What is the ruling on a woman describing the beauty of another woman to a man who is a stranger to her, and to what extent does the prohibition "A woman should not describe another woman to her husband as if he is looking at her" apply to non-spouses, and what are the limits of permissible physical description for a mother when proposing a girl for her son?

The general rule is that it is not permissible to describe a woman's beauty and allure in front of men, based on the Prophet's (PBUH) saying: "A woman should not intimately touch another woman then describe her to her husband as if he is looking at her."

An exception to this is a woman describing to a suitor what he cannot see for himself, due to the need for the engagement, such as the chest, abdomen, upper arms, and similar parts. This is based on the saying of Sheikh Zakariya al-Ansari: "If he cannot manage to see her, he should send a woman or someone similar to examine her and describe her to him; because the Prophet (PBUH) sent Umm Sulaym to a woman and said: 'Look at her ankles and smell her forearms.'"

It should be noted, however, that a woman is not permitted to look at another woman's body parts that are above the knee and below the navel.