Fatwa No. 36 — p. 65

Question:

I am a young woman and I wish to participate in a matrimonial website. Is this permissible or forbidden?

Answer:

Al-ḥamdu lillāhi rabb al-ʿālamīn. To proceed:

The ruling on this matter depends on the degree of trust that may be placed in these websites, and on whether those who administer them are people who safeguard honour (aʿrāḍ), protect private information, are entrusted with matters of privacy and confidentiality, fear Allah regarding the honour of free Muslim women, and expend in preserving the dignity of their users what they would expend in preserving the dignity of their own wives and daughters.

If they are of this character — and if they are also among those who know the limits of Allah in the matter of engagement, and who understand that engagement does not render permissible what is otherwise forbidden in the relationship between the two parties: that it does not permit seclusion (khalwah), physical contact, romantic speech (mughāzalah), or unrestrained and casual conversation — then there is no objection. (1)

The Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America (AMJA) examined this matter at its Sixth Annual Conference held in Canada and arrived at the following resolution:

“Bringing together young men and women of both sexes for a legitimate purpose — such as mutual acquaintance in preparation for engagement — is not prohibited, provided it is supervised by trustworthy bodies that facilitate matching between the two parties, especially when it takes place in the presence of the guardian (walī) or whoever stands in his place — given the availability of Sharīʿah safeguards and because the legitimate benefit it produces outweighs its imagined harms.” (2)

This, however, applies outside the lands of Islam — where other opportunities for acquaintance are few or entirely absent. I hope this context is taken into consideration.

And Allah Most High knows best.