The brotherhood that existed between Salman and Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with them both), and the fact that one of them would converse with the other’s wife in the other’s absence, and similar matters, were specific to that time

The questioner : A brother asks: We understood from the narration of Salman and Abu al-Darda, when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) established brotherhood between them, that it is permissible for one of them to sit and converse with the other’s wife in the other’s absence, and similar matters. Can we know all the aspects and conditions, and what is permissible and what is not permissible, and what are the consequences of this brotherhood? Is this brotherhood permissible and possible in all times and circumstances, or was it a specific attribute of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?

The Shaykh : There is no doubt among the scholars of knowledge that the brotherhood mentioned in the hadith of Abu al-Darda and Salman is a ruling that has passed and ended, and it will not return until the end of time. Therefore, the rulings that were attached to such brotherhood have also ceased and ended. Consequently, it is not permissible for a Muslim today to enter the house of his Muslim brother in Allah unless the husband of the woman in the house is present, or at least there is someone in the house who is considered a mahram (a relative one may not marry) to the wife. It is not permissible to enter in that state or to mix with her. This is based on his (peace be upon him) saying in the authentic hadith: . And in another hadith with similar meaning, they added: “O Messenger of Allah, what do you say about the in-laws (al-hamw)?” He said: . Meaning: it is a cause of death. As for al-hamw, in the first place, there is disagreement in its interpretation. The correct view is that it refers to the husband’s relatives, such as his brother, maternal uncle, paternal uncle, and the like. It has also been said in its interpretation, in a very strange way that contradicts the texts of the Shari'ah, that it refers to the husband’s father. And the husband’s father, as you know, is a mahram, indeed one of the primary mahrams for the wife. Therefore, it is not permissible to interpret al-hamw in the hadith as the husband’s father; rather, they are the husband’s relatives who are not mahrams to the wife. It is not permissible today for a Muslim to be alone with the wife of his brother in religion and in Islam, due to the prohibition of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in many hadiths against this seclusion, unless there is a mahram present, or unless the men who are with the woman are righteous men, and not just one person, but three or more. In that case, there is no harm in such seclusion for the woman, because the suspicion that any harm might occur due to their seclusion with her is far away.
Yes.

Another questioner : In the absence of a mahram, is it permissible for a need?

The Shaykh : Ah, that is it.