Chatting on a Muslim matrimonial website
Chatting on a Muslim matrimonial website
Question: I have been trying to get married so I made an account on Muzmatch (Muslim Matrimonial app). The conversations there can be chaperoned if one of the participants chooses by adding the chaperone’s email into the app. They can read all of the messages sent back and forth on the app. I matched with a few people but I decided not to message them, because I could not find a chaperone for myself and I saw that they hadn’t added a chaperone from their end either. What is the ruling on this? I would like to avoid seclusion. However, I can’ find anyone on my end and I thought to send an initial message to the women to ask if they could add a chaperone. Is this allowed? To avoid seclusion, would that not be required of a woman anyway?
Answer:
Assalamu alaykum,
Thank you for your question. May Allah reward you for striving to do the correct thing and to avoid khalwa (seclusion).
Contacting the opposite gender on the internet
These links will show you the rulings of contacting people through e-mail or chatting on the internet:
https://seekersguidance.org/tag/women-working/
https://seekersguidance.org/answers/general-counsel/guidelines-for-interacting-with-the-opposite-sex/
Permissibility of talking for marriage
It is permissible to speak to another for the intention of marriage through messaging or email without a chaperone. It would be superior to have a chaperone added to the conversation but it is not obligatory. One should always use tact and straightforwardness when discussing marriage with a potential party. If things seem like they are going in the right direction, one should involve one’s parents, and keep them updated along the way. This is the best etiquette and safest approach to getting to know someone.
Please see these links as well on approaching marriage:
https://seekersguidance.org/answers/is-one-allowed-to-chat-with-a-potential-spouse-for-the-purpose-of-getting-to-know-each-other/
https://seekersguidance.org/answers/general-counsel/how-to-approach-getting-married/
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafseer, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.
