Bismillahi Al-Rahmani Al-Rahim
What Is Permitted To Be Seen Before
Marriage
Q
Is there a view in the Hanbali school that permits a man who wants
to marry a woman to see her hair and see her legs ? I think the thing about
seeing the leg is based on some hadith where X is supposed to have
lifted his future wife's dress viewing her legs? Allah knows best!
[musa: X put in place of the name of a Companion (Allah be well
pleased with them one and all)]
A
I have not seen this listed as an opinion within the Hanbali
madhhab. It is clear that when a man would like to marry a woman and it is
likely for his proposal to be accepted, then he may look at her face, neck,
hands, and feet, and he may do so repeatedly. But remember: this is only
permissible if he considers it likely that his proposal be accepted.
As for the hadith you mentioned, the only hadith I know of where
X (Allah be pleased with him) is reported to have done anything
remotely like this where anyone could see it is when buying a slave girl.
The `awrah of slave girls differs from than that of free mature
women.
And Allah knows best.
wa al-salamu `alaykum
--musa