Is It Permissible for Marriage Prospects to Smile at Each Other?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

Is it permissible for a man and woman, both intending marriage, to exchange eye contact and a smile as a signal of interest before approaching each other?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

When it comes to gender relations, caution must be the moral standard. This may require us to look beyond the letter of the law and legal permissibility.

Technically, looking at the face of a marriageable woman is permissible on condition that there is no sexual desire or fear of sexual desire. [Maydani, al-Lubab fi Sharh al-Kitab]

Smiling is another slippery slope. Smiling would be impermissible if done with the intention of flirting, done in a way that would stir up sexual desire, or done out of sexual desire.

In these matters, it is best to go through a third party. It is best if a man seeks help from his female family members to see if there is mutual interest. If this is not possible, one can go directly to the father of the woman to ask.

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch teaches Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom Seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences.

He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he studied for three years in Dar al-Mustafa under some of the most outstanding scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib.

In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Quran and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Quranic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.