Fatwa ID: 02395

Answered by: Mufti Eunus Ali

Question:

Can a Muslim woman in iddah start dating?

Answer

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Firstly in Islam there is no concept of dating and to do so is a sinful act which needs to be abandoned immediately.

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) has stated: Behold! A man is not alone with a woman but the third of them is Ash-Shaitan.[1]

In the explanation of the above Hadith, the scholars have stated that the woman referred to in the above Hadith is one to whom a man is permitted to marry (however has not married) and therefore Shaitan will also be present encouraging the two to engage in unlawful and sinful acts.[2].

Secondly, during the iddah the woman is confined to her place of residence and it is not permissible to leave that.[3]

However when there is an extreme need to do so such as leaving for work whereby that is her only source of income and she will not be able to carry on living throughout the waiting period without it, she will be permitted to attend work.

In such a case she will only be permitted to leave her house for the necessary amount of time and anything beyond that will be impermissible.

However if there is an alternative for her it will not be permissible such as her family providing her the financial support that is required.[4]

In conclusion: dating is haram in Islam and generally speaking it is not permissible for the woman sitting her Iddah to leave her place of residence,

Only Allah knows best

Written by Mufti Eunus Ali

Checked and Approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham