❖ Source:
This ruling is derived from the book “500 Questions & Answers for Women”, based on the fatwas of the scholars of the Ḥaramayn, translated by Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbdullāh Salīm.✿ Question:
What is the ruling on the gathering that some people organize under the name “Engagement Gift Ceremony,” in which the man who has proposed (the fiancé) and the woman to whom the proposal is made (the fiancée) meet and he adorns her with a necklace or bracelet that he has had made for her—all of this occurring before the actual marriage contract that renders such interaction permissible?
✿ Answer:
It is well known and widely recognized that a fiancée remains a non-maḥram (stranger) to the man until the marriage contract (ʿaqd al-nikāḥ) is concluded. Therefore, it is not permissible for the man to have any form of interaction or meeting with her during this pre-marital period.
As for the kind of engagement gathering the questioner refers to, it is impermissible (ḥarām). Organizing such an event is not allowed in Islam and must be avoided and refrained from.
However, once the marriage contract is validly executed, then the woman becomes his lawful wife in every respect. Thereafter, all the actions mentioned by the questioner become permissible:
✔ He may visit her freely.
✔ He may adorn her with jewelry such as necklaces and bangles.
✔ He may have private seclusion (khalwah) with her.
Reference: Fatāwā ʿUlamāʾ al-Balad al-Ḥarām, p. 631Conclusion:
Engagement does not make two individuals lawful for one another. Any ceremony involving physical interaction, private meetings, or adornment before nikāḥ is religiously prohibited and must be avoided, no matter how normalized it may seem in society.
