she is beautiful, she may be lent to a man even if he is not her maḥram. A woman who is no longer young falls into several categories:

The first is that she is beautiful—that is, she may be fifty years old, yet so beautiful that, upon seeing her, one would think she were in her twenties. Such a woman may not be lent to a man at all, because this entails temptation.

The second is a woman who is no longer young but is of moderate beauty. She too may not be lent to a man who is not a maḥram, because the likelihood and extent of harm in lending her out outweigh the prospect of safety.

The third is a woman who is no longer young and is unattractive. May she be lent to a man who is not a maḥram? The apparent meaning of the author’s words is that this is permissible, but this unrestricted statement requires qualification. It should be said: lending her to a young unmarried man—even if she is an ugly old woman—entails danger and falls under the general purport of the hadith: “No man should be alone with a woman.” (1) As the saying goes, “Every fallen woman has someone to pick her up.” It may be that this ugly old woman would not be desired by an elderly man; yet if a young man remains with her for a day and a night, three days, or longer, desire may stir within him and harm may result. Moreover, even assuming that no desire is involved—for instance, if he wishes to lend an old woman to a very old man—there remains another concern: they will generally be in seclusion together.

The correct view in this matter is that it is never permissible to lend a female slave to a man who is not her maḥram, even if she is an old woman and he is a very old man.