Is it permissible for a girl to uncover her face for a blind man and read to him, given that he is a teacher in the middle school?
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The questioner : Is it permissible for a girl to uncover her face for a blind man and read to him, given that he is a teacher in the middle school?
The Shaykh : The answer is that the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) differed regarding the permissibility of a woman looking at a man. Some of them said: It is not permissible, based on the generality of the saying of Allah the Exalted:[An-Nur 24:31] to the end of the verse, and based on the hadith of Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) that she was with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), she and Hafsa, when Ibn Umm Maktum entered, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: She said: He is a blind man who cannot see us. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
Some of the scholars said: It is permissible for a woman to look at a man, on the condition that her look is not for desire or enjoyment. This is the stronger position, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Fatimah bint Qays:Sunan Abi Dawud 2284Sahih (Al-Albani). And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would cover Aisha while she was looking at the Ethiopians in the mosque. Likewise, when the men would propose on the day of Eid, he would come down to the women and propose to them. There is no doubt that if he was proposing to them, they would look at him, and Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) was with him.
As for the verse cited by those who prohibited a woman from looking at a man, Allah the Exalted says in it:[An-Nur 24:31] and is for partiality, and it is true in the case where they are prevented from looking at a man for desire or enjoyment. In this case, it is obligatory for her to lower her gaze, and what remains is as the Sunnah from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has come.
As for the hadith of Umm Salama, there is a consideration regarding its authenticity, because its narrator from Umm Salama, who was her freed slave, is Nabhan, and Ibn 'Abd al-Barr said of him that he is a man of unknown status. A hadith of this grade cannot be opposed to the authentic, clear hadiths regarding the permissibility of a woman looking at a man. However, as we have mentioned, it is necessary that her look at him not be a look of desire or a look of enjoyment, for that is not permissible, and Allah knows best.
The Shaykh : The answer is that the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) differed regarding the permissibility of a woman looking at a man. Some of them said: It is not permissible, based on the generality of the saying of Allah the Exalted:
And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts
وقل للمؤمنات يغضضن من أبصارهن ويحفظن فروجهنVeil yourselves from him.
احتجبا منهAre you both blind?
أفعمياوان أنتماSome of the scholars said: It is permissible for a woman to look at a man, on the condition that her look is not for desire or enjoyment. This is the stronger position, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Fatimah bint Qays:
Spend the waiting period in the house of Ibn Umm Maktum for he is blind and you can undress
اعتدي في بيت ابن أم مكتوم لأنه رجل أعمى تضعين ثيابك عندهAs for the verse cited by those who prohibited a woman from looking at a man, Allah the Exalted says in it:
And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision
وقل للمؤمنات يغضضن من أبصارهنWho
منAs for the hadith of Umm Salama, there is a consideration regarding its authenticity, because its narrator from Umm Salama, who was her freed slave, is Nabhan, and Ibn 'Abd al-Barr said of him that he is a man of unknown status. A hadith of this grade cannot be opposed to the authentic, clear hadiths regarding the permissibility of a woman looking at a man. However, as we have mentioned, it is necessary that her look at him not be a look of desire or a look of enjoyment, for that is not permissible, and Allah knows best.