What is the ruling on an engaged woman letting down her hair for her fiancé and appearing before him with her hair unbound during the legitimate viewing (Nadhra Shar'iyya), and is this considered deception?
Islamic law permits the suitor to see his fiancée, and vice versa, based on what was narrated from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: "Look at her, for it is more likely to create affection between you." Jurists differed on the extent of what is permissible for him to see of her. The majority of jurists allowed looking at the face and hands, while the Hanbalis added the neck and feet, and some permitted looking at her hair.
Several conditions are stipulated for the permissibility of this viewing: it must be without privacy, without lust, with a high probability of acceptance (of the proposal), that he looks at what is commonly apparent, that he is determined to propose marriage, and that the woman does not adorn herself with excessive makeup or deceive the suitor by altering her natural appearance, because deception is forbidden.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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