Islamic jurisprudentialrule for women's looking at men's bodies

In Islam, the believing women looking at men bodiesis a public controversialissue (i.e. who are outside the Mahram relationship). This popularitychanges it to a Sharia controversy in some social problems such as women attendance in men's sport environment. But what is the command of Islam about the believing women looking at men who are strangers to themduring usual activities disregarding other possible interests, factors and outcomes which should be noticed by policy makers and administrators in managing such social and cultural issues. Investigating Islamic jurisprudentialtexts including reasoning and Fatwās shows that Fuqaha (the plural of Jurist in Islamic jurisprudence) have had differing views about women usual looking-without lust and moral pervasion- at men.They have been ranged from the absolute prohibition of looking (Haram) to binding it to specific positions.These arguments just like other related discussions typically stem from the difference of views and attitudes about the reasons. Examining reasons shows that the reasons for the reverence of women looking at men are not so clear and reliable in comparison with the reasons for the preserved reverence of men looking at women.In this paper, after describing the eight existing views, first inadequacy of evidences and arguments to prove the reverence of women usual looking at men except private parts of their bodiesare presented and then the evidences and arguments support thisview that women are allowed to look at men (who are outside the Mahram relationship) except private parts of their bodies are demonstrated, as some other Islamic jurisprudents introduced the same point of view. Others, insisting on the inadequacy of evidences and arguments, recommend prudential obligations.