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Ruling on a woman participating in chat rooms and talking to men

Publication : 28-11-2019

Views : 21551

Question

What is the ruling on a woman taking part in chat rooms, responding to men and discussing topics with them? Is joking with man in chat rooms regarded as haraam? What is the ruling on using expressive emojis like smileys? Is using private messaging between a woman and a man to find out about something or ask for help permissible? Is it permissible for a woman to write “hahahahahaha”? May Allah reward you with good, please answer my questions in detail, so that I can put my mind at rest.

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

Firstly:

It is permissible for a woman to take part in public chat rooms, if she adheres to the following guidelines:

  1. She should only participate as much as is necessary, so she should pose a question or state the topic, then leave, and not comment unless there is a need for that, because the basic principle is that she should avoid speaking to men or mixing with them.
  2. There should be nothing in her words that could provoke fitnah (temptation), such as joking, speaking softly, or laughing, such as writing “hahahahahaha”, as mentioned in the question, or using smiley emojis, because that could lead to coveting on the part of those in whose hearts is disease, as Allah, may He be glorified, says (interpretation of the meaning): “O wives of the Prophet, you are not like anyone among women. If you fear Allah, then do not be soft in speech [to men], lest he in whose heart is disease should covet, but speak with appropriate speech” [al-Ahzaab 33:32].
  3. She should avoid giving out her email address or corresponding via private messages with any man, even if that is for the purpose of seeking help, because of what such correspondence often leads to of attachment and temptation. See the answers to question no. 34841 .
  4. It is preferable and better for a woman to participate only in all-female chat rooms. This is safer for her. There are many such chat rooms, and that is better and sufficient. But if she needs to participate in public chat rooms, then it is better for her to choose a screen name that does not indicate that she is female.

And Allah knows best.

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Source: Islam Q&A