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Does Islam permit a girl to choose a man and get to know him (without dating) before marrying him, in order to avoid repeating the painful experience of divorce?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The father must seek his daughter's permission when marrying her off. The girl should gather sufficient information about the suitor by asking about him in various ways, such as inquiring from his friends and acquaintances. It is not permissible for the girl to be alone with the suitor before the marriage contract or to remove her hijab in front of him, because the suitor is a non-mahram man. Such meetings may not reveal his true personality and could lead to dire consequences. After the legitimate marriage contract and before the wedding, the woman has a great opportunity to get to know the man, and if she discovers an unbearable flaw, she can request a khulʿ.

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

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