Thursday 28 April 2011

He wants to look at women in the street with the intention of proposing marriage

I live in a kaafir country where there is a lot of temptation. I want to get married and I am looking for a wife with certain features, especially beauty. I know that it is permissible to look at women with the intention of proposing marriage; is it permissible for me to look at women in the street in order to choose the one to whom I will propose marriage? Is it permissible, if I choose some girl and I like her and want to be sure that my family (who live in another country) will like her, to show her to a friend of mine even if it is for a few seconds?.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

It is not permissible to look at women in the street, because
Allaah has commanded the believers to lower their gaze. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): 

“Tell the believing men
to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their
private parts (from illegal sexual acts). That is purer for them. Verily,
Allaah is All‑Aware of what they do”

[al-Noor 24:30] 

If a person opens this door to himself, that is a dangerous
matter. At first the Shaytaan makes the idea of proposing marriage
attractive to him, until this becomes a regular habit, then he looks at
women with no intention of proposing marriage, rather just for the purpose
of looking at their beauty. 

The man who wants to get married should not look at the
unveiled women in the street, especially in that kaafir country where most
of the people are kaafirs or immoral. Rather he should ask virtuous and
knowledgeable people about virtuous and righteous women, and approach the
matter in the proper manner. 

With regard to looking at women in the street, this is
looking at their external beauty only, not their inward beauty which is more
important than outward beauty. What is the point if a man marrying the most
beautiful of women if she is lacking in good attitude and religious
commitment? 

You should check yourself and review the qualities that you
want in the woman you choose to marry, the most important of which is that
she should be religiously committed and have a good attitude. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A woman may be
married for four things: her wealth, her lineage, her beauty, or her
religious commitment. Choose the one who is religiously-committed, may your
hands be rubbed with dust (i.e., may you prosper).” (Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 5090; Muslim, 1466) 

The purpose of marriage is not merely to satisfy one’s
desires and enjoy intimacy, so that the man need care about nothing more
than beauty; rather marriage is more sublime than that. So you should study
the true qualities of your potential life-partner, those qualities that will
make your life happy and calm, not a temporary happiness that will disappear
as desire fades, leaving nothing but trouble and sadness after that. And
Allaah knows best. 

It is not permissible for you to show your friend the women to whom you propose marriage, and it is not permissible for him to look at her. A man should have protective jealousy (gheerah) concerning his wife and his honour. The Sahaabah were impressed by the strong gheerah of Sa’d ibn ‘Ubaadah (may Allaah be pleased with him), and the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Are you amazed by the gheerah of Sa’d? I have more gheerah than him, and Allaah has more gheerah than me.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6846; Muslim, 1499.

 

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