Ruling on Establishing Friendships with Women and Men

The questioner: He has a second question in which he says: I am a committed young man; I fulfill what Allah has commanded me to do and I avoid forbidden things to the best of my ability. However, I have many friendships and general relationships with people, both men and women. I actually feel uncomfortable in my relationships with women, but I have many friendships with them. After I traveled from my country, I continued to maintain my relationships with my friends, both men and women, through correspondence. I fear that if I cut off my correspondence with some of them, they will think that I have become arrogant toward them or that I have changed. Is there any sin on me for this? Please advise us, may Allah reward you, and how can I get rid of this?
The answer: As for friendship with men and companionship with good men, this is known to be permissible. It is fine to choose as friends those who are people of knowledge, people of worship, people of scrupulousness, and people of mindfulness of Allah, provided they are not open sinners who commit sins openly, but rather those known for goodness and modesty. There is no harm in this. As for friendship with those who openly commit sins and are lax in the matters of Allah, one should not take them as friends. Rather, one should distance oneself from them and beware of their evil, so that they do not drag you into their sins.
As for women, their danger is great. If the friendship is based on religion and mindfulness of Allah, without seclusion, without uncovering, and without looking at their charms, but rather with the hijab and without seclusion because they are relatives or neighbors, and one is kind to them because of their poverty or their need for some provision in a clear manner with no doubt or suspicion in it, whether due to kinship, neighborliness, or because they are friends of one’s parents or the like, then there is no harm in this. One may maintain ties with them and be kind to them, even through correspondence.
However, if the friendship with women is of a suspicious nature, or involves seclusion with one of them, or flirting with the hope of connecting with her, or the like, this is blameworthy and forbidden. It is not permissible to engage in this kind of friendship that may lead one to major sins, as it may drag one into what Allah has forbidden.
The conclusion is that if the friendship is of a clear nature and a legitimate religious basis with no doubt or suspicion, due to kinship with him or his parents, or neighborliness, or poverty and need, and he maintains ties with her and corresponds with her to help her due to her poverty and need, or due to her kinship, without there being any seclusion between him and the woman, or any uncovering from her that allows him to see her charms or her face or the like, then this friendship is permissible from the perspective of religion, for him to maintain ties with her or be kind to her or the like.
As for a friendship that drags one into major sins, or into seclusion with a woman, or flirting with her regarding what concerns the relationship between a man and his wife, all of this is forbidden, all of it is blameworthy, and it is not permissible.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.