What is the ruling on feelings of love towards a girl one intends to marry after finishing studies, knowing that communication between you is limited to spontaneous academic matters, and what is the ruling on looking at her pictures if it is merely an emotion that does not arouse lust?

The desire for marriage does not permit establishing an emotional relationship with a girl before the marriage contract, because it is a prelude to the unlawful and arises in the context of forbidden intermingling. Therefore, casual conversations with the girl are not permissible, nor is looking at her pictures, because the Sharia does not differentiate between looking with lust or without lust. The suitor's gaze is not permissible except under certain conditions, including: the intention to marry, the strong probability of acceptance by the guardians, safety from temptation (fitna), absence of pleasure and seclusion, limiting the gaze to the face and hands, and not repeating it except as needed. Therefore, the relationship with her must be decisively resolved, either by direct marriage or by complete قطع (severance), and beware of the traps of Satan: pre-marital love in the name of marriage, casual conversation in the name of studying, and looking without lust in the name of emotion.