How could the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, sit on the bed of an unrelated woman, and what is the explanation for this hadith mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari? Is it permissible for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, to be in seclusion with an unrelated woman and to look at her?

The fundamental principle in Islamic law is the prohibition of khalwa (private seclusion) with a non-mahram woman, entering upon her, and looking at her, due to the potential for fitna (temptation/strife) that results from this. There are definitive texts that indicate this, among them the statement of Allah Almighty: "Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their private parts" [Quran 24:30], and the hadith: "Beware of entering upon women," and the hadith: "No man should be alone with a woman except in the presence of a mahram." Any texts that might be understood to permit such actions are texts susceptible to interpretation and do not contradict the definitive texts, which constitute a general legislation for the Ummah.