When you meet, don't be alone.

Umar related that Rasulullah said: "Whenever a man is alone with a woman the Shaytan makes a third." (Tirmidhi).

Also, Ibn Abbas related that Rasulullah said: "Not one of you should meet a woman alone unless she is accompanied by a relative within the prohibited degrees." (Bukhari, Muslim).

Meeting alone - for example, in the hotel room of one or the other potential spouse - is forbidden. The two cannot be in a situation where no one else can see or hear them. Instead, a discreet, chaperoned meeting should be set up. The chaperone, while allowing the two to talk, is in the same room, for example. As well, parents or guardians should set a time limit, recommends social worker Shahina Siddiqui. A whole day, for example, is too long for this kind of a meeting.