Bismillah.
Question:
Is it permissible for someone to show a photograph of a girl (with proper hijab) or a boy to a family for the purpose of marriage? Or is it preferrable to meet up personally?
Answer:
This issue is intrinsically related to one’s position on photographs (which I’ve already elaborated on in a previous post).
In any case, in my humble opinion it is a very wise move to show a prospective suitor a photo of a girl he is interested in (and vice versa). There is no doubt that looks play a major role in deciding one’s life partner, therefore instead of a prospective couple meeting up and then one of them not liking the way the other looks (which will cause much embarrassment and hurt feelings) it is wiser to show a picture first. If the person wishes to proceed, fine, and if not, then not much damage has been done.
At this stage, I think it is wiser that a sister be wearing hijab in the photo, but as I elaborated in a previous post, it is allowed for her to be w/o hijab in front of prospective suitors.
And Allah knows best…
Yasir.
This is a very relevant issue to many brothers and sisters who are trying to get married. So in sha Allah, I hope this answer will help.
Sh. Aarij Anwer 