Chat-based Da‘wah governing rules
10-11-2007 | IslamWeb
Question:
Thanks to Allaah I am a religious Muslim girl working in the field of Da‘wah. Recently, I realized the great influence of chat rooms on the Internet, so I thought to use them in Da‘wah. Thanks to Allaah, I managed to convince some people to start praying, but I stopped to ask myself about the Islamic ruling regarding what I am doing because I sometimes chat with young men of all ages. In spite of my good intention, I fear that myself and others might fall into temptation. Please, advise me, for I do not want to commit a sin, and my chatting with those young men never goes beyond matters related to Da‘wah as they consider me as a sister.
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and messenger.
In principle, a woman is not blamed if she speaks with a man face to face if she had, and provided she is wearing her Hijab and speaks in a direct way that is not seductive or soft in tone. Allaah Says (what means): {then do not be soft in speech [to men], lest he in whose heart is disease should covet, but speak with appropriate speech.}[Quran 33:32]
However, frequent communication leads to intimacy and nurtures feelings of love, since this is human nature. Therefore, we fear that the Da‘wah-based interaction between young men and women in chat rooms may ultimately lead to committing prohibited acts.
Hence, we recommend that men assume the responsibility of Da‘wah among men and women do Da‘wah among women. However, if you were to continue doing this, then we advise you to choose a username that does not reveal whether you are a male or a female such as, Da‘wah, Proud to be a Muslim or the guide to goodness, or anything of the sort.