What is the limit of what a suitor is permitted to see of his prospective bride?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Regarding a man who wants to propose to a girl.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : What is he permitted to see of her?
The Shaykh : If he sees her by agreement between him and her guardians, he should not see of her except her face and her hands. As for if he sees her secretly, without her knowledge, it is permissible for him to see what is usually visible from her, such as if she is not aware of a watcher, for example, if she is in a room, or on the roof airing out laundry, or something similar.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : So there is a difference between agreeing to see her, in which case he sees only her face and hands, and seeing her without her knowledge, in which case he sees what is usually visible from her, while she is among her mahrams (close relatives).
The questioner : If it is with the intention of merely getting to know her, not with the intention of desire or something of that sort?
The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good. I gave you the answer in such a way that I left no room for renewing the question.
The questioner : And is it not permissible for him to go out with her, or is it permissible?
The Shaykh : Not at all.
The questioner : Is it not permissible for him?
The Shaykh : It is not permissible for him.
The questioner : To go out with her.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : What is he permitted to see of her?
The Shaykh : If he sees her by agreement between him and her guardians, he should not see of her except her face and her hands. As for if he sees her secretly, without her knowledge, it is permissible for him to see what is usually visible from her, such as if she is not aware of a watcher, for example, if she is in a room, or on the roof airing out laundry, or something similar.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : So there is a difference between agreeing to see her, in which case he sees only her face and hands, and seeing her without her knowledge, in which case he sees what is usually visible from her, while she is among her mahrams (close relatives).
The questioner : If it is with the intention of merely getting to know her, not with the intention of desire or something of that sort?
The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good. I gave you the answer in such a way that I left no room for renewing the question.
The questioner : And is it not permissible for him to go out with her, or is it permissible?
The Shaykh : Not at all.
The questioner : Is it not permissible for him?
The Shaykh : It is not permissible for him.
The questioner : To go out with her.
The Shaykh: Yes.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.