Husband and wife's looking at each other's private parts
29-12-2005 | IslamWeb
Question:
I am a new reader of your site. I read almost all your "Fatwas", and I am confused due to your "Fatwas", since you had given Fatwa for query, i.e. Fatwa 82419. Related to see the private parts of a married couple. You had stated that "Prophet did not do it. As Aa'ishah said: "But in the Fatwa" 83392. You had stated this, i.e. copy of what you told: The Hadeeth reported by Ahmad from Aa'ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, that she said: "I never looked at the Prophet's private parts and never saw them". This Hadeeth is weak.
I am a kind of person who wants to have full information not a confused one. So please I want a detail information regarding this topic because it's the matter for the life that begins after death, so I don't want to do any such things which our "Prophet" didn't done.
Please forgive me if I heart you since right now I am cross questioning you, as I am still 20 years old, through religion I am your younger brother so please don't mind and please educate your little brother about this topic in detail with prior Hadeeth.
Thanks for your help and your work in educating Islam around world.
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
There is no contradiction, all perfect praise be to Allaah, between our Fatwa on the permissibility of the spouses to look at each other’s private parts, and the statement that it is more appropriate not to do that. Saying that it is more appropriate not to do it, means that this matter is permissible, but not doing it is better. Our statement that it is more appropriate not to do that is because it was not confirmed that the Prophet 
used to do it. The fact that he did not do it, is from his best manners as he was bashful, so you should follow the example of the Prophet by not looking at the private parts, and this is more appropriate. This issue resembles the chapter which Al-Bukhari
entitled: "Whoever performs Ghusl (ritual bath) naked while being alone, and whoever covers his private parts, then covering one’s private parts is better." This is evidence that there is no contradiction between its permissibility and the preference of not doing it.
Allaah Knows best.