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What is the ruling on a woman's participation in online forums, her responses and joking with men, her use of expressive emoticons, and private messages for inquiries or seeking help, and is it permissible for her to write "hahahaha"?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is permissible for a woman to participate in public forums if she adheres to the following guidelines: her participation should be limited to what is necessary, and her speech should not contain anything that incites temptation, such as jesting, soft speech, laughter (lol), or the use of emoticons expressing smiles, as Allah (the Most High) says: (O wives of the Prophet, you are not like any other women. If you fear Allah, then do not be soft in speech [to men], lest he in whose heart is disease should covet, but speak with appropriate speech). She should also avoid giving out her email or engaging in private correspondence with any man. It is preferable and better for a woman to participate in women-only forums, and if she needs to participate in public forums, it is better for her to choose a name that does not indicate she is female.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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