Not Obligatory on a Man to Tell His Parents That He Is Getting Married

10-8-2020 | IslamWeb

Question:

I have some questions regarding marriage proposal. 1) Is it necessary for a man to tell his parents that he is getting married?
2) Can a man look at a woman he wants to marry before he proposes or is it only permissible once he proposes? 3) What parts of the body can be looked at? Is it only face and hands, or can the outline of the woman's body be observed as well?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

It is not obligatory on a man to inform his parents that he is going to get married, but if the parents would be hurt by not telling them of it, it is incumbent on him to inform them if no harm is incurred on him as a result.

For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 86982.

It is permissible for a man to look at the woman whom he wants to marry before he proposes to her provided that he really intends to propose and believes that his proposal would most likely be accepted.

The majority of the scholars held that a suitor may look at the woman’s face and hands only, and it is not allowable for him to see her in tight-fitting clothes that outline the size of her body. Some scholars, however, held that it is allowable for him to look at what usually appears of her body such as the head and neck.

For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 101303.

Allah Knows best.