Verse 24:31 lists people around whom a woman's clothing requirements are somewhat relaxed. It mentions, among others, "Male attendants who lack desire" or "...who have no physical desire..".
So, there are two conditions apparent - being an attendant and being a male who lacks desire. Most commentators focus on the second part - lacking desire.
The first thing to note is that the verse is worded broadly, perhaps intentionally.
Many people feel "those who lack desire" refers to eunuchs, but one wonders how that could be since eunuchs were apparently not common in all societies. It also assumes the existence of eunuchs without question (as opposed to the traditions that acknowledge slavery but encourage freeing slaves).
Several scholars mention "old men". This is perhaps the understanding most people would come to, but this assumes old men lack desire, which may not always be the case.
A few have refered to "subordinate/servent men" who "by virtue of the subordinate nature of their position" could not be bold enough to express their desire for the woman who is in charge of them.
While the last one may be a stretch, it shows how the verse has been interpreted.
Recently, many people have made the case that homosexual people or asexual people would fall into this category as well.
This raises several questions:
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There was a case where an effeminate man was allowed access to woman-only areas during the life of the Prophet (S). He was later not allowed into these areas when it was discovered that he was describing physical features of the women to other men. Some scholars say that this means that one must not have mental desire, not just lack of physical capabilities (it is unclear whether this person was a eunuch or not). The question therefore is, how does one know if a man lacks sexual desire?
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Many asexuals and homosexuals are actually capable of having sexual intercourse with a woman despite having no desire to do so (it is basically "mechanical" to them). Would that mean that such a person would not be in this category? This then further begs the question of how can one know who does or does not have sexual desire?
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Earlier in the verse, it says women can dress differently amongst "their womenfolk". Women can have sexual desire for other women as well. How would that work here?
Thoughts?
