Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Can siblings (18 yrs old sister and 20 yrs old brother) sleep in one bedroom? Is it acceptable in Islam to cuddle, hug and kiss (not on the lips I suppose) her?

Is it allowed for the father to sleep beside his 18 yr old daughter and use the same bedsheet while both are sleeping?

What is the Islamic teaching concerning the above questions? 

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Answer:

Sleeping with mehram

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: Can siblings (18 yrs old sister and 20 yrs old brother) sleep in one bedroom?

Amr ibn Shu'aib related from his father on the authority of his grandfather that the Prophet (saws) said, "Order your children to pray when they reach the age of seven. Force (or beat) them (if they don't pray) when they reach the age of ten. And have them sleep separately."

Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and al-Hakim.

There is no harm if a brother and a sister happen to live or sleep in one room, but what is specifically prohibited in Islam that they sleep together in one bed or one sheet.

Your Question: …..Is it acceptable in Islam to cuddle, hug and kiss (not on the lips I suppose) her?

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzaab verse 6 (part):

Blood-relations among each other have closer personal ties in the Decree of Allah.

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 5198 Narrated by Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin

I never saw anyone more like the Messenger of Allah (saws) in respect of gravity, calm deportment, pleasant disposition, talk and speech than (his daughter) Fatimah (r.a.). Whenever she came to visit him (the Prophet (saws)), he (saws) got up to (welcome) her, took her by the hand, kissed her (forehead), and made her sit where he (saws) was sitting; and whenever he (saws) went to visit her, she got up to (welcome) him, took him by the hand, kissed him, and made him sit where she was sitting.

Allah Subhanah has bonded a brother and a sister born of the same loins in a sacred ‘mahram’ relationship. There is absolutely no harm if a brother occasionally touches, cuddles, hugs, or kisses his sister out of affection and brotherly love.

Your Question: …Is it allowed for the father to sleep beside his 18 yr old daughter and use the same bedsheet while both are sleeping?

There is absolutely no harm if a father sleeps besides his own daughter or uses the same bedsheet.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan