Viewing One's Spouse Unattired on Skype

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Respected Brother,

Whilst The Shariah serves the purpose of connecting Man with his Creator, it also takes into consideration the needs of Man, including the base and carnal desires. The institution of Nikah serves to fulfil just that. However, as Muslims we live with certain entrenched values and do not compromise in that. One such value is modesty. The emphasis Shariah has put upon modesty can be understood by the following Ahadith:

Abu Hurairah Radiyallahu Anhu narrates from The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam to have said: Modesty is a branch of Iman (Faith) (Muslim vol.1 pg.47, Qadimi kutub khana)

Ibn Umar Radiyallahu Anhu reports The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam to have said: Modesty and Faith complement one another. When one goes, so does the other (Al Targheeb vol.3 pg.400, Dar Al Rayyan Lil Turath)

Whilst we acknowledge that it is permissible for the spouses to look at each other unattired[1], such an attitude is against shame and modesty. Consider the following Ahadith:

Utbah bin Abd Al Sulami says: The Prophet Salallau Alaihi Wa Sallam said: When one of you approaches his spouse then he should cover himself and should not be bare like donkeys (Ibn Majah vol.3 pg.107, Al Risalah Al Aalamiyyah)

Anas (Radiyallahu Anhu) says: The Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam said: Obscenity degrades everything it comes in contact with and modesty beautifies everything it comes in contact with(Tirmizi vol.4 pg.85, Al Risalah Al Alamiyyah).

In view of the above, we advise that you exhaust all possible means of staying together with your spouse. We also advise that you habitually fast, as it controls the carnal desires.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Hisham Dawood

Student Darul Iftaa
Chicago, U.S.A.

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

www.daruliftaa.net