Who are the mahrams in front of whom a woman can uncover?

Praise be to Allaah.

It is permissible for a woman to take off her hijaab in
front of her mahrams.

A woman’s mahram is a person whom she is never
permitted to marry because of their close blood relationship (such as her
father, grandfather, great-grandfather, etc., and her son, grandson,
great-grandson, etc., her paternal and maternal uncles, her brother,
brother’s son and sister’s son), or because because of radaa’ah or
breastfeeding (such as the brother and husband of the woman who breastfed
her), or because they are related by marriage (such as the mother’s
husband, the husband’s father, grandfather, etc., and the husband’s son,
grandson, etc.). More details on this subject are given below:

Mahrams by ties of blood

These are the ones mentioned in Soorat al-Noor,
where Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“… and not to reveal their adornment except to their
husbands, or their fathers, or their husband’s fathers, or their sons, or
their husband’s sons, or their brothers or their brother’s sons, or
their sister’s sons…” [al-Noor 24:31].

The mufassireen said: the woman’s male mahrams by ties
of blood, as stated clearly in this aayah or inferred by it are as follows:

1- the woman’s forefathers, no matter how far back the
line of ascent goes through her father and her mother, such as her
father’s forefathers and her mother’s forefathers. As for her
husband’s forefathers, they are her mahrams by marriage, as we shall see
below.

2- her sons, which includes her children’s children, no
matter how the line of descent goes and whether they are descended from
males or females, such as her sons’ sons and her daughters’ sons. As for
her “husband’s sons” mentioned in the aayah, these are the husband’s
sons from other wives, and these are her mahrams by marriage, not by blood,
as we shall see below.

3- her brothers, whether they are her brothers through
both the mother and father, or through the father only or the mother only.

4- the children of her siblings, whether they are
descended through the males or females, such as the sons of her sister’s
daughters.

5- paternal uncles and maternal uncles. They are mahrams
by blood even though they are not mentioned in the aayah, because they are
like parents and are regarded by people as having the same status as
parents, and a paternal uncle may be called a father. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):

“Or were you witnesses when death approached Ya‘qoob
(Jacob)? When he said unto his sons, “What will you worship after me?”
They said, “We shall worship your Ilaah (God — Allaah) the Ilaah (God)
of your fathers, Ibraaheem (Abraham), Ismaa’eel (Ishmael), Ishaaq
(Isaac)…” [al-Baqarah 2:133]. Ismaa’eel was the paternal uncle of
the sons of Ya’qoob.

(Tafseer al-Raazi, 23/206; Tafseer al-Qurtubi,
12/232, 233; Tafseer al-Aaloosi, 18/143; Fath al-Bayaan fi
Maqaasid al-Qur’aan by Siddeeq Hasan Khaan, 6/352)

Mahrams by radaa’ah (breastfeeding)

A woman may have mahrams through radaa’ah. It says in Tafseer
al-Aloosi:

“The relationship of mahram which permits a woman to
show her adornments may be through radaa’ah as well as through blood ties,
so it is permissible for a woman to show her adornments to those who are her
fathers or sons through radaa’ah.” (Tafseer al-Aaloosi.
18/143) The relationship of mahram by radaa’ah is like the
relationship of mahram by blood – it means that marriage is forever
forbidden by virtue of that relationship of mahram. This was the view stated
by Imaam al-Jassaas when he commented on this aayah. He said (may Allaah
have mercy on him): “When Allaah mentioned the fathers and that their
marriage to these women is forbidden forever, this indicates that the same
prohibition applies in other relationships of mahram, such as the mother of
the woman and those who are mahrams by radaa’ah, etc.” (Ahkaam
al-Qur’aan by al-Jassaas, 3/317).

The same things are made haraam by radaa’ah as by ties
of blood.

It also says in the Sunnah: “The same things are made
haraam by radaa’ah as by ties of blood.” This means that the people who
are mahram to a woman because of blood ties are also mahram because of
radaa’ah. It was reported in Saheeh Muslim that ‘Aa’ishah Umm
al-Mu’mineen (may Allaah be pleased with her) said that Aflah the
brother of Abu Qu’ays came and asked permission to see her. He was her
uncle through radaa’ah. This was after hijaab had been revealed, so she
refused to give him permission. When the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) came, she told him about what she had done
and he told her to give him permission. (Saheeh al-Bukhaari bi
Sharh al-‘Asqallaani, 9/150). This hadeeth was also
narrated by Imaam Muslim, where the wording is: from ‘Urwah from
‘Aa’ishah, who told him that her uncle by radaa’ah, who was called
Aflah, asked permission to see her and she did not let him. She told the
Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he said to
her, “Do not observe hijaab in front of him, because the same
relationships of mahram are created by radaa’ah as by blood ties.” (Saheeh
Muslim bi Sharh al-Nawawi, 10/22)

A woman’s mahrams through radaa’ah are the same as
her mahrams through blood ties

In accordance with the Qur’aan and Sunnah, the
fuqahaa’ have stated that a woman’s mahrams through radaa’ah are the
same as her mahrams through blood ties. It is permissible for her to display
her adornments before her mahrams by radaa’ah just as it is permissible
for her to display her adornments before her mahrams by blood ties. It is
permissible for her mahrams by radaa’ah to see whatever of her body it is
permissible for her mahrams by blood ties to see.

Mahrams by marriage

A woman’s mahrams by marriage are those whom it is
forever forbidden to marry, such as the father’s wife, the son’s wife or
the wife’s mother. (Sharh al-Muntahaa, 3/7).

The mahram by marriage of the father’s wife is his son
from another wife, for the wife of the son it is his father, and for the
mother of the wife it is the husband. Allaah says in Soorat al-Noor
(interpretation of the meaning):

“… and not to reveal their adornment except to their
husbands, or their fathers, or their husband’s fathers, or their sons, or
their husband’s sons…” [al-Noor 24:31]. Their husband’s fathers
and their husband’s sons are mahrams of the woman by marriage. Allaah
mentioned them along with their (the women’s own) fathers and sons, and
made them all the same in the sense that women may display their adornments
in front of them. (Al-Mughni, 6/555)