Looking at a Woman Before Marriage Contract

Question

Is it permissible for a man to look at a woman he intends to marry before the marriage contract through a transparent barrier? [AR_ID:1965]

Answer 1

Peace be upon you.

Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sistani (may Allah protect him):

It is permissible for a man who intends to marry a woman to look at her beauty, such as her face, hair, neck, hands, wrists, and legs, among other things. It is not a condition that this be done with her permission and consent.

However, it is required that the intention is not for sensual pleasure, even if he knows that looking at her may lead to such feelings involuntarily. Additionally, he should not fear falling into sin because of it, and there should not be any impediment to marrying her, such as her being in a waiting period or being the sister of his wife.

It is also required that he is not already familiar with her situation, and he should have a reasonable expectation of her choosing him; otherwise, it is not permissible. It is recommended to limit the looking to the specific intention of marrying her, and this ruling does not apply if he is merely seeking to marry in general and is using this as a means to select a wife. He may look again if he did not gain sufficient insight from the first glance.

Source: Minhaj al-Salihin, Vol. 3, Issue 28.

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Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Khamenei (may Allah protect him):

It is permissible for a man who intends to marry a woman to look at her, provided that it is not for the purpose of pleasure, even if he knows that looking may lead to such feelings involuntarily. He should also have a reasonable expectation of gaining insight about her, and he should consider whether she is likely to accept his proposal, avoiding those who are known to reject proposals. It is recommended to limit the looking to her face, hands, hair, and beauty, although it is stronger to allow looking at the wrists and other parts of the body, except for the private areas. It is required that this looking be done through a thin garment. He may look again if he did not gain sufficient insight from the first glance.

Source: Tahrir al-Wasilah, Marriage, regarding some of its etiquettes and rulings, Issue 28.

May you be successful in all good.