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What is the ruling on one who secretly gazes at homes and private quarters, and are the household members sinful if their women go out uncovered into the yard or middle of the house and the peeping tom sees them from his rooftop?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is not permissible to intentionally look at a non-mahram woman without necessity. The mentioned transgression combines several prohibitions, including harming a neighbor, which is among the major sins, and violating Allah's command to lower the gaze. Arabs in their pre-Islamic era knew the rights of neighbors and respected the sanctity of women. Seeking permission before entering homes was instituted out of fear of observing private matters. Had the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, known of someone looking, he would have gouged out their eye. This person should be advised, and a complaint should be lodged with their family. If a woman knows that someone is intentionally looking at her, she should go out wearing a complete hijab. It is even better for her to minimize her outings until the neighbor's covetousness ceases.

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

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