Is dating haram? The ways Muslim families meet

Family introductions

A rishta, a proposal or match, often starts with parents, relatives or friends suggesting someone. Families are involved from the start, though your choices depend on who your family knows. Some people find it feels like pressure.

Mosque marriage services

Some mosques and Islamic centres run marriage bureaus, keep a register or hold introductions with an imam present. They're local and have a religious setting. Availability varies a lot between areas.

Marriage events

These are ticketed evenings for single Muslims, often with timed rounds where you meet many people in one go. They happen on set dates, with contact afterwards usually by chat. Read what happens at a Muslim marriage event.

Apps

Muslim marriage apps show profiles from a wide area and lead to messaging. That gives you a big choice. It can also mean long chats with people who live far away, using photos they uploaded themselves.

Public first meetings at a cafe

This is what shofa.social does. You meet someone who was in the same cafe as you, after you've both waved, at a table in public. A wali or another chaperone can come along or be sent a read-only link. There's no chat in the app.

See how shofa.social works

Questions