9/9. Chapter:
Sunan Ibn Majah 1864 — Looking Before Marriage
Looking at a woman when wanting to marry her
Hadith About Looking at a Prospective Bride
Sunan Ibn Majah : 1864
Sunan Ibn MajahHadith Number 1864
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا حَفْصُ بْنُ غِيَاثٍ، عَنْ حَجَّاجٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ، عَنْ عَمِّهِ، سَهْلِ بْنِ أَبِي حَثْمَةَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مَسْلَمَةَ، قَالَ خَطَبْتُ امْرَأَةً فَجَعَلْتُ أَتَخَبَّأُ لَهَا حَتَّى نَظَرْتُ إِلَيْهَا فِي نَخْلٍ لَهَا فَقِيلَ لَهُ أَتَفْعَلُ هَذَا وَأَنْتَ صَاحِبُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فَقَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ يَقُولُ " إِذَا أَلْقَى اللَّهُ فِي قَلْبِ امْرِئٍ خِطْبَةَ امْرَأَةٍ فَلاَ بَأْسَ أَنْ يَنْظُرَ إِلَيْهَا " .
Muhammad bin Salamah Narrated from:
I proposed marriage to a woman, then I hid and waited to see her until I saw her among some date palm trees that belonged to her.” It was said to him: “Do you do such a thing when you are a companion of the Messenger of Allah?” He said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah saying: 'When Allah causes a man to propose to a woman, there is nothing wrong with him looking at her.' ”
Reference : Sunan Ibn Majah 1864In-book reference : Book 9, Hadith 20English translation : Vol. 3, Book 9, Hadith 1864
Summary of Sunan Ibn Majah Hadith 1864
This hadith speaks about looking at a woman when a man has a real intention to propose marriage. Muhammad bin Salamah said he wanted to marry a woman and looked at her. When someone questioned him, he replied with the Prophet’s statement that if Allah places in a man’s heart the proposal of a woman, there is nothing wrong with him looking at her. The main message is about a serious marriage proposal, not casual looking. A person searching for hadith about seeing a prospective bride should notice this limit clearly. The text connects the permission to a marriage intention, so the explanation should stay within that boundary.
What we learn from this hadith
- Looking is mentioned here in the setting of a serious marriage proposal.
- The hadith does not support casual or purposeless looking.
- A proposal intention changes the context of the action mentioned.
- Questions about marriage should be handled with care and evidence.
