Is it permissible for full brothers to live in the same house with their wives?

The questioner : He saysThe questioner : Is it permissible for full brothers to live in the same house with their wives? Please give us a ruling, may Allah reward you with good.

Another questioner : The in-law, meaning, the in-law...

The Shaykh : If the intention of the question is that married brothers live together in one house and they cannot maintain the Islamic rulings regarding themselves or their wives, as indicated by what we mentioned earlier regarding the hadith about men or women entering the bathroom, then it is not permissible for these brothers to live together with one another. This is especially true because women are weaker than men, and women often feel uncomfortable in the presence of their husband's brother, who is called the *salf*. A woman feels uncomfortable remaining covered with her *khimar* as long as her husband's brother is present in the house. If this is not possible, the answer was given earlier, and it falls under the principle of *sadd al-dhara'i'* (blocking the means to harm). This principle is very important in Islam. Therefore, it is not permissible for such brothers to live together except under dire necessity and compelling circumstances, with extreme care to avoid violations of the Islamic rulings. Among these violations is the *salf* uncovering her hair or her neck, or similar things. Worse than that is unlawful seclusion, about which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . This means that if a man is alone with a woman who is not lawful for him, meaning she is not a *mahram* to him, then Satan is the third among them, whispering between them to cause them to fall into immorality. Therefore, seclusion between the wives of brothers and the other brothers is forbidden. All of this is from the perspective of blocking the means to harm. It was reported in some authentic hadiths that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade seclusion, the following question was asked, and its answer is very serious. They said to him, "O Messenger of Allah, what do you say about the *hamu*?" He said: . Scholars have differed in interpreting the word *hamu*. Some said it refers to the relatives of the husband, and others said it refers to the relatives of the wife, meaning the *mahrams*, including her father. This hadith, with its general wording, when he said: , meaning spiritual death, naturally closes the door on anyone who wants to be alone with even a *mahram* from among his *mahrams* if there are signs of doubt. We hear today of many unfortunate incidents that one would not imagine could happen, but it has happened that immorality occurred between a brother and his sister, or even between a father and his daughter. If there is any doubt regarding such an in-law, it is not permissible to empty the room and facilitate the way for this seclusion, even if it is between *mahrams*, due to his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): . In conclusion, Muslims must adopt all means that serve to keep them away from falling into any violation of the Islamic rulings. We ask Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to help Muslims with these many means that facilitate the paths of disobedience. The one whom Allah protects is the one who is protected. May Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) preserve us. Let us end the session. Look, we have the most important question.

The questioner : The hadith you mentioned two years ago, O Shaykh, in this place? I have read from the marvels of the Prophetic hadiths the hadith of the Messenger (may Allah's prayer and peace be upon him) warning about the *hamu*, where he said: . May Allah reward you with good for commenting on it.

The Shaykh : What is it? I referred to it. The *kanah*, do you know, is the son's wife. The Messenger (may Allah's prayer and peace be upon him) warns about the *hamu*. Do you not call him *hamu* in your place?
Abu Layla : Yes, yes.

The Shaykh : That he enters upon his *kanah*, who is a *mahram* from among his *mahrams*. The examples we mentioned earlier of committing immorality, such as a brother with his sister or a father with his daughter, the *hamu* with his *kanah* is more likely to happen, especially in this corrupt time. We ask Allah for protection. Yes.