What is the ruling on wooing a widow with the intention of marrying her?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Flirting with a non- woman is absolutely forbidden, whether she is a widow or otherwise, and regardless of the purpose of the flirting. It is permissible to hint at proposing to a non-mahram woman while she is in her ' (waiting period), and to explicitly propose after her 'iddah has ended. Among the permissible hints are for a man to say: "Someone like you is desirable," or "You are indeed virtuous," or "You know that I am of good lineage or wealthy," and similar statements from which the desire for marriage can be understood.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/90804
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 90804
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy