Dressing in a respectable manner in front of one's mahrams

Q: I want to ask few questions regarding women's dressing in front of mahrams:

1. My friend told me that his mother wears a loose sleeveless nighty from chest to knee in front of her husband and children. In this nighty her breast is visible when she sits down or is working. He can see her breast but from stomach to knee her body is hidden.
2. He told me that sometime she didn't wear bra because of which her nipples are visible on her shirt.
3. Another thing he told me is that after taking a bath she wraps her body with a towel and comes out from the washroom and starts combing. Most of the time her towel becomes loose and her whole breast is visible.

I asked my friend why she does like this. He replied that it is allowed in Islam. Mahram males can see a woman's breast, neck , hair, thigh. But he also said that women can not show her body from stomach to knee and back. It is not allowed in Islam.

Is this true?

A: Though it is not haraam, but it is not a respectable way to be in the presence of her elders.

And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

Answered by:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)