AWRAT PARTS TO BE COVERED Parts of the body that men and women are to cover during salat and

elsewhere a re called awrat parts. If a person says that Islam does not prescribe a certain pa rt in the name of awrat, he becomes an unbeliever. Some parts of the body are aw rat according to the ijma (unanimity, consessu) of all four Madhhabs [1], (and th ese awrat parts vary with sex). If a person flouts the importance of covering th ese parts of his (or her) body or of not looking at others exposed awrat parts, i .e. if he (or she) does not feel any fear concerning the torment (that will be i ncrurred by the violation of this prohibition), he (or she) becomes a disbelieve r. In a mans body, parts between the pelvis and the knees are not awrat in the Ma dhhab of Hanbali. If a person says, I am a Muslim, he has to learn Islams tenets an d the actions that are fard (obligatory) and those that are haram (forbidden) wi th the consensus (ijma) of the four Madhhabs, and he has to pay due importance to this matter. Not to know is not a valid excuse. It is identical with intentiona l unbelief. A womans entire body, with the exception of her hands and face, is aw rat according to all four Madhhabs. So is the case with a womans exposing her awr at parts, singing, or saying (aloud the eulogy called) Mawlid in the presence of men. If a person slightingly exposes a part of his body which is awrat not with ijma, i.e. which is not awrat in one of the other three Madhhabs, (though it is awrat according to his own Madhhab and two of the other three Madhhabs,) he will have committed a grave sin though this violation will not make him an unbelieve r. An example of this is a mans exposing his legs between the pelvis and the knee s, (which are, as we have already said, not awrat in the Hanbali though they are awrat in the other three Madhhabs). It is fard to learn the Islamic tenets that you do not know. As soon as you learn them, you must make tawba and cover your awrat parts. Lying, gossip, backbiting, slander, theft, cheating, treachery, hur ting someones feelings, mischief-making, using someones property without permissio n, not paying a laborers or porters due, rebellion, that is, opposing the laws and the governments orders, and not paying that are not so commonly spread or indisp ensable so as to be known by him, he is not in disbelief (kufr) but sinful (fisq ). GLOSSARY [1] madhhab: all of what a profound alim of (especially) Fiqh (usually one of the four-Hanafi, Shafii, Maliki, Hanbali) or iman (one of the two, namely Ash-ari, M aturidi) communicated.