Is it permissible for a female intern in a pharmacy to speak with male patients with a smile and ask about their well-being, as she does with women, in the absence of the pharmacist?

It is permissible for a woman to speak with non-mahram (definition) men to the extent of necessity, without transgressing the limits of Islamic law or softening her speech. As for smiling at a non-mahram man, it is not permissible because it is a means to temptation (fitnah). Some scholars have even prohibited a man from greeting a young non-mahram woman with peace (salam) or her returning his greeting, out of caution against temptation. The Permanent Committee for Issuing Fatwas has issued a fatwa (definition) prohibiting a woman from smiling at a non-mahram man.