Peace guys. I was reading verse 24:31 and I was interested in what people here think about this part of said verse:
"And tell the believing women to restrain their looks, and to guard their privates, and not display their beauty except what is apparent thereof, and to draw their coverings over their breasts, and not expose their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, their women, what their right hands possess, their male attendants who have no sexual desires, or children who are not yet aware of the nakedness of women. And they should not strike their feet to draw attention to their hidden beauty. And repent to God, all of you believers, so that you may succeed."
What does the bolded portion mean? "Beauty" can't mean necklaces and ornaments as these are often worn in public and yet no one relates them to nakedness. And why would a woman want to be sexually dressed in front of the people listed in the verse? My opinion is that a woman is allowed to be naked in front of her father, mother, daughter, son, brother, etc. This position makes much more sense when you realise that bathing suits and private showers were hard to come by in the past. In fact, modern day bathing suits (including so-called "modest swimwear") would have been considered scandalous back then as well. This verse may also allow women to swim in a private place like a pond or a lake sans clothing without any strange unrelated men harassing them (as often occurs on the beach). What do you guys think? Give your explanations below.
