What is the ruling on a man requesting a massage from a non-mahram woman for the purpose of physical therapy?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
If the person being attended to is a woman, please refer to fatwas no. 39283 and 36824. However, if he is a man, it is not permissible for a Muslim to allow a non- woman to touch him, massage him, or look at him, due to the Almighty's saying: "Tell the believing men to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts," and due to the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "For one of you to be stabbed in his head with an iron needle is better for him than to touch a woman who is not lawful for him." And massage is even more forbidden than mere touching.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/44268
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 44268
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- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
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- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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