Girl Staying Alone with Younger Brother

18-5-2002 | IslamWeb

Question:

Is it true that its forbidden for a girl to stay with her younger brother alone at home? What are Ahadith Sharifah and Qur'an say concerning this matter?

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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.

Basically, a house is the best place for a woman to live in and it is the secure location for her. Allah Says (what means): {And abide in your houses and do not display yourselves as [was] the display of the former times of ignorance. And establish prayer and give zakah and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah intends only to remove from you the impurity [of sin], O people of the [Prophet's] household, and to purify you with [extensive] purification.} [Quran 33:33]

There is no evidence stipulating that a Mahram should stay with her in a house. But, if it seems likely that there would be any harm to a woman staying alone in her house, or if she stays with a small boy, then, in this case, we could say that it is not permissible for her to live in such a condition.

The evidence for the permissibility of living alone in normal situations is as follows:

First, the condition of being with a Mahram or with an aged person in a house causes difficulty which is objectionable in the Sharee'ah. Allah Says (what means): {…and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship, …} [Quran 22:78]

Second, Ibn ‘Umar narrated that the Prophet said: “After today it is absolutely prohibited for every man to enter upon a woman whose husband is absent unless he is accompanied by another one or two men.” [Ahmad and Muslim]

This Hadeeth proves that a woman can live alone in her house.

Allah knows best.