Is it ok to see your wife before you marry?

name = Habib
Question = Is it permissible to see your wife before marriage

Answer =

In western superstition they believe that you should not see your wife on the day of the wedding until the ceremony. But this is just superstition and is meaningless. In Islam we cannot believe in superstitions.

The prophet said:
No man and woman are alone together, but the Shaytaan is the third one present.

But it is ok to talk to her with another family member present. Or to talk to her over the phone as long as you are not talking about sexual things. Everything is halal in Islam unless Allah or the prophet has forbidden it. So if anyone tells you that it is not ok to see your wife before you marry her needs to provide the proof. And just in case you run into any trouble here are some hadiths which show that a person should look at their wife before marriage. The prophet himself instructed a person to do so. But you should not be alone with her.

If you have not seen your future wife yet then you must go and look at her and see what she is like. Arranged marriages where neither person sees the other until the wedding are haram.

Here is the proof:

“The Messenger of Allah said: ‘If one of you proposes marriage to a woman, if he can look at her to see that which will encourage him to go ahead and marry her, then let him do so.’... (Saheeh Abi Dawood 1832)

“A woman came to the Messenger of Allah and said: “O Messenger of Allah, I have come to give myself to you (in marriage).” The Messenger of Allah looked at her closely, then he lowered his head. When the woman saw that he had not made a decision about her, she sat down. One of his Companions stood up and said, O Messenger of Allah, if you do not want her, then marry her to me…’” (al-Bukhaari, 7/19; Muslim, 4/143)