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What Is Permissible for a Muslim Girl to Reveal to Her Fiancé?

04 July, 2021
Q As-salamu `alaykum. I have a question with regard to getting married. When speaking to the fiancé, what is permissible from the women to show from herself (`awrah) in order for the man to see if this woman would be suitable for him? What is the line not to cross? Jazaka Allah khayr.

Answer

Zeinab Al-`Alawani
04 July, 2021

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. 

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

In this fatwa:

1- Generally speaking, what is allowed for a Muslim girl or women to show from her body are the face and hands.
2- It is the duty of each woman to abide by Shari`ah rulings in regard. In the presence of her fiancé, a girl should wear modest clothes.

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Responding to your question, Dr. Zainab Alwani, the Founding Director of the Islamic Studies program at Howard University School of Divinity (HUSD), states:

It was narrated that in one hadith that Al-Mughirah Ibn Shubah said, “I asked for a woman in marriage and the Prophet (peace and blessings be on him) asked me whether I had looked at her. When I replied that I had not, he said, ‘Then look at her, for it may produce love between you.‘ (Ahmad)

Displaying the face and hands is generally believed to be permissible.

However, a woman is not supposed to show her beauty in unlawful way nor should she appear in tight clothes and the like.

Almighty Allah knows best.

Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.

Displaying the face and hands How far Could a Girl Uncover for Her Fiancé? what a fiancé can see from me conditions of valid marriage in Isalm
About Zeinab Al-`Alawani
Dr. Zainab Alwani is the Founding Director of the Islamic Studies program at Howard University School of Divinity (HUSD). She is the Associate Professor of Islamic Studies and the chair of the Religious Studies Master of Arts program at HUSD. She is an Islamic scholar, researcher and community activist. Dr. Alwani is also the first female jurist to serve on the board of the Fiqh Council of North America and currently serves as the Council’s Vice-Chair. She is a member and a board member of various national organizations including, Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights KARAMAH, and the American Academy of Religion. Dr. Alwani is currently serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Islamic Faith and Practice. Her research focuses on Quranic studies, Islamic jurisprudence, the relationship between civil and religious law in the area of family, women and gender, and inter-religious relations.