Q: I wanted to clarify something. I know that by touching a female with lust, the ruling of musahara applies. This is also the case if touching through a barrier but body heat can be felt. If a person is in close proximity to someone, without touching them, they may still feel their body heat that is being released, would this still necessitate musahara? If the man felt lust at the time of feeling this heat? That is, no physical contact occurred, but he felt the heat of the person with lust. Also, is the restriction with any lust, or does erection have to occur in the male who was touching?
A: If one touched the body of a woman directly with lust (i.e. without any cloth in between), hurmat-e-musaaharah will be established. If he touched the body with lust but there was a thick cloth in between which prevented the heat of the woman’s body from being perceived, then hurmat-e-musaaharah will not be established. If the heat of the body is perceived through the cloth, then hurmat-e-musaaharah will be established.
The sign of perceiving lust in a male is that he perceives movement in his private part or has an erection. However, if he is old and cannot have an erection, then for him, perceiving lust in the heart is sufficient to establish hurmat-e-musaaharah. The sign of perceiving lust in a female is that she perceives lust in her heart.
And Allah Ta’ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
( ولا فرق ) فيما ذكر ( بين اللمس والنظر بشهوة بين عمد ونسيان ) وخطأ وإكراه فلو أيقظ زوجته أو أيقظته هي لجماعها فمست يده بنتها المشتهاه أو يدها ابنه حرمت الأم أبدا (الدر المختار 3/35)
قال العلامة ابن عابدين رحمه الله قوله ( أو يدها ابنه ) أي المراهق كما علم مما مر وأما تقييد الفتح بكونه ابنه من غيرها فقال في النهر ليعلم ما إذا كان ابنه منها بالأولى ولا بد من التقييد بالشهوة أو ازديادها في الموضعين (رد المحتار3/35)
Answered by:
Mufti Zakaria Makada
Checked & Approved:
Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)