Is the Narration About Umar Seeking to Marry Ali’s Daughter Authentic (Allah Be Pleased with Them)?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
Is the narration in Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq (10352) about ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb seeking to marry ʿAlī’s daughter authentic (Allah be pleased with them)? How is the reported incident of him touching her leg understood in Islamic tradition?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
You have asked about two issues: the issue of looking at one’s fiancée in Islam and the narration about Umar proposing to Ali’s daughter (Allah be pleased with them).
The narration found in Musannaf Abd al-Razzaq, where Umar ibn al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with him) lifted the garment of Ali’s daughter to examine her leg, is weak and disconnected (munqati), as mentioned by Ibn Hajar in Isaba. Therefore, it cannot be used as a reliable source of evidence in legal rulings. It is essential to verify the authenticity of such reports before using them in jurisprudential discussions.
ʿAbd al-Razzaq from Maʿmar from Ayyub from ʿIkrima who said, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭab married Umm Kulthum bint ʿAli ibn Abi Ṭalib when she was a young girl (jariya) who [still] played with young girls. So he went to his friends, who congratulated him, and he said, “I did not marry for entertainment, but I heard the Messenger of Allah say, ‘Every line and lineage is cut off on the Day of Judgment except for my line and lineage.’ So I desired that there be line and lineage between myself and the Messenger of Allah.”
[San’ani, Musannaf Abd al-Razzaq]
The Ruling on Looking at a Woman Before Marriage
Scholars have differed on how much a man is permitted to see of the woman he intends to marry:
The Majority Opinion (Shafi’i, Maliki, and Hanbali Schools)
– It is permissible to look at the face and hands only because the face reveals beauty, and the hands indicate body structure.
– They base this on the hadith of Jabir, where the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “If one of you proposes to a woman, and he can look at what will encourage him to marry her, then let him do so.” [Abu Dawud]
– Also, the hadith of Mughira ibn Shu’ba, in which the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) told him: “Look at her, for it is more likely to create affection between you.” [Tirmidhi]
The Opinion of the Zahiri School (Dawud Al-Zahiri)
He permitted looking at the entire body, arguing that the purpose of engagement is to determine suitability for marriage, which cannot be achieved by seeing only the face and hands.
The Opinion of Imam al-Awza’i and Some Early Scholars
They allowed looking at parts of the body that typically have flesh (such as the legs and neck), reasoning that a man may need to assess her physique.
The Strongest Opinion
The majority opinion, which allows looking at only the face and hands, is the strongest and most widely accepted view in the four major Sunni schools of thought. It aligns with Islamic principles of balancing the need to know a prospective spouse with the necessity of avoiding temptation.
Related
https://app.turath.io/book/9767?page=4378
I pray this helps answer your question.
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.
