Khulwah: Is it in front of people or not?

Q 5: Does Khulwah (being alone with a member of the opposite sex) only refer to a man being alone with a woman in some house where other people cannot see them, or does it mean any privacy with a woman, even if under the eyes of people?

A: The meaning of the Islamically prohibited Khulwah is not only a man being alone with an Ajanibiyyah (women lawful for the man to marry) in a house where no one can see them; rather it includes his being alone with her in any place where they can talk to one another, even if it is somewhere others can see but not hear what they are saying, whether that is in an open place, in a car, on the roof of a house, or anywhere else. Khulwah is forbidden because it is the trigger and the means for committing Zina (sexual intercourse outside marriage). Anything bearing this sense, even it is just a promise to do this later, has the same rulings as Khulwah in its physical sense, being away from the eyes of all people. May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.