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Question:
Trust that Mufti is well
If a woman owns a car that was gifted to her by her father and both her and her husband use it. She will be travelling with her husband and a non mahram man. Does she have to sit at the back of the vehicle and the man sit in front. Is it an Islamic ruling for her to sit at the back? Or is it a cultural / social etiquette that dictates this expectation?
Answer:
As salām ʿalaikum wa raḥmatullāhī wa barakātuhū
In the Name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Respected sister,
We take note of your query.
Though the framework of fiqhī rulings (Islāmic legal law) governs the various facets of our lives, in order to attain true happiness in our interpersonal relationships, one must also adopt iḥsān; a consciousness of the Divine. In adopting iḥsān one’s primary focus will always be towards one’s spiritual growth and adopting measures to enhance one’s awareness of Allāh Taʿālā.
Sister, you state the car belongs to the wife and both her and her husband use the car. We commend the wife for allowing her husband use of the car.
If a woman is traveling in a car with her husband and another non-maḥram male, our advice would be for her to be seated with comfort and modesty in the back seat. This is closer to the dictates of modesty.
And Allāh Taʿālā knows best.