If one of your brothers does you a favor and lets you stay in his house, is it permissible for him to enter your room, which is his property, while you are away?

The questioner : He says: If one of your brothers does you a favor and lets you stay in his house, is it permissible for him to enter your room, which is his property, while you are away? And is it permissible for him to handle some of your belongings, such as reading your books or listening to your tapes? What is the ruling on this, as there may be secrets you do not want him to see?

The Shaykh : Yes. If the room is locked, meaning the guest locked it when he left the room, then it is not permissible for the owner of the house to open it and look at what is inside, because locking it means he did not give permission to enter. However, if it was left open, there is no doubt that the best and most befitting course of action for a person, in terms of his honor and dignity, is not to enter that room, because there may be things the guest does not want anyone to see, such as clothes, belongings, or other items. So, for a person to leave it alone for the sake of Allah, because he hosted a guest in it and does not approach it, is certainly the best course of action. So, the conclusion of the answer is: If the guest locks it when he leaves, then it is not permissible for the owner of the house to do what? To open it and enter it. But if he leaves it open, then his leaving it open indicates that he does not mind if someone enters it or not. However, honor and dignity require that you not enter it. Yes.