Meaning of hurmat-e-musaaharah

Q: What is hurmat-e-musaaharah and what is the ruling about it in detail?

A: Hurmat-e-Musaaharah will be established when a mature male lustfully touches a female for whom desires can be perceived (9 years of age or more) or vice versa i.e. the female lustfully touches the male. Touching with lust means that a male experiences an erection due to touching or in the case of an old man or female, they experience a lustful desire within their heart and mind. Further, there should be skin to skin contact or if there was a cloth in between, then the heat of the body can be felt through the cloth.

Once hurmat-e-musaaharah is established, the ascendants and descendants of the male become haraam and impermissible for the female to marry and the ascendants and descendants of the female become haraam for the male to marry. Therefore, if a man touches his daughter with lust then her ascendants amongst whom is her mother and the wife of the man, become haraam for him. This results in the severance of relationship between the man and his wife.

And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

 

Answered by:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)