Temporarily Removing HIJAB for marriage purposes

HappyMuslimah

Exams:Duas please!
:salam2:

After a recent disussion regarding etiquette before marriage, I was surprised to learn that some individuals believe that a girl can remove her hijab in the final decision making stages. i.e. before the male says yes to marriage, the female briefly removes her scarf?? Apparently this is stated in hadith?

Please can someone explain this to me? Also, I believe that hijab is a philosophy so aren't there boundary issues here?

P.S. Please do duas for me, important life-changing career news should be arriving soon iA for the better
 

revert2007

Love Fishing
Assalamualikum
I guess you might get confuse hijab with niqab.
If a woman wears niqab,yes she can remove her niqab and show her face to the man that she will marry.But removing hijab is not allowed.How sure are we that this marriage will work out?

Correct me if am wrong.
Allah knows the best.
Assalamualikum
 

HappyMuslimah

Exams:Duas please!
Assalamualikum
I guess you might get confuse hijab with niqab.
If a woman wears niqab,yes she can remove her niqab and show her face to the man that she will marry.But removing hijab is not allowed.How sure are we that this marriage will work out?

Correct me if am wrong.
Allah knows the best.
Assalamualikum


:salam2:

Thanks for your response. I had this conversation about hijab, though, not niqab. The sisters I spoke to were adament that one could remove a hijab for a prosepective partner if she was sure that he had a serious intentions of marriage. They based this idea on a hadith, do you happen to know which one I'm talking about? I'm having trouble finding it.
 

BrotherInIslam7

La Illaha Illa Allah
Staff member
:salam2:

Sister, I have forwarded your question to my local imam. Could you please bear with me for his response ?

I will post it up as soon as he gets the time to respond to it InshaAllah.

Wasalaamalaykum waa rahmatullahi
 

thariq2005

Praise be to Allah!
Wa `alaykkum salaam wa rahmatullaah

There is ikhtilaaf in this issue, the Jumhoor (the majority of scholars) are of the view that what one is allowed to see her face and hands and this is the correct view. Please read the following fatwa...

Praise be to Allaah.

Islam commands us to lower our gaze and forbids looking at non-mahram women. This is in order to purify people’s souls and protect their honour. There are, however, certain exceptions in which it is permissible to look at a non-mahram woman for reasons of necessity, one of which is in the case of proposing marriage, because it is the basis on which a very important decision affecting a person’s life will be taken. There are texts which indicate that it is permissible to look at one’s fiancée, as follows:

From Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘If one of you proposes marriage to a woman, if he can look at her to see that which will encourage him to go ahead and marry her, then let him do so.’ I proposed marriage to a young woman, and I used to hide where I could see her, until I saw that which encouraged me to go ahead and marry her, so I did so.’” According to another report he said, ‘a young woman of Bani Salamah. I used to hide from her, until I saw that which encouraged me to go ahead and marry her, so I did so.” (Saheeh Abi Dawood, no. 1832, 1834)

From Abu Hurayrah: “I was with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when a man came and told him that he had married a woman of the Ansaar. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him, ‘Have you seen her?’ He said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Go and look at her, for there is something in the eyes of the Ansaar.” (Reported by Muslim, no. 1424; and by al-Daaraqutni, 3/253 (34))

From al-Mugheerah ibn Shu’bah: “I proposed marriage to a woman, and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Have you seen her?’ I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Look at her, because it is more fitting that love and compatibility be established between you.’” According to another report: “So he did that, and he married her and mentioned that they got along.” (Reported by al-Daaraqutni, 3/252 (31, 32); Ibn Maajah, 1/574)

From Sahl ibn Sa’d (may Allaah be pleased with him): “A woman came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: “O Messenger of Allaah, I have come to give myself to you (in marriage).” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) looked at her closely, then he lowered his head. When the woman saw that he had not made a decision about her, she sat down. One of his Companions stood up and said, O Messenger of Allaah, if you do not want her, then marry her to me…’” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 7/19; Muslim, 4/143; al-Nisaa’i, 6/113 bi Sharh al-Suyooti; al-Bayhaqi, 7/84)

The sayings of the scholars on the extent to which one may look at one’s fiancée

Al-Shaafa’i (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “If he wants to marry a woman, he is not allowed to see her without a headcover. He may look at her face and hands when she is covered, with or without her permission. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘… and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent…’ [al-Noor 24:31]. He said: ‘The face and hands.’” (al-Haawi al-Kabeer, 9/34).

Imaam al-Nawawi said in Rawdat al-Taalibeen wa ‘Umdat al-Mufteen (7, 19-20): “When (a man) wants to marry (a woman), it is preferable (mustahabb) for him to look at her so that he will have no regrets. According to another view, it is not preferable but it is allowed. The first view is correct because of the ahaadeeth, and it is permitted to look repeatedly, with or without her permission. If it is not easy to look at her, he may send a woman to check her out and describe her to him. A woman may also look at a man if she wants to marry him, for she will like in him what he likes in her. What is permissible for him to look at is the face and hands, front and back. He should not look at anything else.”

Abu Haneefah permitted looking at the feet as well as the face and hands. (Bidaayah al-Mujtahid wa Nihayyat al-Muqtasid, 3/10)

“It is permissible to look at the face, hands and feet, and no more than that.” Ibn Rushd also quoted it as above.

Among the reports from the madhhab of Imaam Maalik:

He may look at the face and hands only.

He may look at the face, hands and forearms only.

A number of reports were narrated from Imaam Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him), one of which says that he may look at the face and forearms.

The second says that he may look at what usually appears such as the neck, calves and so on.

This was quoted by Ibn Qudaamah in al-Mughni (7/454), Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah in Tahdheeb al-Sunan (3/25-26), and al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari (11/78)… The reliable opinion in the books of the Hanbalis is the second opinion.

From the above, it is clear that the majority of scholars say that a man is allowed to look at his fiancée’s face and hands, because the face indicates beauty or ugliness, and the hands indicate the slimness or plumpness (literally, ‘fertility’) of the body.

Abu’l-Faraj al-Maqdisi said: “There is no dispute among the scholars that he is permitted to look at the face.. the focus of beauty and the place at which one looks.”

Ruling on touching one’s fiancée or being alone with her

Al-Zayla’i (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “It is not permissible for him to touch her face or hands – even if is sure that this will not provoke desire – because she is still haraam for him, and there is no need for him to do so.” In Durar al-Bihaar it says: “It is not permitted for the qaadi, the witnesses or the fiancé to touch her, even if they are sure that this will not provoke desire, because there is no need for that…” (Radd al-Muhtaar ‘ala’l-Durr al-Mukhtaar, 5/237)

Ibn Qudaamah said: “It is not permitted for him to be alone with her, because she is forbidden and Islam only allows him to look, thus khulwah (being alone with her) remains forbidden, and because there is no certainty that nothing forbidden will take place if he is alone with her, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘No man is alone with a woman, but the Shaytaan is the third one present.’ He should not look at her in a lustful or suspicious manner. Ahmad said, in a report narrated by Saalih, ‘He may look at the face, but not in a lustful manner.’ He may look repeatedly, and examine her beauty, because the aim cannot be achieved in any other way.”

The fiancée’s permission to look

A man is permitted to look at the woman to whom he wishes to propose marriage, even without her permission or knowledge. This is what is indicated by the saheeh ahaadeeth.

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said in Fath al-Baari (9/157): “The majority of scholars said: he is permitted to look at her if he wishes without her permission.”

The hadeeth scholar Shaykh Muhammad Naasir al-Deen al-Albaani said in al-Silsilat al-Saheehah (1/156), supporting this view: “Similar evidence is seen in the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the hadeeth, ‘Even if she does not know.’ This is supported by the actions of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them), in accordance with the Sunnah, such as Muhammad ibn Muslimah and Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah, both of whom hid so as to see of their fiancées that which would encourage them to go ahead and marry them…”

Note:
Shaykh al-Albaani also said (op.cit., p. 156):

“From Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him)” ‘The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wanted to marry a woman, so he sent another woman to look at her and said, “Smell her mouth (front teeth) and look at the back of her ankles.”

(Reported by al-Haakim, 2/166, who said it is saheeh according to the conditions of Muslim, and al-Dhahabi agreed with him. Also reported by al-Bayhaqi, 7/87. In Majma’ al-Zawaa’id (4/507) he said, ‘”Reported by Ahmad and al-Bazzaar, and the men of al-Bazzaar are thiqaat.”)

In Mughni al-Muhtaaj (2/128) it says: “What we understand from this report is that the one who is sent may describe to the one who sends her more than that which he himself may see, so this sending achieves more than just looking.”

And Allaah knows best.

However there are scholars that differed due to the hadeeth of the Messenger of Allaah :saw2: being a bit more general, so some of the scholars were of the view that one is allowed to see the hair and from among the contemperories, our Shaykh, Shaykh `Abdul `Azeez bin Baaz was of the opinion that one is allowed to see the hair as well...

"Some of the scholars said that it is sufficient for him to see her face and hands, but the most correct opinion is that there is no objection to him seeing her head, face, hands and feet, according to the aforementioned Hadeeth. But it is not permissible for him to do so, while being alone with her; rather, her father, her brother or another must be present with her. This is because the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi was salaam said:

‘A man may not be secluded with a woman except with a Mahram.’ Muslim no. 1341 [Fatawa Islamiyyah, Darussalam, volume 5, pages 207/208 ]"



And Shaykh Al Albaanee rahimahullaah was of the view that one is allowed to see the hair after one has proposed

Question: Is it permissible for a man to look at other than the face and hands of the woman he wishes to propose to, such as looking at her hair and her neck?

Response: That which is apparent to me, and Allaah knows best, is that this is permissible without a previous agreement. He (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) said that which means:

((If anyone’s heart settles on proposing to a woman, then he can look at that which will lead him to marry her)), [Translators note: This is the hadeeth of Jaabir ibn ‘Abdillaah (radhi-yallaahu 'anhu) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) said:

((If any of you has proposed to a woman, and if he is able to look at that which will lead him to marry her, then he should do so))]

As regards a previous agreement, then it is not permissible to look at more than the face and hands.

Shaykh al-Albaanee
Fataawa Muhimmah li-Nisaa. al-Ummah – Page 138

And some of the Dhaahiriyyah (The Literalists) even took this hadeeth a bit too literal, "From Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘If one of you proposes marriage to a woman, if he can look at her to see that which will encourage him to go ahead and marry her, then let him do so.’ I proposed marriage to a young woman, and I used to hide where I could see her, until I saw that which encouraged me to go ahead and marry her, so I did so.’” According to another report he said, ‘a young woman of Bani Salamah. I used to hide from her, until I saw that which encouraged me to go ahead and marry her, so I did so.” (Saheeh Abi Dawood, no. 1832, 1834)"

They took it so literal, that one of the brothers told me that a sister came naked in front of the brother who was proposing to her (obviously she came along with her wali), but obviously it is not the correct opinion, rather I just thought I'd share some things that I came across

So if there are sisters who are adament about showing their hair, and if they believe this is the correct view with Ikhlaas, then this is not something you should be debating about.

But it is obviously best to be on the safest side and cover the head, and what should be seen is the face and the hands, and Allaah knows best

P.S I am guessing your friends are referring to the Hadeeth of Jaabir radiAllaahu `anh
 

HappyMuslimah

Exams:Duas please!
:salam2:

Sister, I have forwarded your question to my local imam. Could you please bear with me for his response ?

I will post it up as soon as he gets the time to respond to it InshaAllah.

Wasalaamalaykum waa rahmatullahi

Thank you, i would appreciate that and of course I'm happy to wait. May Allah swt reward you

Thariq2005 - thanks also. In essence, what you're saying is that hadith is somewhat ambiguos and so thats what leads to varying interpretations? So no one is right and no one is wrong, though it may be advisable not to show one's hair until after nikah?
 

alf2

Islam is a way of life
Assalamualikum
I guess you might get confuse hijab with niqab.
If a woman wears niqab,yes she can remove her niqab and show her face to the man that she will marry.But removing hijab is not allowed.How sure are we that this marriage will work out?

Correct me if am wrong.
Allah knows the best.
Assalamualikum

I agree with this.
Also, If a man was SO VAIN that he asked me to remove a hijab before marriage, I would totally not marry him :/ That's so shallow.
 

arzafar

Junior Member
phew...
thankfully there is some difference of opinion about this. ima bit surprised that ibn baaz would allow seeing the hair.

i dont think it's shallow see a woman's hair if a man is interested in marrying her.
 

hayat84

I'm not what you believe
:salam2:
it would be too easy,if a woman uncovered her hair to an unknown man,yes,because every man before marriage is an unknown one.after the marriage the woman can do what she wants with her man,above all uncovering her hair because she "belongs" to a specific man.that is Sunnah and uncovering the hair before marriage even if he is the probable husband may lead to the way of shaytan.Mine is just an opinion,isn't it?:wasalam:
 

revert2007

Love Fishing
This is the first time I've ever heard that removing the hijab for the purpose of marriage is not allowed.
Assalamualikum.
There are many engagements that are not successful.So if a girl were to show her hair to a man who propose her,then she would have at least showed her hair to three men in her life and it depends on how many proposal she got.

If a woman can remove her hair when she is being proposed,then Allah would have mentioned in CLEARLY in Quran.

If if a man and a woman are engaged,they are not allowed to be alone together or do any haram things it is because they are not lawful for each other.If that is the case,then how can removing hijab be lawful?
This is the first time I am reading about removing hijab during proposal.

If a man asks me to remove my hijab,then ADIOUS to him. :)

Allah knows the best.
Assalamualikum
 

Peace2u

Turn To Islam
Asalam alai kum

So for the unmarried sisters, next time a potential marriage partner comes knocking and he asks to see your hair, just call your younger brother over and point at his hair and say “This is exactly how my hair looks only longer”. Problem solved! :D
 

BrotherInIslam7

La Illaha Illa Allah
Staff member
Assalamualikum.
There are many engagements that are not successful.So if a girl were to show her hair to a man who propose her,then she would have at least showed her hair to three men in her life and it depends on how many proposal she got.

If a woman can remove her hair when she is being proposed,then Allah would have mentioned in CLEARLY in Quran.

If if a man and a woman are engaged,they are not allowed to be alone together or do any haram things it is because they are not lawful for each other.If that is the case,then how can removing hijab be lawful?
This is the first time I am reading about removing hijab during proposal.

If a man asks me to remove my hijab,then ADIOUS to him. :)

Allah knows the best.
Assalamualikum

:salam2:

Sister, we can not make make comments like that & we should refrain from deducing rulings on our own. Allah azz zawajal can legislate through whatever means He wills. It is not for us to look for evidences solely on the Quran. We have to pay attention to what the scholars have said on this, based on the evidences they came across.

It would benefit us if we keep personal opinions and legality of a matter separate. It is not *mandatory* for a girl to show her hair (and this thread is not even discussing that). This specific question is dealing with the legality of the matter, in case if a man asks to see the girl's hair in the final stages of proposal for a marriage contract. Is it right or wrong of him to ask for it ? This answer has to come from Islamic standpoint and not our or XYZ's opinions.

There are ofcourse other ways by which the beauty of a woman can be assessed. In many cultures, the women from the potential groom's side visit the girl's family personally and assess her beauty and physical features (in absence of non mahram men ofcourse) till they are satisfied.

Wasalaamalaykum waa rahmatullahi
 

revert2007

Love Fishing
:salam2:

Sister, we can not make make comments like that & we should refrain from deducing rulings on our own. Allah azz zawajal can legislate through whatever means He wills. It is not for us to look for evidences solely on the Quran. We have to pay attention to what the scholars have said on this, based on the evidences they came across.

It would benefit us if we keep personal opinions and legality of a matter separate. It is not *mandatory* for a girl to show her hair (and this thread is not even discussing that). This specific question is dealing with the legality of the matter, in case if a man asks to see the girl's hair in the final stages of proposal for a marriage contract. Is it right or wrong of him to ask for it ? This answer has to come from Islamic standpoint and not our or XYZ's opinions.

There are ofcourse other ways by which the beauty of a woman can be assessed. In many cultures, the women from the potential groom's side visit the girl's family personally and assess her beauty and physical features (in absence of non mahram men ofcourse) till they are satisfied.

Wasalaamalaykum waa rahmatullahi

Assalamualikum.
Can you please give me reference on which scholars said that it is permnissible.And any evidence from hadith bukhari or Muslim.

I am still not so convinced regarding this matter.I will have to ask some scholars in sha Allah and do my own research.
Jazaka Allah khair.
Allah knows the best.
Assalamualikum
 

revert2007

Love Fishing
Wa `alaykkum salaam wa rahmatullaah

There is ikhtilaaf in this issue, the Jumhoor (the majority of scholars) are of the view that what one is allowed to see her face and hands and this is the correct view. Please read the following fatwa...



However there are scholars that differed due to the hadeeth of the Messenger of Allaah :saw2: being a bit more general, so some of the scholars were of the view that one is allowed to see the hair and from among the contemperories, our Shaykh, Shaykh `Abdul `Azeez bin Baaz was of the opinion that one is allowed to see the hair as well...

"Some of the scholars said that it is sufficient for him to see her face and hands, but the most correct opinion is that there is no objection to him seeing her head, face, hands and feet, according to the aforementioned Hadeeth. But it is not permissible for him to do so, while being alone with her; rather, her father, her brother or another must be present with her. This is because the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi was salaam said:

‘A man may not be secluded with a woman except with a Mahram.’ Muslim no. 1341 [Fatawa Islamiyyah, Darussalam, volume 5, pages 207/208 ]"



And Shaykh Al Albaanee rahimahullaah was of the view that one is allowed to see the hair after one has proposed



And some of the Dhaahiriyyah (The Literalists) even took this hadeeth a bit too literal, "From Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘If one of you proposes marriage to a woman, if he can look at her to see that which will encourage him to go ahead and marry her, then let him do so.’ I proposed marriage to a young woman, and I used to hide where I could see her, until I saw that which encouraged me to go ahead and marry her, so I did so.’” According to another report he said, ‘a young woman of Bani Salamah. I used to hide from her, until I saw that which encouraged me to go ahead and marry her, so I did so.” (Saheeh Abi Dawood, no. 1832, 1834)"

They took it so literal, that one of the brothers told me that a sister came naked in front of the brother who was proposing to her (obviously she came along with her wali), but obviously it is not the correct opinion, rather I just thought I'd share some things that I came across

So if there are sisters who are adament about showing their hair, and if they believe this is the correct view with Ikhlaas, then this is not something you should be debating about.

But it is obviously best to be on the safest side and cover the head, and what should be seen is the face and the hands, and Allaah knows best

P.S I am guessing your friends are referring to the Hadeeth of Jaabir radiAllaahu `anh

Assalamualikum
According to the fatwa from Islam Questiona and Answer,it is very clear that all scholars agree that a man is allowed to see the face and hand with her permission or without her permission.

I am satisfied now.

Allah knows the best.
Assalamualikum
 

BrotherInIslam7

La Illaha Illa Allah
Staff member
Assalamualikum.
Can you please give me reference on which scholars said that it is permnissible.And any evidence from hadith bukhari or Muslim.

I am still not so convinced regarding this matter.I will have to ask some scholars in sha Allah and do my own research.
Jazaka Allah khair.
Allah knows the best.
Assalamualikum

Please see my earlier post below

:salam2:

Sister, I have forwarded your question to my local imam. Could you please bear with me for his response ?

I will post it up as soon as he gets the time to respond to it InshaAllah.

Wasalaamalaykum waa rahmatullahi
 

a_muslimah86

Hubbi Li Rabbi
Staff member
:salam2:

Please refrain from arguments about which party of scholars said what!!!

The question of the sister is clear..hadakom Allah!..if we are not sure about what to take from the scholars' verdicts..or we have personal reservations regarding other ones..let's keep them to *ourselves*..and make independent research with the help of someone knowledgeable..as to not take the thread off track or worst..confuse the sister regarding the most correct and valid of answers..

In the meantime..sister HappyMuslimah..please try to speak to your masjid's Imam about this issue..clearly there are differences regarding it..so it's best that you speak to someone very knowledgeable *directly*..so if you have any further questions regarding the daleels or the answer itself..you may ask..and he would answer you *immediately* with *thorough knowledge* in reference to the situation you are inquiring about *specifically*..I feel (wallahu adra wa a'alam) that this is way safer and better for you..rahimaki Allah

Some issues when proposed here..they can be easily answered alhamdulillah..but some things are too dense for us to tackle because many of us do not have the strong basis of knowledge required..so now you can either wait for brother BrotherInIslam7's assistance with the issue (perhaps even take contact information from him to contact his Imam and speak to him..if you do not live close to a masjid?..if you wish to do that..brother BrotherInIslam7 may PM me the contact info..and I will Inshallah forward them to you so you both abide by the forum rules of communication Inshallah)..or you may take it upon yourself to meet up with an Imam in your town..and speak to him directly ghafara Allaho laki..and Inshallah you will find the correct answer you're meant to hear

:wasalam:
 

arzafar

Junior Member
also there is something called a photograph.

a woman doesn't have to uncover her head and actually show her hair to the man proposing him.
 

thariq2005

Praise be to Allah!
Assalamualikum
According to the fatwa from Islam Questiona and Answer,it is very clear that all scholars agree that a man is allowed to see the face and hand with her permission or without her permission.

I am satisfied now.

Allah knows the best.
Assalamualikum

Wa `alaykkum salaam wa rahmatullaah

May Allaah reward you for your zeal towards learning the deen and aid you in seeking it, Aameen. But that statement, in bold, is a very strong statement to make and it is for scholars to say whether "all" scholars agree upon it or not. If there is a ruling that "ALL" scholars agree upon, then this is an Ijmaa` (consensus) and it is not permissible for any scholar to go against Ijmaa`. And this issue of showing the "hands and face" is NOT agreed upon by all scholars and even the Shaykh in IslamQA mentions this clearly as he said "From the above, it is clear that the majority of scholars say that a man is allowed to look at his fiancée’s face and hands".

The reason why there is a 'valid' difference of opinion is due to the generality of the evidences, and it does not specifically mention "hands and face", thus it is more open to interpretation and this is where one has to look into his heart and seek the correct ruling with IKHLAAS

Thariq2005 - thanks also. In essence, what you're saying is that hadith is somewhat ambiguos and so thats what leads to varying interpretations? So no one is right and no one is wrong, though it may be advisable not to show one's hair until after nikah?

Yup, it is a bit general, thus scholars are of different views regarding the ahadeeth. I don't know if one can say "No one is right and no one is wrong" rather one of them might be upon the truth, and this where one's sincerity comes in, and he acts upon the ruling that he "truly" believes is the correct ruling. As our sister a_muslimah mentioned, ask you Local Imaam and see what arguments he brings and if your convinced with the evidences etc, then acceptance of that ruling is between you and Allaah. One of the brothers who taught me used to say that it is safer for a person to stick to the opinion of showing the "hands and face only" and this seems to be the safest view. As our elderlies say... "The beauty of a woman can be seen in her eyes" (actually my mother said that)
 

BrotherInIslam7

La Illaha Illa Allah
Staff member
:salam2:

Our Imam has responded to the query. Here it is :-

All praise belongs to Allah.

It is permissible, and in fact a command of the Messenger, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, for one to look at the woman one is proposing to. This is in order to achieve the religious benefit of compatibility between spouses and lasting marriages.

When one may look is whenever one is serious about the proposal. This looking should take place in the presence of the woman’s mahram. How much one may look it is subject to a difference of opinion amongst the Ulema.

The Jumhoor, or majority of the Ulema, state that one may only look at the hands and face of a potential wife, since from the face one may determine beauty, and from the hands, one may determine size and body type.

The Hanbali school states that one may look at what normally appears of a woman in her home, including the hair, neck, forearms, and calves. The evidence they use is the generality of the Prophet’s, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, command to Jaber to look at a woman he wished to marry, in order to see what would attract him to her. They also reference the action of Amir al-Mumineen Umar, who asked to see the calf of a woman whom he was proposing to.

It is important to remember that any looking should:

1.) Take place in the presence of a Mahram.

2.) Be in the case of serious interest in marriage.

Many scholars today prefer the opinion of the Jumhoor, which is that one may see the face and hands only, in order to ward off fitnah and prevent temptation.

Please also see the lecture:

Seeing One’s Spouse Before Marriage <- Part of Fiqh of marriage series

Audio

And Allah knows best.
 
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