Riyad as-Salihin · Chapter 291

Prohibition of Meeting a non-Mahram Woman in Seclusion

باب تحريم الخلوة بالأجنبية

Here the focus shifts from the eye to the situation. The chapter is about khalwa, a man and a non-mahram woman being alone together where no one else can enter. Islam does not wait for harm to happen; it removes the private setting in which temptation grows unwatched.

The hadith move from a blunt warning, even relatives by marriage are not exempt, to the safeguard of a mahram present, to the deep trust owed to the families of those away in Allah's cause. The thread is amana, trust: protecting people, their honour and their bonds, by closing the door on situations that quietly invite betrayal.

Hadith 1628

'Uqbah bin 'Amir (May Allah be pleased with him) said:

وعن عقبة بن عامر رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال‏:‏ ‏"‏إياكم والدخول على النساء‏"‏، فقال رجل من الأنصار‏:‏ أفرأيت الحمو‏؟‏ قال‏:‏ ‏"‏الحمو الموت‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏ ‏ ‏الحمو‏ ‏ قريب الزوج كأخيه، وابن أخيه، وابن عمه‏.‏

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Avoid (entering a place) in which are women (uncovered or simply to mix with them in seclusion)." A man from the Ansar said, "Tell me about the brother of a woman's husband." He replied, "The brother of a woman's husband is death." [Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

In plain words

Avoid being alone in seclusion with women you may not be alone with, and when asked about the husband's brother the Prophet (peace be upon him) called such closeness a danger. Familiarity is no excuse to drop these safeguards.

Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 1628 In-book reference : Book 17, Hadith 118

Hadith 1629

Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them) said:

وعن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال‏:‏ ‏ "‏لا يخلون أحدكم بامرأة إلا مع ذي محرم‏" ‏ ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "No one of you should meet a woman in privacy unless she is accompanied by a Mahram (i.e., a relative within the prohibited degrees)." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

In plain words

No one should be alone in private with a woman unless a close relative within the forbidden degrees is present. A trusted relative's presence removes the risk of the secluded setting.

Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 1629 In-book reference : Book 17, Hadith 119

Hadith 1630

Buraidah (May Allah be pleased with him) said:

وعن بريدة رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏:‏ ‏"‏حرمة نساء المجاهدين على القاعدين كحرمة أمهاتهم، ما من رجل من القاعدين يخلف رجلا من المجاهدين في أهله، فيخونه فيهم إلا وقف له يوم القيامة، فيأخذ من حسناته ما شاء حتى يرضى‏"‏ ثم التفت إلينا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وقال‏:‏ ‏"‏ما ظنكم‏؟‏‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The sanctity of the wives of Mujahidun (i.e., those who strive hard and fight in the way of Allah) for those who remain at home (i.e., those who do not go to the battlefield to fight Jihad) is like the sanctity of their own mothers. Anyone who remains behind to look after the family of a Mujahid and betrays his trust, will be made to stand on the Day of Resurrection before the Mujahid who will take away from his meritorious deeds whatever he likes till he is satisfied." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) turned toward us and said, "Now, what do you think (i.e., will he leave anything with him)?" [Muslim].

In plain words

The wives of those away striving in Allah's cause are as sacred to those who stayed behind as their own mothers, and betraying that trust brings a terrible reckoning. Caring for an absent person's family is a heavy trust, not an opportunity.

Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 1630 In-book reference : Book 17, Hadith 120