❀ Shar‘i Ruling on Seclusion with Household Drivers ❀
Source:
This article is derived from the book “500 Questions and Answers for Women” based on the fatwas of the scholars of the Haramain, translated by Hafiz Abdullah Saleem.
❖ Question:
What is the Shar‘i ruling regarding a household driver interacting with the women and unmarried girls of the house, such as taking them to the market, school, or other places?
❖ Answer:
The Prophet ﷺ stated in an authentic Hadith:
“لا يخلون رجل بامرأة إلا كان الشيطان ثالثهما”
[Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī – Kitāb ar-Raḍāʿ, Bāb 16]
“No man is alone with a woman except that Shayṭān is the third among them.”
Seclusion (khalwah)—whether it takes place inside the home, in a vehicle, at the market, or elsewhere—is the same in ruling.
There is no guarantee that such interaction between a man and a woman in private will remain free from temptation or lustful undertones, even if the individuals involved may be known for piety, God-consciousness, or hatred for sin and betrayal.
⚠️ Still, Shayṭān intervenes and presents sin in a trivial or seemingly harmless form, thereby opening the door to deception and wrongdoing.
Hence, avoiding such situations is a means of protection and safety in Islam.
(By: Shaykh Ibn Jibreen حفظه الله)
