Is friendship and free mixing between the opposite sexes allowed in Islam?

Question:
Is friendship and free mixing between the opposite sexes allowed in Islam?

Response:
The Qur'an mentions a few principles which should always be followed while dealing with members of the opposite sex. Summarised in points, they look like this:

1. A lady's husband, father, brother, real uncle, son, and father-in-law are her 'mehrem' relatives. She can freely interact with them and doesn't need to be particular about her dress, except to the extent that it should be within the limits which all decent people know.

2. All other men are 'non-mehrem' for her. She can interact with them only when it is necessary and that too when she is preferably in the company of a 'mehrem' relative. If that is not workable, she should avoid being alone with a 'non-mehrem' man unless it is unavoidable and that too for as short a duration as could be possible.

3. While in the company of each other, non-mehrem men and women should lower their gazes. That, to my understanding, means that they should look at each other only sparingly: the lesser, the better.

4. A lady in the company of non-mehrem men should be fully covered, with the exception of her face, hands, and feet, especially ensuring that her chest is properly covered. (There are scholars who would dispute even that much of liberty). Men should also be decently dressed in the company of women who are 'non-mehrem' to them. A 'mehrem' lady is one who is so closely related to the man that he can't get married to her, like mother, sister, daughter, aunt etc.

Whatever friendship and free mixing one can have with the members of the opposite sex should be confined to the above-mentioned limits.

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