Is Cohabitation of Unrelated Friends Permissible in Islam?
Question: My university friends and I, both male and female, live together in a rented apartment, hang out, eat, and spend our time together. Is this permissible in Islam?
Answer: This is not permissible in Islam. Young adults or mature males and females cannot live or move around together unconditionally. If they must meet at all, boys and girls must do so separately. Unconditional mixed hanging out, dining, and going out together by males and females is contrary to Islamic law (Shariah). You can do these activities while maintaining absolute distance, caution, distinctness, segregation (pardah), and so on, but certainly not in the way you described. This is an un-Islamic Western culture and is not allowed in Islam.
