I say, and with God's success: One of God's mercies upon us is that the relationship between men and women is not based solely on each one's desire for the other, but He has exempted some of them and made the relationship between them based on affection, mercy, and compassion. Were it not for that, life would become impossible and peace of mind would vanish; therefore, the noble legislator has prohibited a category of women, as in His saying: {Prohibited to you are your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your paternal aunts, your maternal aunts, the daughters of your brother, and the daughters of your sister.}[An-Nisa: 23]. And it is permissible to look at these prohibited women in ways that are not allowed for non-mahrams; He permitted the viewing of their heads, faces, chests, legs, and arms; as He said: {And let them not display their adornment except to their husbands or their fathers or the fathers of their husbands or their sons or the sons of their husbands or their brothers or the sons of their brothers...}[An-Nur: from verse 31]; for He has permitted looking at the places of apparent and hidden adornment, and it does not refer to the adornment itself, as it is sold in markets and seen by strangers. However, this permission is conditioned upon safety from desire; otherwise, it is not permissible to look at these places with desire. As for other parts such as the back, abdomen, and thighs, it is not permissible to see them with or without desire; because they are considered 'awrah (intimate parts) for them. If looking at what has been previously mentioned were permitted when safe from desire, people would fall into great embarrassment; because mahrams enter upon each other without permission or modesty, and a woman in her home usually wears her work clothes and is not covered. If she were commanded to cover herself from her mahrams, it would lead to great embarrassment, as mentioned in Al-Mabsut 10: 150, Dhakheerat Al-Aqba p. 578, Al-Hidayah 10: 33, and Al-Bahr Al-Ra'iq 8: 220. These home garments conceal a woman's 'awrah in front of her mahrams if they are thick—meaning heavy—not clinging to her body, then there is no harm in them; because what is looked at is the garment and not the body, as long as the looking is not with desire. However, if her garment is thin and outlines what is underneath and is transparent, or if it is thick but clings to her body until her shape is discernible, it is not permissible to wear it in front of mahrams or to look at it; because if her body is discernible, she would be considered clothed yet actually naked; because this garment, in that it does not cover her, is like a net over her, unlike what covers her, for looking at her in that case is like looking at a tent with a woman inside. Whenever it outlines, one is looking at her limbs [as in Al-Badai 5: 123, Radd Al-Muhtar 6: 372, Al-Fatawa Al-Hindiyyah 5: 329, and Al-Taqyeen 6: 17]. Among the evidence for this: 1. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "There are two types of people from the people of Hell that I have not seen: a people with whips like the tails of cows who strike people with them, and women who are clothed yet naked, leaning towards and swaying with their heads like the humps of camels. They will not enter Paradise, nor will they smell its fragrance, and its fragrance can be found from a distance of such and such." In Sahih Muslim 3: 1680. 2. From Abdullah ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "There will be in the last of my Ummah men who ride on saddles like the saddles of camels, and they will descend at the doors of mosques. Their women will be clothed yet naked, with their heads like the humps of camels. Curse them, for they are cursed." In Al-Mustadrak 4: 483, and he authenticated it, and in Al-Mu'jam Al-Saghir 9: 131, and Musnad Ahmad 2: 223, and Al-Mu'jam Al-Saghir 2: 257, and Al-Mawariq Al-Thaman 1: 351. Al-Haythami said in Majma Al-Zawa'id 5: 137: "The men of Ahmad are men of authenticity." 3. From Zaid ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) he said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) clothed me with a thick Coptic garment that was among what Dihyah Al-Kalbi gifted. I clothed my wife with it. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to me: Why do you not wear the Coptic garment? I said: O Messenger of Allah, my wife clothed herself with it. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Command her to put on a slip under it, for I fear that it may outline the size of her bones." In Musnad Ahmad 5: 205, and Musnad Al-Bazzar 7: 30, and Al-Tabaqat Al-Kubra 4: 65. Al-Haythami said in Majma Al-Zawa'id 5: 137: "In it is Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Aqil, and his hadith is good, and there is weakness, but the rest of its narrators are trustworthy." 4. From Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her): "That Asma bint Abi Bakr entered upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) while she was wearing thin garments, so the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) turned away from her and said: O Asma, when a woman reaches the age of menstruation, it is not permissible for her to show anything except this and this, and he pointed to his face and hands." In Sunan Abu Dawood 4: 62, and he said: "This is a mursal narration; Khalid ibn Drik did not meet Aisha." The concluding scholar Ibn Abidin said in Radd Al-Muhtar 6: 366: "Looking at the garment in such a way that it outlines the size of the limb is prohibited, even if it is thick and the skin is not visible from it." Based on this, it is not permissible to look at the 'awrah of another over a garment that clings to it and outlines its size, and what has been mentioned applies if it does not outline its size. These are clear evidences of the prohibition of a woman wearing pants or tight clothing that outlines her limbs and shape in front of non-mahrams, for it outlines her body and charms, and incites temptation; she is indeed clothed but naked; and due to the ugliness of her actions, she is prohibited from Paradise and its fragrance, as stated in the hadith. And Allah is the Helper. As for mahrams, whatever is 'awrah must not be shown in front of them, and tight clothing is not considered a covering for the 'awrah. Hafiz Al-Din Al-Bazzazi said in Al-Fatawa Al-Bazzaziyyah 6: 370: "And if her clothing clings to her body or is thin, then looking from behind it is like looking at her body, and looking at the 'awrah is not permissible except for necessity. There is no difference in looking at the 'awrah between mahrams and non-mahrams; because it incites desire and brings about temptation." Imam Fakhr Al-Din Qadi Khan, when discussing looking at a woman's 'awrah during treatment, said: "There is no difference in this between mahrams and others; because looking at the 'awrah is not permissible due to the relationship of mahram." As in Al-Fatawa Al-Alamgiri 5: 330, and others. This ruling is overlooked by many people in a time when corruption and immorality have spread, and desires have taken hold of hearts in front of these satellite channels. Scholar Muhammad Shafi' Al-Othmani said in Ahkam Al-Quran 3: 483 (d. 1396 AH): "The affliction has spread in our country of wearing clothing that clings to the body and is thin, which is not permissible in front of mahrams other than the husband; so how about in front of non-mahrams, and people are heedless of this. And Allah knows best.