What is the ruling on private messages between girls and supervisors or members in forums, provided the mentioned Sharia guidelines are observed?
The fatwa emphasizes the necessity of avoiding fitna (temptation/strife) on the internet, especially concerning communications between genders. If a sister has a general question, the answer should be general so that everyone can benefit. However, if the question is specific to the administration, private correspondence is not permissible. Instead, a group of supervisors must review it, and the answer should be under collective oversight, without retaining the questioner's private address.
Regarding private messages between women and members, viewing them without their knowledge is forbidden spying. However, if they are aware of the administration's monitoring, then they must be monitored. It is suggested either to disable the private messaging feature altogether or to inform participants that their messages are under surveillance as a condition for acceptance, with disabling being preferred to cut off the path to fitna. As for correspondence via private email or phone, that is the individuals' responsibility and not the forum's responsibility.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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