Is it forbidden or wrong to continue corresponding with one's beloved? Is pure love forbidden? Is emotional attachment to a person forbidden? What is the ruling on maintaining a long-distance relationship with one's beloved with the intention of marriage?
passionate love (infatuation) is a disease of the heart, categorized into lawful (halal) and unlawful (haram). Lawful infatuation is that which exists between spouses and does not lead to transgressing the bounds of Sharia. Unlawful infatuation, however, is a man's emotional attachment to a woman who is a stranger to him, or vice-versa.
The treatment for infatuation involves several methods: 1. Marriage: If possible and permissible according to Sharia, this is the primary and most beneficial cure. 2. Despair: If marriage is not possible, the one afflicted with infatuation should induce despair in himself regarding the beloved. 3. Rational Treatment: Realizing that the heart's attachment to something unobtainable is madness. 4. Recalling Harms: Reflecting on the harms that infatuation brings and the benefits it prevents. 5. Recalling the Beloved's Flaws: If the previous methods fail, one should recall the beloved's flaws and shortcomings. 6. Seeking Refuge in Allah: If all treatments prove ineffective, the one afflicted with love sickness must sincerely and humbly turn to Allah Almighty.
The one afflicted with infatuation must remain chaste, conceal it, and not expose the beloved.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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