Is It Haram To Be Friends With The Opposite Gender?
Sorry about the confusion. Neither has Dr. Saleem’s viewpoint changed in this regard nor what I said in the post you referenced is in contradiction with Dr. Saleem’s viewpoint. Dr. Saleem qualified his opinion by using the term “conventional friendship”. What he means by that is type of relationship we make with our male friends where we’re very relaxed, crack jokes, travel together, do other activities together, tell each other our secrets, and are usually not mindful of our language and demeanor. This kind of friendship is obviously not allowed with a female person. A purposeful friendship at school or work where we casually know each other and sometimes exchange lecture notes or help each other in homework assignments, etc. is not a problem. Even in this kind of friendship we should always be mindful of the bounds set by God (norms of gender interaction) as referenced below. Any meetings with female friends should also be in the public eye. Discussion 30301