) or to sleep in something like that, would it be allowed?

And what if throughout the day the woman listens to Islamic lectures or Quran, and she is dressed in shorts or leggings?

Answer

May Allah reward you for your modesty and for pleasing your husband as his requests are permissible and praiseworthy to follow.

With Husband

The full rulings on when and what to cover are here:
A Detailed Exposition of the Fiqh of Covering One’s Nakedness (awra)

You can and should wear what your husband wants you to wear while you are at home with him. Wearing something that exposes what is between the navel and knees is permissible while sleeping, especially if you are covered with a sheet or the like. It is deserving of reward if you do it to please him.

It says in the Reliance of the Traveller:

m2.4  A man may look at his wife (N: or vice versa) including her nakedness (def: f5.3), though it is offensive for either husband or wife to look at the other’s genitals.

Home Alone

However, when you are home alone, you must take the means to cover what is between the navel and knees; this is wajib in the Hanafi school. When your husband comes home, you can change into what he likes. If are you listening to a lecture or reading the Quran while he is home, it is superior to be in modest clothing, so you can throw a shawl or blanket over your legs and veil your head, too. I’m sure he won’t mind, as the etiquette of reading the Quran calls for this.

The general standard of modesty is this. Bahz bin Hakim narrated from his father that his grandfather said: “I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, with regard to our `awra, what may we uncover of it and what must we conceal?’ He said: ‘Cover your `awra, except from your wife and those whom your right hand possesses.’ I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, what if the people live close together?’ He said: ‘If you can make sure that no one sees it, then do not let anyone see it.’ I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, what if one of us is alone?’ He said: ‘Allah is more deserving that you should feel shy before Him than People.’” [Ibn Maja]

Please see these links as well:
Remaining Naked When Alone
Is It Permitted to Wear Lingerie All Day?
Is It Permissible to Sleep Naked with One’s Spouse? (Shafi’i)

May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani 

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqida, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.