Working lady's entanglement with alien man
Fatwa No: 84977

Question

I wish to ask a question that will benefit a lot of Muslim ladies in present generation. I am a Muslim lady of 26 yrs. I am working like a lot of other women and dressing properly according to Sharia. There was a Muslim man who worked with me before and was interested in me. He wanted to marry me but he is not stable financially so therefore cannot take this step. He still contacts me via e-mail and chat. What am I suppose to do in this condition? If I don't communicate he will be depressed badly. Should I stop all communication and pray only to Allah to make things better or is it ok to communicate via e-mail in proper words only? Also some times I am afraid that if I leave him I will lose him forever.My second question is: Is it proper to perform Salat-al-Istikhara for this man at this stage?My third question is: What are some specific Ayahs from Qur'an that I can use for praying for marriage and a good life after that.Please let me know answer to my questions as there are many working ladies out there entangled in same situation as I.

Answer

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the World; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.

From Islamic point of view, it is Haram for a man to have relationship with a woman as posed in the question. Such an intimate relationship is only Halal within the boundaries of Sharia sound marriage, since this may lead to what is Haram.
Therefore, if some one loves a woman, the correct way to proceed is to ask for her hand from her guardian. If such a step ends with marriage, that will be good; otherwise, they have to end such a relationship.
Allah may make it easy for each of them to have a better opportunity for marriage.
In addition, there is no harm to perform al-Istikhara prayer concerning marriage of this man, since the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) used to teach his companions al-Istikhara as to teach a Qur'anic verse. This prayer, Insha Allah, is one of the best forms of prayer that may help one gain good Here and in the Hereafter.
Also, there is no objection to pray to Allah with (interpretation of meaning): {… "Our Lord! Bestow on us from our wives and our offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes, …} [25: 74].
We ask Allah, The Exalted, to make it easy for our inquiring sister to have a good husband and righteous offspring that may console her eyes Here and Hereafter.
Allah knows best.

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