Excerpted from: Aḥkām wa Masā’il – In the Light of Qur’an and Sunnah
Author: Shaykh Mubashar Ahmad Rabbani
Is it permissible in Islam to see the woman one intends to marry before the marriage takes place? What are the evidences from the Qur’an and Sunnah regarding this matter?
According to Islamic law, once a man has firm intention to marry a particular woman, it is permissible for him to see her before marriage. The purpose of this permission is to view only the face and hands; it is not permissible to look beyond that. This ruling is stated clearly in Sharḥ as-Sunnah (9/18).
Sayyidunā Jābir رضي الله عنه reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«إِذَا خَطَبَ أَحَدُكُمُ الْمَرْأَةَ، فَإِنِ اسْتَطَاعَ أَنْ يَنْظُرَ إِلَيْهَا فَلْيَفْعَلْ»
[Abū Dāwūd, Kitāb an-Nikāḥ, Bāb fī ar-Rajul Yanẓuru ilā al-Marʾah wa Huwa Yurīdu Tazawwujahā – 2082; Ḥākim: 2/165, ḥadīth 2696]
Translation:
“When one of you proposes to a woman, and if he is able to look at her (before marriage), then he should do so.”
This ḥadīth indicates that once the intention to marry is present, it is permissible to look at the woman. It does not imply general permission to look at women without any marital intention. This is further supported by another narration:
“When a man has the thought of proposing to a woman, he may look at her.”
[Fatḥ al-ʿAllām, p. 514]
If a man is unable to see the woman himself, or chooses not to do so directly, he may appoint a trustworthy woman (such as his mother, sister, paternal/maternal aunt) to observe and inform him about the potential bride’s appearance and character.
This practice is validated by the incident where the Prophet ﷺ sent Umm Sulaym رضي الله عنها to observe a woman on his behalf:
Reported in:
Mustadrak al-Ḥākim (2/176, ḥadīth 2699) — Declared ṣaḥīḥ upon the conditions of Muslim by both Imām al-Ḥākim and Imām al-Dhahabī,
Also cited by Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī in at-Talkhīṣ al-Ḥabīr (3/169) referencing al-Ṭabarānī.
✔ If a man has made the intention to marry a woman,
✔ It is permissible for him to view her face and hands,
✔ Or, he may appoint a woman to investigate and report back.
If there is no intention of marriage, and the looking is based purely on vain desire, then it is absolutely impermissible in Islam.
Author: Shaykh Mubashar Ahmad Rabbani
❖ Question:
Is it permissible in Islam to see the woman one intends to marry before the marriage takes place? What are the evidences from the Qur’an and Sunnah regarding this matter?
❖ Answer:
According to Islamic law, once a man has firm intention to marry a particular woman, it is permissible for him to see her before marriage. The purpose of this permission is to view only the face and hands; it is not permissible to look beyond that. This ruling is stated clearly in Sharḥ as-Sunnah (9/18).
✦ Evidence from the Sunnah
Sayyidunā Jābir رضي الله عنه reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«إِذَا خَطَبَ أَحَدُكُمُ الْمَرْأَةَ، فَإِنِ اسْتَطَاعَ أَنْ يَنْظُرَ إِلَيْهَا فَلْيَفْعَلْ»
[Abū Dāwūd, Kitāb an-Nikāḥ, Bāb fī ar-Rajul Yanẓuru ilā al-Marʾah wa Huwa Yurīdu Tazawwujahā – 2082; Ḥākim: 2/165, ḥadīth 2696]
Translation:
“When one of you proposes to a woman, and if he is able to look at her (before marriage), then he should do so.”
This ḥadīth indicates that once the intention to marry is present, it is permissible to look at the woman. It does not imply general permission to look at women without any marital intention. This is further supported by another narration:
“When a man has the thought of proposing to a woman, he may look at her.”
[Fatḥ al-ʿAllām, p. 514]
✦ Appointing a Woman to Investigate on One’s Behalf
If a man is unable to see the woman himself, or chooses not to do so directly, he may appoint a trustworthy woman (such as his mother, sister, paternal/maternal aunt) to observe and inform him about the potential bride’s appearance and character.
This practice is validated by the incident where the Prophet ﷺ sent Umm Sulaym رضي الله عنها to observe a woman on his behalf:
Reported in:
Mustadrak al-Ḥākim (2/176, ḥadīth 2699) — Declared ṣaḥīḥ upon the conditions of Muslim by both Imām al-Ḥākim and Imām al-Dhahabī,
Also cited by Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī in at-Talkhīṣ al-Ḥabīr (3/169) referencing al-Ṭabarānī.
❖ Summary Ruling:
✔ If a man has made the intention to marry a woman,
✔ It is permissible for him to view her face and hands,
✔ Or, he may appoint a woman to investigate and report back.
If there is no intention of marriage, and the looking is based purely on vain desire, then it is absolutely impermissible in Islam.
