Is it permissible for two people, a man and a woman who are thinking to marry, to get to know each other through e-mail before committing to one another?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

As long as a man is marriageable to a woman, it is not permissible for them to correspond by any means because it leads to committing what is forbidden. If there is a need for such a correspondence, it has to be with the knowledge of the guardian of this woman while adhering to the religious requirements like choosing the appropriate words and so forth.

Allaah knows best.