I have some friends who, when they have something new like a piece of fabric or a garment, ask for my opinion on it, so I tell them that it is beautiful or good, or that I like it, even though
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The questioner : The questioner says: I have some friends who, when they have something new like a piece of fabric or a garment, ask for my opinion on it, so I tell them that it is beautiful or good, or that I like it, even though some of these pieces did not please me, but I do not like to hurt their feelings. My question here is: Is there any sin on me for saying this is good and this is nice?
The Shaykh : If the item is good and nice in the eyes of the one who bought it and displayed it, there is no harm in saying, "This is good, this is nice," with the intention that it is good and nice to her, meaning the one who displayed it. However, in this case, if your opinion is that it is not good or nice, you should advise her at another time and say, "Do not buy something like this," provided that the garment is not forbidden. But if it is forbidden, it is not permissible to say that it is nice, even by using euphemism. For example, if it is a garment with images, it is forbidden for her to say it is good. Or if it is a tight garment that reveals the woman's body shape, it is not permissible to say it is nice. Or if it is a transparent garment that does not cover the awrah (the part of the body that must be covered), it is not permissible to say it is nice, even if it is nice to her. Or if it is a garment involving extravagance and waste, it is not permissible to say it is nice, even if it is nice to the one who bought and displayed it. The important point is that if describing it as nice and good is not a description of something forbidden, there is no harm. But if it is nice and good to both of them, she does not need to use figurative interpretation (ta'wil). Otherwise, she uses figurative interpretation (ta'wil) and says it is good and nice, and then later they discuss it with her and clarify that the better, higher quality, and more beautiful option is the opposite.
The Shaykh : If the item is good and nice in the eyes of the one who bought it and displayed it, there is no harm in saying, "This is good, this is nice," with the intention that it is good and nice to her, meaning the one who displayed it. However, in this case, if your opinion is that it is not good or nice, you should advise her at another time and say, "Do not buy something like this," provided that the garment is not forbidden. But if it is forbidden, it is not permissible to say that it is nice, even by using euphemism. For example, if it is a garment with images, it is forbidden for her to say it is good. Or if it is a tight garment that reveals the woman's body shape, it is not permissible to say it is nice. Or if it is a transparent garment that does not cover the awrah (the part of the body that must be covered), it is not permissible to say it is nice, even if it is nice to her. Or if it is a garment involving extravagance and waste, it is not permissible to say it is nice, even if it is nice to the one who bought and displayed it. The important point is that if describing it as nice and good is not a description of something forbidden, there is no harm. But if it is nice and good to both of them, she does not need to use figurative interpretation (ta'wil). Otherwise, she uses figurative interpretation (ta'wil) and says it is good and nice, and then later they discuss it with her and clarify that the better, higher quality, and more beautiful option is the opposite.