It is not permissible to look at non-mahram women under the pretext of seeking a righteous wife

Question:
May Allah reward you with good. He asks about the ruling on looking at a non-mahram woman under the pretext of seeking a righteous woman, and this is with the intention of marriage. What is the ruling on becoming attached to her, as he says, without seclusion, meaning in populated places? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
This is not permissible. It is not permissible to look at a woman who is not lawful for him under the pretext that he wants to see if she is suitable for him or not. The dispensation was established for the one who proposes to a woman, who has proposed to a woman and was accepted for marriage, and she was pleased with him and her guardian was pleased with him. There is no harm in looking at what incites his desire for her, such as looking at her face and her hands without seclusion, due to the presence of her mahram. As for following women and looking at them under the pretext that he wants to know which one is suitable for him so he can propose to her, the matter in this is not permissible. This is because the default is the prohibition of looking at non-mahram women, and the dispensation was established for the one who proposed and was accepted for his proposal, and nothing remains but the contract. So there is no harm in looking at what he desires in her in the presence of her guardian without seclusion.