Sometimes my wife is out of the house, and when I come home from the market, my brother’s wife, who lives with us in the same courtyard, serves me food. What is the ruling on this?

The questioner : I am married, praise be to Allah, but sometimes my wife is out of the house. When I come home from the market, my brother’s wife, who lives with us in the same courtyard, serves me food. Is this permissible? May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : If you are alone with your brother’s wife and there is no one else in the house but the two of you, then this is forbidden, and it is not permissible for you to be alone with her. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . They said: O Messenger of Allah! What about the in-law? He said: . This is the height of prohibition regarding being alone with an in-law. An in-law is a relative of the husband. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) described him as death to emphasize the warning against him, because everyone flees from death. So it is as if he said: Flee from the in-law as you would flee from death. Similar to this is his saying: .
The conclusion is that we say: If this person is served coffee, tea, or food by his brother’s wife in seclusion, then it is forbidden. It is not permissible for him to enter the house unless his brother is with him, if his brother’s wife is the only one in the house.
As for if his brother is with him and coffee, tea, or food is served to both of them, then there is nothing wrong with it. This has become customary, and no harm arises from it. May Allah except a specific case where the brother’s wife is young, beautiful, or adorned, in which case this may arouse desire in her husband’s brother, and in that case, it would be forbidden.

The questioner : May Allah bless you.