Can I Be in Seclusion With a Non-Mahram Who Is Very Old?


Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

I would like to learn from this teacher who is very old but not decrepit. It is not a necessary situation for me. Can I be in seclusion with him?

Answer

Thank you for your question. I fail to understand why you would have to be alone with a male teacher. Perhaps you can clarify.

Knowledge

In a lesson of knowledge, you would normally have a number of students who would sit with that teacher, or you could have the lesson online. It might also be possible to have the lesson at the teacher’s home, where his wife and children are present, or even in a public space. I would not recommend being alone with him, regardless of the ruling on it.

Related:
Is It Permissible for Me to Stay in a Flat With My Brother’s Wife If a Child Is With Us?
With Regards to Seclusion, Is It Right to Ride With the Opposite Gender in a Car?
Khalwa

May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.