Nowadays joint work of men and women is common in office and online jobs: through joint projects, video calls and chat there is constant contact with non-mahram co-workers. What are the Shar'i limits of this mixing? What matters are the male and female employees bound by?

Employment is permissible in itself, but Shar'i limits are established around it, the important among them are these: (a) Prohibition of seclusion (khalwah): The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "No man should be alone with a (non-mahram) woman, except that her mahram is with her" (Sahih al-Bukhari: 5233; Sahih Muslim: 1341), and he said: "No man is alone with a woman except that Satan is the third of them" (Jami' at-Tirmidhi: 2165, sahih). (b) Guarding the gaze: ﴿قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ﴾ (Tell the believing men to lower their gaze) (Surah an-Nur: 30) and believing women are also commanded to lower their gaze and conceal their adornment (Surah an-Nur: 31). (c) Etiquette of conversation: Allah Almighty said: ﴿فَلَا تَخْضَعْنَ بِالْقَوْلِ فَيَطْمَعَ الَّذِي فِي قَلْبِهِ مَرَضٌ﴾ (Surah al-Ahzab: 32) i.e. do not adopt softness and pliancy in speech lest the one with a diseased heart should fall into greed. (d) The gravity of fitnah: The Prophet ﷺ said: "I have not left after me a fitnah more harmful for men than women" (Sahih al-Bukhari: 5096; Sahih Muslim: 2740). On this basis, the fatwa of the Permanent Committee is that a woman going for education and employment in a mixed environment — where there is informal mixing of men and women — is not permissible (Fatawa al-Lajnah ad-Da'imah: 12/156), and Shaykh Ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, counted the spreading of the gaze and mixing at the workplace among the major causes of corruption.

Being alone with a non-mahram colleague in a closed room is the original prohibited case mentioned above. Meetings should be in an open place or in a transparent/collective environment; this responsibility is equal upon both man and woman.

A one-on-one video call certainly does not come under the definition of physical seclusion, but in it is found that cause of private conversation and prolonged mutual looking because of which seclusion was prohibited; therefore it should be avoided without need. If there is a professional need, these are the conditions: conversation is limited only to work and the tone is serious; the duration is short to the extent of need; the woman is in Shar'i hijab and the man guards his gaze; and where possible the meeting is in group form or on a recorded official channel.

Private chat is also not called Shar'i seclusion, however personal and prolonged conversation without need is prohibited because it becomes a means to fitnah; the fatwas of the scholars are to this effect. Written work communication should be through official means (official email, group chat), with brevity and only to the extent of need. Establishing contact on personal numbers and social media under the pretext of work, joking and unnecessary conversation are included in this same prohibition.

Joint work on a collective platform, within a transparent system and professional limits, is permissible provided the aforementioned etiquettes are maintained. But if in some job observance of these limits is not possible at all — for example informal mixing is inevitable or seclusion repeatedly occurs — then such a job should be left and a halal source of livelihood sought; Allah Almighty's promise is: ﴿وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجًا وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ﴾ (And whoever fears Allah, He will make a way out for him and provide for him from where he does not expect) (Surah at-Talaq: 2–3).

The objectives of protection of religion and protection of honour require blocking the means: the Shariah has closed the paths leading to the objective (zina and corruption) before the objective itself. Technology in itself is a blessing; its blessing remains only with the protection of these limits.

Translated from the original Urdu fatwa.