Staying with the ex-wife and her children in the same house
Q 2: A man
has divorced his wife, who is the mother of his children. She has chosen to stay in the same house with her children. Is it permissible for him to stay with them in the same house?
It should be mentioned that he is an old man and needs (Part No. 20; Page No. 225) someone to take care of him and do his housekeeping.
A:
It is impermissible for a man, who makes a major irrevocable divorce (the third and final divorce, after which the man can only remarry the woman if she remarries and that marriage ends lawfully) or a minor irrevocable divorce (a divorce, after which the man may remarry his irrevocably divorced ex-wife with a new mandatory bride gift and contract), to stay alone with his divorcee after her `Iddah (woman's prescribed waiting period after divorce) is expired, because she becomes a non-Mahram (not a spouse or an unmarriageable relative) for him. May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.