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What is the ruling on spending the night at the house of a full brother or paternal uncle or others, with their children and wives, if the children are minors, and the wife's mother or sister may be present, and upon the request of the homeowner under the pretext of travel?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is not permissible for a man to stay overnight with his brother's wife, his uncle's wife, or any other woman without a mahram (unmarriageable kin), whether the woman is alone or with her non-adult children, because this is considered unlawful seclusion (khalwa muharramah). However, if her mother or sister is with her, then it is permissible, provided that the place is completely separate from the main house and there is no fear of fitna (temptation or discord). This is supported by the Prophet's (peace be upon him) prohibition of entering upon women, and his clarification that the hamw (husband's male relative) is more dangerous than others due to his easy access to the woman. He also forbade a man from being in seclusion with a woman unless the third of them is Satan.

A man's cohabitation with a non-mahram woman can be in two situations: 1. With the presence of a mahram: It is not permissible for a non-mahram to cohabit with her unless the rooms are multiple or spacious enough so that neither can intrude upon the other's privacy. 2. Without the presence of a mahram: It is not permissible for him to cohabit with her unless her dwelling is completely independent of the non-mahram's dwelling, even if it is adjacent to it, provided that common facilities between them (such as the kitchen, bathroom, and corridor) are not shared.

Therefore, it is not permissible to agree to live with these women unless the aforementioned conditions are met. Their needs can be met without cohabitation or seclusion, and conversation should be limited to what is necessary, without softening the speech.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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