What is the ruling on the free mixing of men and women inside the Haram?

The questioner : Honorable Shaykh, peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy. I love you for the sake of Allah. What is the Shari'ah’s view on this mixing between women and idols?

The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah. Yes.

The questioner : What is the view of the Shari'ah regarding this mixing of women and men inside the Noble Haram, especially since it is used as a pretext to permit mixing in other places, which is even more so? We ask for your guidance.

The Shaykh : Fine. The question.

The questioner : He says: Honorable Shaykh, what is the Shari'ah’s view on this mixing between women and men inside the Noble Haram, especially since it is used as a pretext to permit mixing in other places, a fortiori? We ask for your guidance.

The Shaykh : First, I say that if a question is directed to a person, one should not say, "What is the view of the Shari'ah?" or "What is the ruling of the Shari'ah?"
Why? Because the man to whom the question is directed might make a mistake. If he makes a mistake, to whom is the error attributed? To the Shari'ah. And this is not permissible. The person is not the Shari'ah, nor is he the source of legislation. So the question should not be directed to him in this form. Instead, one should say, "What is your view?" or "What is the view of the Shari'ah in your opinion?" so that if the error comes from this mufti, it is attributed to him.
To him, not to the Shari'ah of Allah. As for the answer to this question, this mixing that exists between men and women in the Sacred Mosque, and perhaps it is the same in the Prophet's Mosque, or less so, is a problematic matter. Because if you separate the women from the men, the women are lost. And who finds his wife among these women?
If a man enters to look for his wife among the women, and the second and third man enter, the gathering, that is, the mixing, returns, and we fall into a second problem. But what I see is that it is obligatory for a person to keep his distance from a woman, especially if he fears fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) for himself, that he should keep his distance from her as much as he can, especially if he fears fitnah for himself. And if he keeps his distance from her while she is with her mahram (a relative one may not marry), the most likely outcome is that the mahram will protect her. For this reason, I am now directing advice regarding a serious matter, and that is these brothers who come to Makkah to perform 'Umrah with their families. You find one of them neglecting his family and sending them into the markets, not knowing what happens to them. They are harmed, and one of the people of evil may take advantage of them and harass them with catcalls and talk, and she may also be deceived. Likewise, regarding the young boys, it is obligatory for these brothers who come to perform 'Umrah to watch over their sons, daughters, and families, and not to be like the ostrich.
If it wants to escape from the hunter, what does it do? It buries its head in the sand and says, "Now the hunter does not see me?" Because it does not see the hunter, it thinks the hunter does not see it. But if it buries its head in the sand, it becomes easier for the hunter to catch it, because it does not flee, since it does not see him. So I say that some of the brothers who leave their wives and young people without care are certainly closer to sin than to reward. And by the way, I also want to say that some people come to this Sacred Mosque in this month, and you find them wasting the time of this month with things that have no benefit, or perhaps with something that is harmful. It has happened that some people, especially on the roof, gather behind the people while they are praying, meaning the people are praying and these are joking and talking as if they were in the market. And this, in addition to being a desecration of this great mosque, is a disturbance to the worshippers and a harm to them. And on this occasion, we come to you, O students. It has reached me that you rush to the chair during the tarawih (the Ramadan night prayer), and the people are sitting, so you trample on their necks and disturb them. And some of you stand around the chair and miss the virtue of praying with the imam.
And as we mentioned first, it is necessary for the student of knowledge to apply his knowledge. Knowledge calls for modesty, proper conduct, what is right, excellence in worship, and manliness. Should we not be the first to act upon it? And nothing will be missed, with the help of Allah. If you miss the closeness, you will hear the sound. And if the whip is mentioned, that is what is intended and what is meant. Fine, yes.