Some questions you can't ask at your masjid. The imam knows your family. The question is about your marriage, or something you did, or something said in anger that you can't stop thinking about. Or there simply isn't a scholar near you who speaks your language and has time.
So you search for someone to ask online. The questions that reach us start like this:
"I need Islamic guidance regarding my marriage."
"I would like to ask about the rulings of salah while travelling ya shaykh."
"My enquiry is how to proceed for khula when my husband is not agreeing."
The short answer: yes, you can talk to an imam or sheikh online. On Khidma there are two ways. You can ask a question for free and receive a private audio answer from a named, verified scholar. Or you can book a private one-on-one session when your situation needs the full picture rather than a single answer. Wherever you ask, check who is answering: a named, qualified person, not an anonymous chatbot presented as an imam. And ask with the right adab (etiquette), which this page also explains.
Imam, sheikh, scholar or mufti: who are you actually asking?
People search for all four, and they aren't the same thing.
| Title | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Imam | The person who leads prayer, and often the religious leader of a local community. Training varies widely. |
| Sheikh / shaykh | A title of respect for a learned person, and sometimes simply an elder. |
| Scholar ('alim) | Someone formally trained in the Islamic sciences. |
| Mufti | A scholar qualified to issue fatwas (formal rulings). |
For a question about a ruling, what matters is not the title but the person's training, and whether they will answer the situation you actually described.
How to talk to a sheikh online on Khidma
| Ask a question | Book a session | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | A private audio answer to your question from a named, verified scholar | A private, one-on-one audio call with the scholar or counselor you choose |
| Cost | Free | Paid |
| Best for | One clear question: a ruling, your rights, what applies to you | A situation with many parts, or one that needs a conversation |
Ask a question for free
Go to Ask a scholar, write your question, and send it. A named, verified scholar records an answer for you, in his own voice, addressing your situation. General questions, like looking up a verse or a basic ruling, can be answered by Khidma's AI assistant with sources; anything personal, or anything that needs a ruling for your situation, goes to a human scholar.
Book a private session
When one answer isn't enough, book a session:
- Choose a scholar or counselor from Khidma's experts.
- Choose how long you want the session to be.
- Pick a time, shown in your own timezone.
- Describe your situation in your own words, so your expert reads it before the call.
- Join from the app or your browser, through a waiting room.
Sessions are one-on-one and audio-only, in Khidma's own calling system. What happens in an Islamic counselling session walks through it step by step.
What can you ask a scholar online?
Almost anything you would ask a scholar in person:
- Marriage: your rights and your spouse's, intimacy, money, in-laws, a second wife
- Divorce: whether a talaq counted, how khula works, what happens to the children
- Worship: salah, fasting, purity, travel, making up what you missed
- Doubts and guilt: repentance, waswasa, questions you are afraid to say out loud
- Family: parents, marriage choices, conflict at home
What a single online answer can't do:
- Emergencies. If you or someone else is in danger, contact local emergency services first.
- A repeating pattern. The same argument every week, or years of withdrawal, needs work over time, not one ruling. That's what sessions with a Muslim counselor are for.
- Mediation between spouses. That is a different role; see can an imam help with marriage problems.
- Legal advice. For courts, custody or immigration, you also need a lawyer.
The adab of asking a scholar a question
Asking is how knowledge reaches people. The Prophet ﷺ said that the cure for not knowing is to ask. But in the Islamic tradition, how you ask matters as much as what you ask, and classical scholars set out clear etiquettes (adab) for putting a question to someone of knowledge. They apply online just as they do in person.
1. Ask with a sincere intention
Ask in order to understand the truth and act on it. Not to test the scholar, catch them out or win an argument, and not to hunt for the easiest answer. The tradition warns specifically against chasing dispensations (tatabbu' al-rukhas): online, that looks like sending the same question to scholar after scholar until one says what you hoped to hear. The Prophet ﷺ also warned against excessive argument and needless interrogation.
2. Choose who you ask
Ask someone known for sound knowledge, upright character and piety. Muhammad ibn Sirin, one of the great early scholars, said:
إِنَّ هَذَا الْعِلْمَ دِينٌ فَانْظُرُوا عَمَّنْ تَأْخُذُونَ دِينَكُمْ
"This knowledge is religion, so look carefully at whom you take your religion from."
Recorded by Imam Muslim in the introduction to his Sahih
That is the principle behind the checklist further down this page.
3. Mind the time and the person
Scholars of the past advised against approaching a teacher who is busy, tired, distressed or rushed, and against interrupting while they are speaking to someone else. Online, the same courtesy means: send your question once, don't chase it with repeated messages, and give the scholar the time to answer properly.
4. Be gentle and humble
Ask courteously, without demanding language. The Quran shows how a prophet asked for knowledge. When Musa (Moses) met al-Khidr, he said:
قَالَ لَهُ مُوسَىٰ هَلْ أَتَّبِعُكَ عَلَىٰ أَن تُعَلِّمَنِ مِمَّا عُلِّمْتَ رُشْدًا
"Musa said to him: May I follow you, on the condition that you teach me some of the sound judgment you have been taught?"
Surah al-Kahf 18:66
A prophet of Allah, asking permission to learn. Early scholars observed that gentleness with a teacher brings great benefit, while arguing harshly closes the door on understanding. It is also part of the adab to make du'a for the scholar who helps you.
5. Ask about what is real and useful
Ask about matters you are actually facing, or knowledge that will benefit you, rather than far-fetched hypotheticals, trivia or trick questions. And state it clearly and briefly, so the scholar can see both the situation and what you need to know.
6. Listen fully, and ask again if it is unclear
Listen to the whole answer before reacting, without rushing to object. If something is genuinely unclear, ask respectfully for clarification. That is better than pretending you understood and acting on a guess.
How to write your question so the answer fits
Good adab includes asking clearly. A scholar answers the situation you describe, so the more precisely you describe it, the more the answer will actually fit you.
- Say what happened, not just the topic. "My husband said talaq" is a topic. What he said, when, how many times, and in what state is a situation.
- Give the exact words where words matter, in talaq, oaths, or conditions in a nikah.
- Say where you live. Some answers depend on the country and its courts.
- Mention your school of thought, if you know it.
- Say what you've already been told, and by whom.
- Ask one main question. If you have three, say which matters most.
- Be honest about the parts that make you look bad. An answer built on half the facts is an answer to someone else's situation.
Is an AI "imam" the same as asking a scholar?
No. Many sites now offer a "virtual imam" chatbot. AI can be useful for looking up a verse or a general ruling, which is why Khidma uses an assistant for exactly that. But a chatbot cannot weigh your circumstances, take responsibility for a ruling, or tell you what applies to you. It tends to give you back your own version of events, phrased confidently. Can AI give marriage advice and from Google and AI to mimbar explain why personal questions belong with a person.
How to check an online imam is qualified
Ibn Sirin's principle, look at whom you take your religion from, is the test. In practice, before you trust an answer from anyone online, look for:
- A real name. Not "the imam" or "our team".
- Training you can check: where they studied, and with whom.
- A track record: answers or teaching you can see.
- Willingness to say "it depends". A scholar who answers a complex personal question in one line, without asking anything, is guessing.
- Someone accountable behind the service, not an anonymous app.
On Khidma you can read each scholar's profile before you ask or book. For example, Sheikh Abdullah Taha Madni.
When an online answer isn't enough
Some signs you need more than one question:
- You have had your answer, and nothing has changed.
- The problem is a pattern, not a question.
- You need both a ruling and support with what it means for you.
- You need your spouse involved.
- It is affecting your sleep, your work or your prayer.
Then a session, a scholar for your position and a counselor for the rest, will do what a single answer can't. If cost is the issue, free Islamic counselling online sets out honestly what free options exist and what they can do.
Frequently asked questions
Can I talk to an imam online for free?
Yes. On Khidma you can ask a verified scholar a question for free and receive a private audio answer. Private sessions, where you talk the whole situation through, are paid.
What is the etiquette of asking a scholar a question in Islam?
Ask with a sincere intention to learn and act, not to test or argue; choose a scholar known for knowledge and character; don't interrupt or chase them; ask gently and humbly; ask about real, useful matters, stated clearly; and listen fully before asking for clarification.
Can I ask a sheikh about marriage problems online?
Yes. Marriage questions are the most common ones we receive: rights, intimacy, money, in-laws, talaq and khula. If your situation is a pattern rather than a question, a session with a counselor may help more.
Can women ask a scholar online?
Yes. Many of the questions we receive come from women, often precisely because asking in person is difficult.
Do I have to tell my family I asked?
No. You can ask on your own, without involving anyone else.
Can I speak to a sheikh live?
Yes, through a private session: a one-on-one audio call with the scholar you choose, booked at a time shown in your own timezone.
Is it wrong to ask the same question to several scholars?
Seeking a second opinion on a serious matter is reasonable. Going from scholar to scholar until one gives the easiest answer is what the scholars warned against as chasing dispensations. Ask sincerely, and act on the answer of the scholar you trust.
Is an online answer as good as asking in person?
It is as good as the information you give. A clear, honest description gets an answer that fits your situation. If the facts change, ask again.
For the wider picture of marriage in Islam, start with the complete Islamic marriage advice guide.
A note on this article
This article is general educational content and reading material only. It is not a ruling (fatwa), and should not be acted on as one. For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar.
You can ask a verified scholar your question for free, and receive a private audio answer from a named scholar.
If your situation needs more than one answer, book a private, one-on-one session with a scholar or Muslim counselor through Khidma's Islamic counseling. Sessions are audio-only, and you can describe your situation before the call so your expert reads it first.
Not sure whether you need a scholar or a counselor? Take the free assessment and we will point you to the right person.