A man's awrah: from the navel to the knee

According to the consensus of the four major Sunni legal schools (madhabs), a man's awrah in Islam corresponds to the area between the navel and the knee. This part of the body must remain covered in public — whether the man is in front of other men, non-mahram women, or in mixed settings.

This limit comes directly from the hadiths of the Prophet ﷺ, in which he recommends covering the thigh and not exposing it. For the vast majority of scholars, the thigh is therefore fully included in the awrah.

In practical terms, this means that a Muslim man must wear, in any public setting, clothing that covers his thighs completely. Short shorts, sportswear that rides up during exertion, conventional swim trunks, or boxers visible in the locker room do not meet this rule.

What the four legal schools say

If the principle of from the navel to the knee is widely shared, each school (madhab) adds nuances about the exact boundaries. Here is a clear summary of each one:

Awrah in context: sports, swimming, everyday life

It is often in sports and water-based settings that the question becomes most delicate. The clothing available on the market is rarely designed to cover the thigh — and when it is, it often sacrifices style or performance.

Here are the situations where extra care matters most:

• At the pool — a standard swimsuit is almost always too short. You need a model designed to go below the knee.
• At the gym — shorts ride up during squats, lunges, and floor exercises. A long cut is essential.
• On the field (football, basketball, running) — standard shorts stop above the knee and regularly expose the thigh in motion.
• At the beach — short bermuda shorts are still not enough if they do not go past mid-thigh.
• In locker rooms and hammams — covering the awrah while changing or showering remains an obligation, even in exclusively male spaces.

Can you look at another man's awrah?

The question of awrah is not only about what you wear — it is also about what you look at. In Islam, it is forbidden for a man to deliberately look at another man's awrah. Modesty is therefore a mutual obligation: cover your own, and avert your gaze from others'.

In locker rooms, hammams, or during group sports activities, it is common to end up in situations where other men's awrah is visible. The Islamic rule encourages each person to cover his own as much as possible and not to stare at others'.

How to cover your awrah without sacrificing style?

For a long time, the Muslim man who wanted to uphold this obligation had to choose between two unsatisfying options: loose clothing ill-suited to modern life, or conventional outfits that did not cover the thigh. That is exactly the gap that Awrah decided to fill.

Each piece in the collection is designed to cover the awrah without compromising on cut, comfort, or performance:

In summary: what to remember

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  A man's awrah corresponds to the area between the navel and the knee.
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  The thigh is awrah according to the four Sunni legal schools.
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  This obligation applies in all situations: sports, beach, pool, daily life, locker rooms.
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  Modern, technical alternatives now exist to respect this rule without giving up style.

Covering your awrah is not a burden imposed on you — it is a conscious choice, a way of living modesty with dignity. And today, nothing prevents that choice from being as elegant as it is right.

To go further, discover our related article: What is awrah? — a more general look at the concept and its implications in a Muslim's life.