Aimed at marriage
FOR modern career- focused Muslims, meeting a prospective candidate for marriage is becoming more and more of a challenge.
“With our help, these hopeful candidates have the option of finding love in a secure, practical and dignified manner,” says Zuhri Yuhyi, the CEO of Halal Speed Dating. It is a matchmaking service with the sole aim of assisting single people to meet potential spouses in a Syariah- based environment.
According to Islamic laws, says Zuhri, many components of conventional dating leans towards – if not outright – impermissible. Hence, there is no amorous dating in Islam, only dignified courtship.
“Seclusion ( khalwa) with the opposite gender has been prohibited. The wisdom of the ruling is to prevent individuals from potentially engaging in unlawful or amorous actions; in other words, to avoid even the possibility of sin or hanky- panky,” he says.
When a person has the intention to marry, it is recommended that he consults people who can vouch for the character and reputation of the potential suitor. Then only comes the real courtship period for both hopefuls to get to know each other.
As any interaction between an unmarried man and woman must not be in seclusion, even in ta’aruf ( get- to- know session), there must be chaperones. The best chaperones are guardians and family members.
“As fellow Muslims, our duty is not to judge others but to empow- er them by making Islamic values easy to live by. This is why we need to provide a platform for dignified courtship.”
In May, Halal Speed Dating held its biggest Islamic matchmaking event thus far, providing their service to 144 hopeful hearts. The attendees were selected from thousands of candidates on the programme’s waiting list.
After registering on halalspeeddating.com, each applicant was screened and grouped based on their preferences.
“The company’s strict privacy policies and attention to individual needs not only provides a secure platform for meeting other candidates but also increases the probability of facilitating successful matches,” says Zuhri.
“At each event, a participant would be able to speak to up to 12 potential suitors within a couple of hours.”
Unlike the multitude of speed dating events hosted across the world, women who attend Halal Speed Dating are each accompanied by a chaperone, harking back to the involvement of families in matrimony seen in the early days of Islam. This is a rule set by the organiser to prevent any dubious interaction and to remind attendees of the focused nature of courtship.