Seclusion with a non-mahram

Question

The gist of the question is as follows: Mehr ‘Ali and Muhammad Riza are both friends. Muhammad Riza told Mehr ‘Ali: “Bring me an ox from the market.” He went to buy it but did not find one. To say this, Mehr ‘Ali went in the evening to Muhammad Riza’s house while his wife and children were present. Having entered the house, Mehr ‘Ali sat down in the courtyard; he had gone to tell him that the ox could not be found.

Answer

It is not appropriate for a man to go into a house like this in the evening and sit with a non-mahram woman; one should be cautious about this. To talk about buying the ox — or rather, to tell whether “it has been bought or not” — there was no need whatsoever to go inside the house: he could have stood at the door, told him and left.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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