Khalwa meaning, and what mahram means
Khalwa means a man and a woman who could marry each other being alone together, out of other people's sight. A mahram is a close relative someone can never marry, such as a parent, sibling or child. Many Muslims avoid khalwa before marriage by meeting in public or with a mahram present.
Khalwa
Khalwa comes from the Arabic for seclusion. It describes a man and a woman who aren't married or closely related being alone somewhere others can't see or come in, such as a closed room or a parked car. A hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari 5233 says a man should not be alone with a woman except in the presence of a mahram.
Scholars discuss where the line falls, for example in a busy public place or at work. shofa.social doesn't give rulings. If you're unsure about a situation, ask a local imam.
Mahram
A mahram is someone you can never marry because of a close blood relationship, marriage or breastfeeding. For a woman, that includes her father, sons, brothers, uncles and nephews, among others. The Qur'an lists these relationships in Surah an-Nisa 4:23. Someone you could marry is called non-mahram.
How a cafe table avoids being alone together
Every shofa.social meeting is at a partner cafe's named shofa table. It's in public, in a room with other customers. Either person can bring a chaperone, such as a wali, a family member or a friend. The other person will be told in advance. Matches can only send set messages about getting there.
Read what is a wali, the page for families or how shofa.social keeps meetings in public.