[Q 604] Awrah Exposure in Medical Testing

QUESTION:

What is the ruling regarding preventative medical procedures such as breast cancer testing, prostrate checks, colonoscopies etc and whether they’d be considered darurah or not? Would uncovering the awrah be permissible in such circumstances?

ANSWER:

Generally, symptoms of illness appear, and then based on those, a decision is made regarding how necessary it is to undergo testing. If a doctor who is an expert in their field states that this test is necessary for the treatment of the illness, and without the test, correct diagnosis would not be possible and therefore proper treatment cannot be carried out, and there is no alternative method available in which satr poshi (covering of the awrah – ستر) can be maintained, then in such a case, undergoing this test will fall under the level of darurah (darurah – necessity), and it will be permissible to undergo it.

Even in such a situation, a woman should choose a female doctor and a man should choose a male doctor.

However, if this is not the case—meaning that the diagnosis of the illness is not solely dependent on this test, or an alternative exists—then undergoing such a test will not fall under the level of darurah (necessity). Similarly, if a qualified doctor has not declared the test necessary, and there are no symptoms of illness, and one merely wishes to undergo it as a precaution, then this test will fall below the level of necessity and will merely be for the purpose of obtaining benefit (manfa‘ah – benefit). In such a case, exposing the satr (awrah – ستر) for the sake of benefit will not be permissible; rather, the ruling will be to adopt any available alternative.

Ameer Ahl al-Sunnah (Ameer-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat – leader of Ahl al-Sunnah), ‘Allamah Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Attar Qadiri مد ظلہ العالی writes: “If the purpose is to treat an illness, then even if uncovering occurs for its diagnosis, upon the instruction of a skilled physician, a woman may undergo an ultrasound through a Muslim female (and if not available, then in a case of compulsion, through a male, etc.). However, determining whether the child is a boy or a girl is not related to treatment, and since in ultrasound the woman’s satr (awrah – ستر), such as the area below the navel, is exposed, therefore this act—even if done by a Muslim woman, let alone a man—is haram (impermissible) and a cause leading to Hell.”

(Booklet: Zinda Beti Kunwain Mein Phenk Di, p. 15, Maktabat al-Madinah, Karachi)

Answered by: Mubashir Attari (AskMufti Scholar)
Verified by: Mufti Sajid Attari
Translated answer
Date: 31st March 2026.