Women can use fitting rooms under certain conditions
Fatwa No: 299728

Question

As-Salamu aleykum, I'm a married woman and mother living in a muslim country where ee made hijra alhamdulillah and spending summer in my european homecountry in order to keep familyties and motivate my father, brother and sister to discover Islam.Where i'm living it is not easy for women to shop, i can't look at items without men quickly coming and beginning a conversation ( although i wear jilbab and niqab) and what shocks me particulary is that even underwear and bras are sold by men. Of course my husband would do anything to help me but he can't shop for me for example good fitting clothes espacially bras, and anyway the quality here is very poor. So each time i'm back home i try to buy all i need as in the stores mostly women work and no one bothers me while looking and choosing. I would like to know if it is allowed for me to try the clothes behind curtains in little cabins made for this. I would try them over clothes. Except the bras i would try them under a shirt as it is impossible to find fitting pairs without trying them first. It must be said that in those european countries it is nothing special to try in a cabin and normally i don't fear to be a temptation for anyone there, people are so used to see women that a muslim women is not appealing at all for them.BarakAllahu fikum

Answer

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

First of all, we ask Allaah to make us and you steadfast on the Right Path, to increase our guidance and enable us to do virtuous deeds. We ask Him to guide your family to the truth and make them steadfast on it and make this in your scale of good deeds on the Day of Judgment.

If that place is concealing and you are safe from being seen by other people and do not expect that there are cameras and the like, then there is no harm in using these places for trying on clothes. In principle such matters are permitted unless there is evidence that it is prohibited. Abu Tha‘labah related that the Prophet said:

Allaah has made obligations, so do not neglect them; He has set limits, so do not transgress them; He has forbidden some things, so do not come near to them, and He has left some matters as a mercy to you and not out of forgetfulness, so do not search for them.” [at-Tabaraani, ad-Daaraqutni and others]

However, if others can see you, then it is not permissible for you to do so, and what you mentioned about being secure from temptation is not a factor.

For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 4439.

Allaah Knows best.

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