What is the ruling on looking at a woman out of necessity?
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The questioner : ... In this hadith, evidence is cited for the prohibition of ... a man looking at a woman, such as men from committees who are compelled to look in order to forbid evil ... because how can they forbid evil if ... they do not look at women.
The Shaykh : The scholars said that there is no harm in looking at a woman out of necessity, and they mentioned among the things this includes looking at a woman who is a witness. For example, if a man testified to a woman by her face, and then when giving his testimony before the judge, he needs to look at her face to see if it is the same face he testified about or not, this is a necessity and there is no harm.
The questioner : ... looking is obligatory.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory, yes?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : I did not see it, but check it and verify.
The Shaykh : The scholars said that there is no harm in looking at a woman out of necessity, and they mentioned among the things this includes looking at a woman who is a witness. For example, if a man testified to a woman by her face, and then when giving his testimony before the judge, he needs to look at her face to see if it is the same face he testified about or not, this is a necessity and there is no harm.
The questioner : ... looking is obligatory.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory, yes?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : I did not see it, but check it and verify.