Can a man sleep in the same room as his sister?

 

Is it permissible to sleep in the same room as my sister, each of us in a separate bed and facing one another during the fast so that we can see one another?.

Praise be to Allaah.

There is
nothing wrong with a man sleeping in the same room as his sister, each in
his or her own bed, so long as nothing can be see of their ‘awrahs. It makes
no difference whether they are fasting or not. 

In the case
of her brother or other mahrams, the woman’s ‘awrah is all of her body
except that which is normally visible such as the neck, head, hands, feet
and calves. It says in Kashshaaf al-Qinaa’ (5/11): A man may also see
the face, neck, hand, foot, head and calf of his mahram. Al-Qaadi said of
this report: It is permissible (to see) what normally appears such as the
head and hand up to the elbow. End quote. 

His ‘awrah
with regard to her is the area between the navel and the knee.  

It says in
Kashshaaf al-Qinaa’ (5/15): In the case of a woman, she may see what
is above a man’s navel and what is below his knees, because the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to Faatimah bint Qays:
“Observe your ‘iddah in the house of Ibn Umm Maktoom, for he is a blind man
and when you may take off your garment he will not see you.” And ‘Aa’ishah
said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) screened me with his cloak whilst I was watching the Ethiopians playing
in the mosque. Agreed upon. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) finished the Eid khutbah, he went over to the women,
accompanied by Bilaal, and he reminded them and told them to give charity.
If women were forbidden to look at men, then hijab would be obligatory for
men as it is obligatory for women, so that they would not look at them. End
quote. 

But both of
them must take precautions when going to sleep, by wearing something that
will cover their ‘awrahs and prevent them from becoming uncovered. Because
sleeping is a time when the ‘awrah is likely to be uncovered and desire may
be provoked, Islam enjoined separating children in their beds, as Abu Dawood
(418) narrated from ‘Amr ibn Shu’ayb, from his father, that his grandfather
said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “Teach your children to pray when they are seven years old and
smack them if they do not do it when they are ten, and separate them in
their beds.” Al-Daaraqutni and al-Haakim narrated from Sabrah ibn Ma’bad
that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“When your children reach the age of seven years, separate their beds and
when they reach the age of ten, smack them if they do not pray.” This
hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, no.
418. 

The scholars
explained separating them in their beds as meaning two things: 

1 –
Separating their beds, which is the apparent meaning of the second hadeeth.

2 – Not
letting them sleep naked in one bed, but if they sleep in their clothes
without touching one another, that is permissible so long as there is no
risk of fitnah. 

Zakariya
al-Ansaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Separating them in their
beds means two things: giving them each a separate bed, or letting them
sleep in one bed, but apart from each other and not touching one another.
The latter should be sufficient because there is no evidence to suggest that
the hadeeth should be interpreted in the first way only. Al-Zarkashi said:
it is to be understood according to the apparent meaning, which is correct
because of the following hadeeth: “Separate their beds” and it is supported
by the meaning which is the fear of something haraam. End quote from Ansa
al-Mataalib (3/113) 

It says in
Kashshaaf al-Qinaa’ (5/18): When the siblings reach the age of ten
years, whether they are male or female, or both male and female, their
guardian should separate them in their beds and give each one of them a bed
of his or her own, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: “And separate them in their beds” i.e., as they used to
sleep naked, as it says in al-Mustaw’ab and al-Ri’aayah. End
quote. 

Ibn Muflih
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said: A boy who reaches the age of ten should
be prevented from sleeping naked with his sister or any other mahram. This
was mentioned in al-Mustaw’ab and al-Ri’aayah.  This – and
Allaah knows best – was narrated from Ahmad and was the view favoured by Abu
Bakr. It was also stated and favoured by most of our companions that
children must be separated when they are seven years old or more, and that
(a child of that age) has an ‘awrah which he must guard. This issue is well
known and is mentioned in Kitaab al-Janaa’iz. End quote from
al-Adaab al-Shar’iyyah (3/538).   

We have
mentioned this for a reason, lest anyone think that this hadeeth implies
that a brother cannot sleep in the same room as his sister, even though
avoiding it is better for one who can manage to do so. 

And Allaah
knows best.