Correspondence between men and women through magazines
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Fatwa number ( 8718 )
Q: Some local and international magazines publish the names of men and women for those who wish to correspond with them. Correspondence actually takes place, and the sender and the recipient— if she is a woman— get to know each other through letters. Sometimes the sender invites the recipient to his country to host her in his home. He is a Muslim from an Islamic country, and she is from a country of the People of the Book. The hospitality may last for many days. The question we hope your Eminence will answer is: Is this act— meaning the hosting— valid according to the Shari'ah? And is it permissible for him to look at her on the grounds that she is a woman of the Book and not a dhimmi, so she has no sanctity? Some who deal with Islamic sciences and the Qur'an have said that it is permissible for this person to enjoy her as a slave woman if she was invited to Islam but did not enter it. And if this person has intercourse with her, is he sinful, or is it a doubtful marriage due to the previous statement that she is a slave woman?
A: If the situation is as you described, then the correspondence between them in the manner mentioned, and each one inviting and hosting the other, is forbidden. And more forbidden than that is his enjoyment of her; because it is unlawful sexual intercourse and not intercourse with a slave woman, and there is no doubt about that. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: Some local and international magazines publish the names of men and women for those who wish to correspond with them. Correspondence actually takes place, and the sender and the recipient— if she is a woman— get to know each other through letters. Sometimes the sender invites the recipient to his country to host her in his home. He is a Muslim from an Islamic country, and she is from a country of the People of the Book. The hospitality may last for many days. The question we hope your Eminence will answer is: Is this act— meaning the hosting— valid according to the Shari'ah? And is it permissible for him to look at her on the grounds that she is a woman of the Book and not a dhimmi, so she has no sanctity? Some who deal with Islamic sciences and the Qur'an have said that it is permissible for this person to enjoy her as a slave woman if she was invited to Islam but did not enter it. And if this person has intercourse with her, is he sinful, or is it a doubtful marriage due to the previous statement that she is a slave woman?
A: If the situation is as you described, then the correspondence between them in the manner mentioned, and each one inviting and hosting the other, is forbidden. And more forbidden than that is his enjoyment of her; because it is unlawful sexual intercourse and not intercourse with a slave woman, and there is no doubt about that. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.