Question 1559: What is the ruling on a person's private parts being exposed to a doctor due to illness and the necessity of treatment?
Answer
✅ Answer: Please pay attention to the following narrations:
1 عَنْ حَرِیزٍ عَنْ أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّه قَالَ: لَا یَنْظُرُ الرَّجُلُ إِلَی عَوْرَةِ أَخِیهِ.
📚 Al-Tahdhib, vol. 1, page 374
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: A man must not look at the private parts of his brother!
2 عَنِ الْحُسَیْنِ بْنِ زَیْدٍ عَنِ الصَّادِقِ عَنْ آبَائِهِ عَنِ النَّبِیِّ فِی حَدِیثِ الْمَنَاهِی قَالَ: إِذَا اغْتَسَلَ أَحَدُکُمْ فِی فَضَاءٍ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ فَلْیُحَاذِرْ عَلَی عَوْرَتِهِ وَ قَالَ لَا یَدْخُلَنَّ أَحَدُکُمُ الْحَمَّامَ إِلَّا بِمِئْزَرٍ وَ نَهَی أَنْ یَنْظُرَ الرَّجُلُ إِلَی عَوْرَةِ أَخِیهِ الْمُسْلِمِ وَ قَالَ مَنْ تَأَمَّلَ عَوْرَةَ أَخِیهِ الْمُسْلِمِ لَعَنَهُ سَبْعُونَ أَلْفَ مَلَکٍ وَ نَهَی الْمَرْأَةَ أَنْ تَنْظُرَ إِلَی عَوْرَةِ الْمَرْأَةِ وَ قَالَ مَنْ نَظَرَ إِلَی عَوْرَةِ أَخِیهِ الْمُسْلِمِ أَوْ عَوْرَةِ غَیْرِ أَهْلِهِ مُتَعَمِّداً أَدْخَلَهُ اللَّهُ مَعَ الْمُنَافِقِینَ الَّذِینَ کَانُوا یَبْحَثُونَ عَنْ عَوْرَاتِ النَّاسِ وَ لَمْ یَخْرُجْ مِنَ الدُّنْیَا حَتَّی یَفْضَحَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَّا أَنْ یَتُوبَ.
📚 Al-Faqih, vol. 4, page 4
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said in the hadith of prohibitions: 'When one of you bathes or washes in an open area, he should cover his private parts.'
and he said: 'None of you should ever enter a bathhouse except with a loincloth.'
and he prohibited a man from looking at the private parts of his brother.
and he said: 'Whoever looks at the private parts of his brother, seventy thousand angels curse him.'
and he prohibited a woman from looking at the private parts of another woman.
and he said: 'Whoever intentionally looks at the private parts of his Muslim brother or the private parts of someone other than his wife, Allah will enter him among the hypocrites who pry into people's faults, and he will not leave this world until Allah exposes him, unless he repents!'
3 سُئِلَ الصَّادِقُ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِینَ یَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصارِهِمْ وَ یَحْفَظُوا فُرُوجَهُمْ ذلِکَ أَزْکی لَهُمْ فَقَالَ کُلُّ مَا کَانَ فِی کِتَابِ اللَّهِ مِنْ ذِکْرِ حِفْظِ الْفَرْجِ فَهُوَ مِنَ الزِّنَا إِلَّا فِی هَذَا الْمَوْضِعِ فَإِنَّهُ لِلْحِفْظِ مِنْ أَنْ یُنْظَرَ إِلَیْهِ.
📚 Al-Faqih, vol. 1, page 114
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) was asked about the saying of Allah (in Surah An-Nur, verse 30), 'Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their private parts, that is purer for them.' The Imam said: 'Wherever guarding the private parts is mentioned in the Quran, it refers to fornication, except in this place, where it means guarding the private parts from being looked at!'
4 عَنْ عَلِیٍّ فِی قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِینَ یَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصارِهِمْ وَ یَحْفَظُوا فُرُوجَهُمْ ذلِکَ أَزْکی لَهُمْ مَعْنَاهُ لَا یَنْظُرُ أَحَدُکُمْ إِلَی فَرْجِ أَخِیهِ الْمُؤْمِنِ أَوْ یُمَکِّنُهُ مِنَ النَّظَرِ إِلَی فَرْجِهِ...
📚 Al-Muhkam wa al-Mutashabih, page 64.
The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) said about the divine saying (in Surah An-Nur, verse 30), 'Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their private parts, that is purer for them': 'It means that none of you should look at the private parts of his believing brother, or allow him to look at his private parts!'
5 وَ عَنْ سَمَاعَةَ عَنْ أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ في حديثٍ قَالَ لَیْسَ شَیْءٌ مِمَّا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلَّا وَ قَدْ أَحَلَّهُ لِمَنِ اضْطُرَّ إِلَیْهِ.
📚 Nawadir Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa, page 75, hadith 161.
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said in a hadith: 'There is nothing that Allah has forbidden except that He has made it permissible for someone who is in a state of necessity regarding it!'
✅ Based on the above verses and narrations, looking at the private parts of a believer or a Muslim, and exposing one's private parts to someone other than one's spouse, is forbidden.
However, based on hadith 5 and others, if a person is in a state of necessity and compulsion for essential treatment, etc., he is in a state of permission regarding the exposure of his private parts in that necessity.
✅ Therefore, a person who is forced to expose his private parts to a doctor for treatment is in a state of divine permission, and exposing the private parts to the doctor is permissible to the extent needed. This matter is only permissible in a state of necessity.
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْر
Tafsir
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
And may Allah bless Muhammad and his pure family
Information about earthquakes, prayer of signs, etc.:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْرَ