Is it permissible for me to enable the private chat feature in my Islamic room, knowing that unmonitored conversations between genders occur in it, and that enabling it attracts visitors while preventing it reduces them?
We have previously clarified the Shariah guidelines for the permissibility of communication between men and women via the internet, one of which is that the communication should be in public forums and not private, because it is a gateway to temptation (fitna). If enabling the private messaging feature is likely to lead to a Shariah-prohibited act, then it should not be enabled, because warding off harms takes precedence over acquiring benefits. The type of individuals frequenting religious institutes will not be affected by the cancellation of such a feature.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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