Husband and wife taking a bath together and looking at one another’s private parts

 

Can husband and wife take a bath together
and look at each others private parts? I have been told by some people that while having
intercourse with ones wife, the room should be completely dark and one cannot take all the
clothes off while copulation. Is it true?
May Allah guide us to the right path.

Praise be to Allaah.

It is permissible for a woman to see all of her husband’s body and
for a man to see all of his wife’s body, with no need to go into details, because
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And those who guard their chastity
(i.e., private parts, from illegal sexual acts), except from their wives or (the captives
and slaves) that their right hands possess, - for then, they are free from blame; but
whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors.” [al-Mu’minoon
23:5-7]

(Fataawa al-Mar’ah by Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 121).

Al-Bukhaari reported in his Saheeh (no. 250) that
‘Aa’ishah said: “The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him)and I used to bathe from one vessel.”

Al-Haafiz said in al-Fath: “Al-Daawoodi interpreted this to
mean that it is permissible for a man to look at his wife’s ‘awrah and
vice-versa. This is supported by the report narrated by Ibn Hibbaan via Sulaymaan ibn
Moosa, who was asked about a man looking at his wife’s private parts. He said:
‘I asked ‘Aa’ishah, and she referred to this hadeeth.’ This is
evidence in this matter. And Allaah knows best.”

I say: as for the words that some people attribute to the Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), that it is makrooh (disliked) for a man to
look at his wife’s private parts, this is not saheeh. This includes the reports
narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas and Abu Hurayrah according to which the Prophet
(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “When any one of you has intercourse with his
wife, let him not look at her private parts, because this causes blindness, and let him
not speak, because this causes muteness.” Ibn al-Jawzi said: “(This is)
mawdoo’ (fabricated).” (See al-Mawdoo’aat by Ibn al-Jawzi,
2/271-272).

And Allaah knows best.