Bathing Naked in Islam: Permissible? New

Is Bathing Naked or Standing in Solitude Allowed in Islam?

Question: Is it permissible for a man or a woman to bathe naked / standing up in solitude? Please clarify with evidence from the Quran and Hadith.

Answer:

All praise is for Allah:

It is permissible for men and women to bathe naked and standing up in solitude and privacy. However, it is more virtuous (afdal) to bathe while sitting or by tying a cloth to cover the private parts.

Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) established a chapter in Sahih al-Bukhari, in the Book of Ghusl (ritual bathing), with the title:

باب من اغتسل عريانا وحده في الخلوة، ومن تستر فالتستر افضل

Chapter: Regarding one who bathes naked alone in solitude, and one who covers himself, and covering is more virtuous.

Below this, he mentions the following narration:

وَقَالَ بَهْزُ بْنُ حَكِيمٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، ” اللَّهُ أَحَقُّ أَنْ يُسْتَحْيَا مِنْهُ مِنَ النَّاسِ “.

And Bahz bin Hakim narrated from his father, who narrated from his grandfather (Mu’awiyah ibn Haydah), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Allah is more deserving of being shy of than people.”

And then he presents two Hadiths as evidence:

It is narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The Children of Israel used to bathe naked, looking at one another, but Musa (Moses, peace be upon him) used to bathe alone in seclusion. They said, “By Allah, the only thing that prevents Musa from bathing with us is that he has enlarged testicles.” One day, Musa (peace be upon him) went to bathe and placed his clothes on a stone. The stone then ran away with his clothes. Musa (peace be upon him) ran after it, calling out, “O stone, my garment! O stone, my garment!” In the meantime, the Children of Israel saw Musa (peace be upon him) naked and said, “By Allah, Musa has no ailment.” Musa (peace be upon him) took his garment and began to strike the stone. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “By Allah, there are still six or seven marks on that stone from his striking.”

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 278)

From this hadith, the scholars have inferred that it is permissible to be naked if one is in seclusion, especially when there is a need, such as for bathing. Most scholars are of the view that this is permissible, as mentioned by Hafiz Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari.

(See: Fath al-Bari, Vol. 1, p. 385)

The second hadith Imam al-Bukhari presents is:

And it is also narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (Once) Ayyub (Job, peace be upon him) was bathing naked when golden locusts began to fall on him. Ayyub (peace be upon him) started gathering them in his garment. His Lord then called out to him, “O Ayyub! Have I not made you independent of what you see?” Ayyub (peace be upon him) replied, “Yes, by Your might! But how can I be independent of Your blessing?” And this hadith is narrated by Ibrahim from Musa bin ‘Uqbah, from Safwan, from ‘Ata bin Yasar, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), in this way: “While Ayyub (peace be upon him) was bathing naked…”

(to the end).

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 279)

Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) has stated that bathing naked in solitude is permissible, but has deemed it more virtuous to bathe while covering the private parts. He has presented two hadiths for the permissibility of bathing naked:

First, Musa (peace be upon him) bathing in solitude, and second, Ayyub (peace be upon him) bathing naked in solitude. By narrating these events, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not disapprove of the act; therefore, it is also considered permissible in our Shari’ah (Islamic law) to bathe in this manner in solitude.

The scholars have used the hadith from the Sahihayn (Bukhari and Muslim) as evidence that it is permissible to bathe without clothes and naked, in which the bathing of Musa (peace be upon him) without clothes and naked is mentioned.

(See Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 274; Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 339)

Imam an-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him), in establishing a chapter on this hadith, said:

“Chapter on the permissibility of bathing naked and without clothes in solitude.”

Similarly, it is established that Ayyub (peace be upon him) also bathed naked and without clothes, as mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 275.

Imam an-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:

“In the previous chapter, we have explained that: it is permissible to uncover the private parts in solitude when there is a need, such as when bathing, urinating, and during marital relations, etc. In all these situations, it is permissible to be naked while in solitude. However, it is haram (forbidden) to be without clothes in the presence of people and in front of them. The scholars say: It is more virtuous to tie a cloth, etc., while bathing in solitude than to be naked. It is permissible to be naked and without clothes for the duration of the need, such as for bathing, and it is haram to remain naked for longer than necessary. This is the correct view…”

(See: Sharh Muslim li al-Nawawi, 4/32)

Imam Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him) says:

In the hadith of the Mother of the Believers, Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with her), it is mentioned that the Prophet (peace be upon him) (bathed and he) was without a cloth, because the words of the hadith are:

“The Prophet (peace be upon him) put his hand in the vessel, then poured water over his private parts and washed them with his left hand…” (Bukhari, 249)

(See: Al-Muhalla by Ibn Hazm, Vol. 9, p. 165)

Saudi Mufti Sheikh Salih al-Munajjid (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked if it is permissible to bathe naked, and his answer was:

Yes, it is permissible for a person to bathe without clothes and naked, because there is proof for this from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), as the Mother of the Believers, Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with her), stated:

“She and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) bathed from one tub that had traces of flour on it.”

And it is also established that he (peace be upon him) bathed with ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), as mentioned in several places in Bukhari and Muslim.

There is no authentic hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the obligation to cover the body while bathing. Although some of the Salaf (early Muslims, may Allah have mercy on them) preferred to cover themselves while bathing, the Shari’ah does not make it obligatory. It is sufficient only to be hidden from the sight of people and not be naked in front of them.

(Islamqa.info_6976)

From all these hadiths and the sayings of the Muhaddithin (hadith scholars), it is proven that it is permissible to bathe naked in solitude.

However, it is more virtuous to cover the private parts even in solitude by tying a cloth or sitting down. The evidence for this is:

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a person bathing (in an open field) without a lower garment. He ascended the minbar (pulpit), praised and glorified Allah, and then said: “Allah is Shy and a Coverer, and He loves shyness and covering. Therefore, when any of you bathes, he should cover his private parts.”

(Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith No. 4012)

In another narration, the words are:

It is narrated from Mu’awiyah ibn Haydah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a man bathing in the courtyard of a house and said, “Indeed, Allah is shy, forbearing, and a coverer. When one of you bathes, he should cover his private parts, even if it is behind a wall.”

(Tarikh Jurjan, 225/332)

(Reference: Irwa al-Ghalil, Vol. 7, p. 368)

In a third narration, the words are:

Mu’awiyah ibn Haydah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I asked, “O Messenger of Allah! To what extent can we uncover our private parts and to what extent must we cover them?” He replied, “Guard your private parts except from your wife and what your right hand possesses (female slaves).” I then asked, “What if people are living together (what should we do)?” He replied, “Then you should try your utmost to ensure no one sees your private parts.” I asked again, “O Messenger of Allah! What about when a man is alone?” He replied, “Allah is more deserving that shyness be shown to Him than people.”

Imam at-Tirmidhi said: This hadith is hasan (good).

(Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 2794)

(Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith No. 4017)

And Allah, the Exalted, knows best what is correct.

Reference: https://alfurqan.info/problems/656