IdealMuslimah.Com

There are many interactive forums on the Internet, including chat sites and online communities. We need to address the critical question of how Muslim men and women should conduct themselves when they come into contact with one another while participating in these forums.

The following guidelines should be observed by Muslim men and women when interacting with one another on the Internet:

1. Never display photographs under any circumstances.

To start with, photographs are simply not necessary. The written word is more than sufficient. We must also appreciate how photographs can become a great opportunity for Satan to tempt people and make their foul deeds seem fair to them.

We live in societies in which most men and women have lost their sense of modesty, women are obsessed with their appearances and wear clothes to be seen by others and to attract the attention of other men even if they are married! They have lost their sense of shame. Marriage is often looked upon as old-fashioned and short term affairs and frivolous relationships are the norm, everyone waiting to attract a better partner and feeling totally justified to dump one partner for another at the drop of a hat. Feminism too has reached its peak and men and women are told to suppress their natural emotions. Men are not even embarrassed when their wives are dressed up and attract the attention of other men, they don't mind if another man sees, chats, laughs and even dances with their womenfolk and if they do mind, they are told not to be so possessive!

Lying on the bed Maryam replayed the scenes that had just gone by, watching her life like a film, and constantly shifting between rewind and play. There was no stop button and such with life, one cannot pause it. She ran her hands through the chestnut brown hair gently framing her troubled face, pondering over the plot of her life. One moment wondering about yesterday, the next worrying over tomorrow, and constantly reminiscing over what could have been – what should have been.

In Islamic discourse a great deal of emphasis is placed on the issue of hijaab for women with much debate about the extent and nature of that covering. This is obviously an important issue for Muslim women, but an equally significant is that of modesty.

The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) passed by an Ansari man who was counselling his brother on modesty (He was advising him not to be too much shy and modest). The Prophet said: "Leave him (and do not advise him like this); for modesty is part of faith." (Bukhari and Muslim).

The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) also said, "Modesty results in good alone and nothing else." (Bukhari and Muslim).

A girl emailed an Islamic website the following story of regret, embarrassment and pain:

Assalam Aleikom wa Rahmatullah wa barakatuh, I hope you can be of use to me in this problem: I'm a 17 year old Arab girl living in an Arab country and still in high school.

Unfortunately, I learnt about the internet, I misused it and spent my days chatting with guys and watching prohibited websites

(I did such things behind my parents back and no one knew about them) even though I used to be religious and hated girls who chatted with guys.

The eyes are like an ocean, every moment carrying various tides of feelings and sentiments; such discreet and inaudible expressions that it is impossible for the limbs to translate each flicker into words and actions. In fact, the eyes are a treasure chest for the secrets hidden within the being of a woman. It is these very eyes that have been a means of attraction, allurement and temptation for centuries.  But few indeed are those who have possessed eyes holding the beauty of modesty as do the eyes of the Muslim Woman.

They ask: why do you segregate

The veil you obligate

Separate seating you allocate

Suppressed, denied, imprisoned and over you they dominate

Your rights they want to abate

In society we will make you achieve and accelerate

Segregation is oppressive and thus we must abrogate