The ruling on women gathering with non-mahram men during meals

For the same questioner, Sulayman from al-Madinah al-Munawwarah, another question. He says: We are a family who sit at one table during meals. This group consists of brothers, their daughters, their sons, the sons of maternal aunts, and the sons of paternal aunts. Men and women, of course, sit at one table. Is there a religious ruling that forbids this mixing? In truth, I am not comfortable with it, but the custom and tradition have become deeply rooted in us. Please advise us, and what should we do? Perhaps the family will hear this. May Allah reward you?
Answer: This custom is a bad custom, and it is obligatory to abandon it. It is not permissible for a man to sit with a woman who is not his mahram, such as his cousin, or his maternal cousin, or his aunt’s daughter. Rather, the women must be separate at another table, and the men must be separate. As for sitting with his wife, his mother, his maternal aunt, his paternal aunt, or his sister, there is nothing wrong with that. But women who are not his mahrams, he is not permitted to sit with them at the same table. Rather, they sit at another table, and this mixing is not permissible because it leads to a woman being in close proximity to a non-mahram, or him seeing her and what follows from that. The woman is entirely an awrah (part of the body that must be covered), so she is not permitted to sit with a non-mahram, for he sees her eating, he sees her face, he sees her hand, he sees something else.
The point is that this is what is wrong (munkar) and it is obligatory to get rid of it. Every bad custom must be abandoned. Customs are judged by the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law), and it is not permissible to place them before the Shari'ah. It is obligatory to present customs to the Shari'ah; whatever agrees with the Shari'ah is accepted and remains, and whatever contradicts the Shari'ah must be abandoned from all customs. We ask Allah for guidance for everyone. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.