Marriage

Why “HalfOurDeen.com” by Baba Ali

Published

January 19, 2011

Guests

Written by Baba Ali

Just a decade ago “finding someone online” would have raised eyebrows in many Muslim circles, yet with the growing role the internet plays within our social lives, it almost seems natural that finding an appropriate match online was just another development in our ‘e-lives’.

Nine years ago, before I was Baba Ali, I wanted to get married. I couldn’t find anyone in my local area, and I couldn’t go through my family (since I’m a convert) so I decided to go online, and I really disliked what was out there. The Muslim matrimonial sites basically took the “dating structure” and put the word “Muslim” in the title as if that would magically make it Islamic. This is why they ask you “dating-type questions” during registration: “what’s your eye color”, “what’s your hair color”, etc. These are the type of questions one asks if they want to be in a temporary relationship because they’re only surface level questions, but if someone wants to actually marry that person, they would need to ask deeper questions.

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So what I did at the time was put up my profile asking for a specific type of sister. A total of 17 sisters responded, and because these Muslim sites asked only the dating-type of questions, I typed up a long series of questions which I emailed each sister to answer. I made sure the questions didn’t have ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers so I would get honest answers. At the end, one sister’s answers matched my ideal replies, and I married her nine years ago and have been extremely happy ever since. Alhamdulillah. When my friend learned my strategy, he asked for the questions and alhamdulillah, it led to him getting married too. Pretty soon, news started to travel and my question strategy became popular. Eventually, I decided to help others get married, so I decided to start a matchmaking site: Half Our Deen.

We recently launched the site in the summer of 2010 with a current active membership pool of over 1,000 members. The site was created from scratch, disregarding the traditional formula used by established matrimonial sites – Muslim or not. A high value was given to honesty so the runaround interested members usually get when registering to matchmaking sites was purposely removed from the process. Prices and site features are stated clearly off of a link on the main page ($9 for month-to-month subscriptions and $5 per month for annual subscriptions). I myself was tricked into this runaround many years ago when I registered for a matrimonial site that advertised ‘free registration’ only to realize 20 minutes later that the only thing really ‘free’ was me providing them with my private information. The lesson I learned is when you sacrifice something for the sake of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), then He will replace it with something better.

Privacy has been given top priority as this is usually a reason singles shy away from matchmaking sites in the first place. So we have no nosey community members or bored internet browsers accessing our site or the members profile pictures without being a legitimate, paying member. This allows members to rest assure that the only individuals who have access are those who should. A recent poll taken by Half Our Deen members found that a majority of subscribers are exclusively on Half Our Deen and that the #1 reason they chose the site over others is due to the site’s privacy standards.

How does the site work?

A profile picture, age, height, grew up in, located in, a profile description of themselves and what they’re looking for in a lifelong partner are clearly indicated on each member’s page. Their personally-tailored questions can be viewed and answered then the option of ‘I’d rather fast’ or ‘I’m interested’ can be used to further communicate or nix them off the list of potentials. This eliminates those awkward first meetings traditionally used to gauge potential for a relationship.

In order to delve deeper for substance, subscribers are asked more than just the surface-level questions of; ‘height’, ‘weight’, ‘ethnicity’ or ‘eye color’. Since the goal is to find members their life-long partners, questions involve aspects such as family expectations, personality type and personal approach to Islamic issues, revealing the person behind the profile. This priceless data is fed into an algorithm which calculates the optimal percentage matches. This feature is popular and helpful with members allowing a user to see that they may have matched 88% with someone in the religion department but only 23% in the personality department – very useful information to know from the start.

Members are provided with a database of 100 questions (some of which I used in my initial search) to pick and choose from, possibly providing members with aspects they should consider asking that never crossed their minds. Questions like, “Would you relocate to London?” and “Are you an animal lover?” can be answered up-front making the get-to-know-you process easier and clearer. One of our female members who is currently active on the site explains, “It is really cool because once the person answers those questions, you can really get a feel for whether you want to start communication with them or not. For example, you may ask what is it that you expect from your wife financially, they might say lots of money, and that will immediately put you off. Or you might say what is your definition of wealth, and they answer lots of savings, but in your head your thinking love for family, husband, love for life, happiness, inner peace.”

I have also incorporated original, entertaining videos sharing honest and humorous insights on what to expect after the wedding bells fall silent. I want to help give newly-married couples an idea on what they can expect in terms of living together, communicating and getting along – things many mothers and fathers may have forgotten (or avoided) to address before the nikkah.

What can we expect?

With over 1,000+ members strong and growing by the day, Half Our Deen has proven to be a worthy competitor for many of the leading Muslim matrimonial sites out there. Even though a rapidly growing membership count is great on some accounts, we would like to maintain a high level of communication and customer service with each member. In order to make Half Our Deen a better experience, beginning at the end of January 2011 members will be able to dictate the criterion by which suggestions are sent their way. If age is a deal breaker but ethnicity or location isn’t, members are able to indicate this in order to get back more accurate suggestions and potentials matches. Members will be able to have up to three match filters saved! Sounds like a job application search filter doesn’t it? We are also introducing a new messaging system which will have email correspondence and history displayed as conversations as well as every reply time-stamped.

Wedding Bells?

Half Our Deen has seen a steady flow of successful matches made. Just yesterday, one of our customer service agents reported that another match was made on Half Our Deen. This completely made my day and put a huge smile on my face. The little part that Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) has given me the privilege to play in people’s lives means a lot to me and is a very big deal, alhamdulillah.

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56 Comments

TruthMuslim

January 19, 2011 at 12:30 AM

Thank you for the post brother Ali. Very informative indeed. InshAllah, may every Muslim be paired with their ideal spouse and be showered with happiness and blessings from Allah Subhanah wa Ta’alla!

Reply
- Muslim
  
  January 19, 2011 at 7:29 AM
  
  Amin
  
  Reply
ibnMalik

January 19, 2011 at 3:18 AM

Isnt this just blatant advertising products?

Is this what MM is turning into?

How was this accepted by MM to post? Because its Baba Ali?

Reply
- Don't see a problem
  
  January 19, 2011 at 3:24 AM
  
  Whats wrong with an advertising piece?
  
  Is it haraam to assist a Muslim brother by advertising his website?
  
  Why are you makinga big deal out of this if it is not haraam?
  
  Reply
  - ibnMalik
    
    January 19, 2011 at 3:36 AM
    
    Who said it was haraam?
    
    If you give him a platform give the same opportunity to everyone
    Why not let all the other Matrimonial sites write and submit and post
    Or better yet we should let all Muslim products write pieces and post them up on here
    
    It sounds like fun to me, I would definitely enjoy perusing MM.org and going through 20 advertising pieces before coming across a relevant article.
    
    Reply
    - Don't see a problem
      
      January 19, 2011 at 5:20 AM
      
      You have a very rude and arrogant tone of talking. Learn gentleness before dealing with people.
      
      Reply
    - MR
      
      January 19, 2011 at 1:23 PM
      
      “If you give him a platform give the same opportunity to everyone
      Why not let all the other Matrimonial sites write and submit and post
      Or better yet we should let all Muslim products write pieces and post them up on here”
      
      There are worthy products and unworthy ones. MM chooses what they think is best. HalfOurDeen in my personal opinion is the ONLY matrimonial site that can even be related to Islam. All the others that I have seen are just copies of non-Muslim versions just retitled with “Islam” or “Muslim” to it.
      
      Regardless any owner of a website has the right to choose and refuse what they want to put on it. The viewers have the full control of viewing this post or hitting the X button.
      
      Reply
    - Ayman
      
      January 19, 2011 at 7:00 PM
      
      Assalamulaikum,
      
      Alhamdulillah, it’s good to know that you’re passionate about gaining knowledge from “relevant articles”. This is a good Islamic quality, however, by the same token remember that patience, and open-mindedness are also valued Islamic qualities.
      
      With that being said, I implore you to re-evaluate your argument: namely, that if Baba Ali’s products/services are advertised, others should be given the same opportunity. This is assuming that other products have the same value (Islamically, and in terms of their efficiency, which would really also be something a Muslim should look for).
      
      It was your choice to view this advertisement, and it if doesn’t appeal to you (for whatever reason), no one is forcing you to stay here. That does not change the fact that this service provided by brother Ali, is of great value as it avoids the haraam or superficial aspects of other matrimonial sites.
      
      Salaam,
      
      Ayman
      
      Reply
- Amad
  
  January 19, 2011 at 4:10 AM
  
  You raise an important point, even if it could have been worded more gently.
  
  On few and special occasions and special products, we will make exceptions to the general rule whereby we don’t market for-profit or even non-profit ventures. Also, we will review products/services sometime and post the review. Exceptions will depend on the type of product/service, its importance, its “value proposition” and also how it might benefit MM mutually.
  
  The limit to such infomercials is once per month, and we usually don’t reach even that limit.
  
  Baba Ali is an asset to the Muslim world and so many youth have been motivated and helped by his talks. His venture is borne out of the same desire to help the youth and we wish him the best.
  
  Reply
  - Mansoor Ansari
    
    January 19, 2011 at 11:47 AM
    
    taking into consideration how much problem western Muslims r having finding a suitable spouse, this article is very much relevant.
    
    Reply
    - Zainab
      
      January 23, 2011 at 9:31 AM
      
      Assalamu alaikum wr wb, dear brothers n sisters,
      Its not just muslims in the west, even people in the Indian sub-continent are having a problem I suppose…
      
      Like a revert friend of mine who’s having trouble…there’s too much culture-mixed-with-religion confusion here… scares me too!
      
      Any advise, Brother Ali? Please let us know if HOD is open for non-western muslims?
      
      JazakAllah khayr
      A sister
      from India :)
      
      –Allah Is Greater and The Greatest, and He knows best, all things.–
      
      Reply
  - Uncle Tom
    
    January 19, 2011 at 7:35 PM
    
    That’s a pretty random policy..
    
    On another note,.the quality of articles have been going down on this site anyways, so I wasn’t surprised to see this huge advert.
    
    Reply
- MR
  
  January 19, 2011 at 1:16 PM
  
  “Isnt this just blatant advertising products?”
  Yes. I agree. Then again what is wrong with that? MM advertises AlMaghrib, ICNA, YM, Texas Dawah Convention, Islamic Relief, and other Muslim business and organizations that are trying to do good. Nothing wrong in this.
  
  “Is this what MM is turning into?”
  MM is the same right now with our without this post.
  
  “How was this accepted by MM to post? Because its Baba Ali?”
  See my first answer.
  
  Reply
Dreamlife

January 19, 2011 at 3:30 AM

It may be advertising – but it’s a service that is greatly needed; and so I think MM is full justified in putting this article up. At the end of the day, he’s not in this business to be making a profit – is he?

Judging from his own history, one can see that marriage – enabling people to find the perfect match – is something that played a big part in his life, and is something close to his heart. Watch the “Reminders” videos and you’ll see it’s a recurring theme.

In my view, if this is something that is genuine, safe, and halaal, and can help people find their matches in an effective way, then it is something to be publicised on sites like this.

It doesn’t matter whether the author is a ‘celebrity’ or not…the service being offered is one that is critical to many Muslims in the West – particularly the youth, who are bombarded with ways of getting into haraam relationships – but limited / inhibited when it comes to trying to find the one halaal relationship that they’re seeking.

Reply
Nayma

January 19, 2011 at 5:34 AM

Baba Ali,
My kids love your small clips on youtube about different topics. Jazak Allahu Khairan for them!

Reply
Muslim

January 19, 2011 at 7:29 AM

May Allah bless all the muslims (including me and you (whoever is reading this)) with the best spouses in this life and the next !!!

I do think that Half Our Deen is a step in both directions!

Reply
Saba

January 19, 2011 at 12:18 PM

mashallah! great initiative. May Allah (swt) put lots of barakah in it!
I am going to tell all my singles sisters about this inshallah!
Jazakallahu khayir!

Reply
Leo

January 19, 2011 at 12:42 PM

Assalamu alaikum. Is there any possibilty of listing the deeper non-superficial questions you asked when going through the process yourself please?

Reply
A

January 19, 2011 at 1:12 PM

Salams Leo,

Yes you can ask any question you like when going through the question. You can custom design 21 of your own questions if you like and not choose from the 100 in the questions database :)

Hope this helps :)

Wasalams

Reply
Baba Ali

January 19, 2011 at 1:50 PM

Assalammu’ Alaikum,

The most interesting piece for the Half Our Deen project so far has been the privacy element. Since access to HOD Is restricted to only members, outsiders can not see who is on the site. Based on a recent survey, this is the biggest reason why most of our members have joined HOD vs the other sites. The challenge for me is posting success stories since most pepole rather have their story private. Otherwise, until about a week ago, I got a report that about 11 couples (that we know of) are in the process of getting married, which isn’t bad for a site that has been open for about 6 months.

I got a call from one of the Muslim Celebrities that has a profile on HOD last night and he notifed me that he found his match and is getting married, which makes our marriage count to 12 inshAllah. Amazing enough, I was speaking at an event, where I was wearing my Half Our Deen shirt and he asked me about it. I told him that I can’t guarantee anything but I can tell him that we are the deepest site out there. More important than it being a fraction of the other site, it is private so he can be on the site without the whole world knowing he’s on the site. He said “ok, i’ll give it a shot”. Personally, I thought he was kidding and then the next morning at the hotel lobby we were in, he said “let’s setup of my profile” and I was kinda excited.

Alhamdulillah, he informed me that he got a few resposnes shortly after and then I really didn’t hear much from him….until I got the call last night. Alhamdulillah.

Half Our Deen does not run by a volunteer staff but rather everyone who helps is paid for their efforts. The majority of our resources does not go into marketing but rather on making the product better. Our revenue is limited because we charge such a low price ($5/month) but we keep putting money back on making the product better. Currently, we have 3 programmers, 2 customer service reps, and 1 person on marketing and this doesn’t include the people managing them. My goal was not only to create a service to help Muslims get married but we also wanted to help the Muslim community by creating Halal jobs inshAllah.

Baba Ali

Reply
- Awesome-ness
  
  January 19, 2011 at 3:02 PM
  
  I sincerely pray that Allah swt accepts your efforts , puts Barakah in your project. As someone who had been looking to get married for about three years now, the site sounds awesome.
  
  The main problem in Muslims getting married in North America is a Halal network to meet like minded individuals. I don’t have many Muslims around me, so naturally website would help me meet more Muslims who are sincerely looking to get married.
  
  Reply
  - Awesome-ness
    
    January 19, 2011 at 3:02 PM
    
    I also notices that on websites, people tend to be alot pickier as they always think ”there has to be someone better out there” but oh well everything @ right time inshaAllah
    
    Reply
- ahmad
  
  January 19, 2011 at 3:14 PM
  
  Salam Baba Ali, please answer this, do you have advertising within your pages? basically all these sites so far do and i was just wondering if your site was doing the same thing? I want to sign up, but Im afraid its like all the other sites. I do trust you and watch your videos. It seems like anyone who can design and program puts up a marriage site for Muslims. I have heard a lot of good things about Halfourdeen.com, but I just want to make sure I’m safe on this site, as I didn’t feel that way on other sites.
  
  Reply
Baba Ali

January 19, 2011 at 4:24 PM

Walaikum Salam wa Rahmatullah Ahmad,

The site is safe. You profile, images, etc…is not shared with any company. Actually, privacy is our priority. It would SO much easier advertising Half Our Deen to others if we could show the profiles but because we respect the privacy of our members, we have kept a sealed door so people can search privately.

As far as advertising, we don’t have ANY type whatsoever. You will not see any banner ads, text ads, or anything even similar to an ad. Personally, I don’t understand how almost all the rest of the Muslim Matchmaking sites charge a fee for their service and then on top of that advertise to their members. In the last 19 days, we have about 353,033 hits on our site and we can make decent money putting up ads but we refuse to do so. At the end, its not just about money, but rather it is about the quality of the product.

Half Our Deen is far from perfect but our team is constantly working in the background to make it better. As I type this response, we have programmers working on new features that are debuting soon.

I hope that answered you question. If you ever have future questions or concerns about our Muslim Matchmaking service, please go to halfourdeen.com and click on the help button. We have a customer service team to help you around the clock :)

Baba Ali

Reply
- MSB
  
  January 19, 2011 at 4:40 PM
  
  what is the promotional code?
  
  Reply
  - Baba Ali
    
    January 20, 2011 at 11:02 AM
    
    There is currently no promotional code so you can leave that field blank. In the future, we hope to have an affiliate program to reward members for referring others.
    
    Reply
    - Amad
      
      January 20, 2011 at 12:25 PM
      
      The code to happy marriage :)?
      
      Mashallah Baba, we all love you for the sake of Allah. My kids digg your videos and can’t watch enough of them. And having met you on person, mashallah ur magnetic personality and sincerity for the Muslims shine through.
      
      There’s no better business than the business of helping our brothers and sisters, esp one backed by sincerity. We are all your well wishers. I hope everyone in the “market” gives your site a chance and in the process, support this venture.
      
      Wasalam
      
      Reply
      - Baba Ali
        
        January 20, 2011 at 1:21 PM
        
        JazakAllah Khair for your kind word Amad.
        
        The true success is not in this life but in the hereafter. No matter what profit is made from Half Our Deen, it is temporary but the success of the hereafter is forever. As much as I am excited each time we add a new feature or tool on HOD, I far more excited each time I hear another pair are getting married after using HOD. That to me is priceless. Even if HOD doesn’t exist 20yrs from now, I hope the barakah from those marriages will. I keep telling my staff that even though you guys are all getting paid for your work, you are also each part of the effort that is putting these couples together. We have about 12 couples and counting….
        
        JazakAllah Khair for your kind words.
        
        Baba Ali
- bint
  
  May 28, 2011 at 10:36 PM
  
  Are people living outside of US and Canada also eligible to sign up?? do please let me know as i know of a lot of people not living in the US and Canada who could benefit from it.
  
  Reply
The Muslim Voice

January 19, 2011 at 8:13 PM

MashAllah your service is great! May Allah (swt) reward you for your good deeds inshAllah. Ameen

Reply
Tee

January 20, 2011 at 12:10 AM

Although I’m in full favor of this particular blog post about halfourdeen as I do think it is a shaker in the broken and money making online matrimonial market and getting married is an intrinsic part of any Muslim but I agree that the quality of articles on MM has been going down. Compare MM of 2008 to today you’ll understand what I’m talking about. MM should limit its authors to imam, teachers and scholars.

Reply
- Linda (II)
  
  January 20, 2011 at 1:48 AM
  
  I guess sometimes some of us need to understand that online communities need to evolve with time. This blog employes (not sure if they are paying for articles or its done one a voluntarily bases) a phenomenal and somewhat diverse list of authors, so if you dont like one or two of them, please look at the rest.
  
  I love how muslims are the fastest to criticize and slowest to take initiative!
  
  Linda
  
  Reply
  - Amad
    
    January 20, 2011 at 3:16 AM
    
    jazakillahkahir
    100% voluntary thus far… which is a tremendous achievement considering we have been online for 4 years and over 2000 articles alhamdulilah. No doubt, keeping motivation up for both writers and readers is a big challenge.
    
    anyways, back to half our deen
    
    Reply
- Amad
  
  January 20, 2011 at 3:14 AM
  
  Let’s stick the topic please. Quality/content is all subjective. Sometimes it’s not quality but the direction of the content and some like it, others don’t.
  
  Thanks for the feedback.
  
  Reply
Hurray for Baba Ali

January 20, 2011 at 4:37 AM

salaams
My boys love ur videos.
A request from umi,umar and uthmaan,more videos pls.
PLEASE Baba Ali!

Reply
Ameera Khan

January 20, 2011 at 1:50 PM

I’ve been a long time fan of your work and it’s great to see you making such progress, Insha’Allah. What you’re doing is sorely needed to fill the voids when it comes to matchmaking, especially in the West! All the best! :)

Reply
Bushra

January 20, 2011 at 2:15 PM

Masha’Allah, I’m so impressed and happy to see this working. In a virtual world where online dating is disguised as ‘Muslim matrimony’, this is probably one of the few gems that will, insha’Allah, be tremendously successful in this world. May every single person behind HOD be infinitely more successful in the Akhirah….Ameen.

On a side note, Baba Ali, you stayed in the same hotel I did when I went to perform Hajj with my husband in 2009. Remember the Ramada in Madinah? I kept nudging my husband to speak to you…which he did eventually and he told me you were very shy. One memorable moment was when we were having breakfast at the hotel, and you caught us staring (yes, STARING, we were so rude and so excited!) whilst you went up the lift…sorry, elevator. Here’s the best bit…despite your shyness, you gave us an awesomely cool Baba Ali-style wave, which totally threw us off for the state of mind we were preparing ourselves to be in for the next few days. Alhamdulillah, it was well cool! Naturally, that’s not THE most memorable moment of my Hajj, but a nice story to tell others when we think about it :)

Anyway, excellent post and excellent venture, masha’Allah.

I have one question though – how would Brits be matched up seeing as HOD is predominantly American? Not many of us really want to move to the US unless our prospective spouse ticks more boxes than we wanted.

Reply
Sister

January 20, 2011 at 2:42 PM

I just signed up yesterday alhamdulilah! Didn’t know about HOD until I read this article! Jazaakum Allahu khayra Baba Ali and his team! =) WONDERFUL WORK! May Allah reward you guys for this in this life and the akhira.

Reply
Mustafa Stefan Dill

January 20, 2011 at 3:08 PM

as a social media geek/ex journalist turned PR guy, i think half our deen is a brilliant idea — you saw a need, went out and made it happen. My only thought is that since you’re offering a more private and detailed experience that any one else is, I think you’re priced too low. I’m not saying be greedy, but you should be priced at fair value, and I think you’ve undervalued your product! Your business isn’t scalable at that price point and could be hard for you to expand ( and i can see where you could) to meet demand with out enough capital.

Reply
- Bushra
  
  January 20, 2011 at 3:25 PM
  
  Yes, I think it should be priced at market value.
  
  HOWEVER…I think the idea is that it’s accessible to everyone and anyone ranging from a minimum wage job to a corporate executive role, hence the price is low. The more people that sign up, the more that can be invested into HOD and making it better for its members, as well as reaching out to more people and also rewarding those who hare working hard behind HOD.
  
  Reply
- Amad
  
  January 21, 2011 at 3:47 AM
  
  From a pure business standpoint, I agree with Mostafa. I hope the strategy is to get a critical mass and then raise prices in order to fully monetize, because after all, the more human capital goes into it, the more it demands wages to keep up. Sustaining is very important.
  
  Reply
A (Sister on HOD)

January 20, 2011 at 3:28 PM

Salams,

I am a member on HOD and have been for a few months now. It is definitely a great project and I must commend Baba Ali for putting something like this together. I LOVE the part where we can ask our own questions. I put questions of my own, and phrased them exactly how I liked and it becomes a filtering process for me as I can make sure the person answering ticks the boxes to move to the next step of communicating. I still haven’t found my match yet but as Ali once told all our members it is a test of patience and Inshallah when Allah swt wills for it to happen it will :)

To answer your question Bushra, there are lots of Brits on the site, predominantly American as you say but there are quite a few Brits Mashallah from what I have seen in my searches.

I definitely recommend all the singles out there to try it. Inshallah may you find your other half on that. Ameen

Thank you HOD!

Peace,

Afra

Reply
Hena

January 20, 2011 at 3:35 PM

I honestly didn’t know much about half deen and did think it was just another matchmaking site. Jzk Allah khair for the in depth look behind the scenes. I get many calls of parents asking for connections for their sons and daughters looking to get married and will be recommending half deen inshaAllah after reading this.. I told my sister/cousins about it too.

We need to get creative with the marriage/matchmaking process- too many amazing people not married these days. Most immigrants rely on matchmaking Auntis who suggest people. It is such a long, arduous process with no science behind it except for ‘he is good boy’, ‘she is from a great family’.

One concern that parents do have is: how would people verify information or find testimonies about the prospective match. Does half deen go beyond the match or are members on their own in terms of finding out more about the person. Do you have a feature ie. call these people in my community for references.

I am so glad you made it cheap $5 is nothing.
My kids love your videos too

Reply
- Bushra
  
  January 20, 2011 at 3:48 PM
  
  For all those cynics commenting on the advertising aspect of this article, this comment speaks volumes:
  
  I honestly didnâ€™t know much about half deen and did think it was just another matchmaking site.
  
  I did, too. So I’m glad that this is up showcasing how it works, otherwise many people, like Hena and I, had also branded HOD as just ‘one of those’ matrimonial sites.
  
  Reply
  - Sidiq
    
    January 20, 2011 at 3:55 PM
    
    You seem to be struggling to understand their point. The point is that this is advertising. It doesn’t mater what the service’s unique appeal/selling point is, it’s still advertising for which other sites have extensive marketing campaigns for. Perhaps there are some Muslims here upset at the fact that this service is being mass-marketed by a popular Muslim readership blog whereas their services are being neglected (whatever it is), get the picture? I support this project btw, but I do understand the arguments from opposing side as well.
    
    Reply
    - Bushra
      
      January 20, 2011 at 4:08 PM
      
      No problem. I actually DO understand their point. I just don’t agree with it. Readers are not fully aware of MM’s policies on advertising.
      
      We don’t advertise as freely as we or other readers would like. If an organisation/business wishes to advertise on MM, then they should contact us at info@muslimmatters.org with their request. We have stringent rules on accepting or rejecting requests and certain criteria must be fulfilled, which will be discussed upon request.
      
      Reply
Bushra

January 20, 2011 at 4:11 PM

Ok, so I’ve just seen the video in full and…hey presto, a BRITISH voice! I’m so impressed. Baba Ali and HOD marketing team, you rock, masha’Allah.

Reply
Safia Farole

January 20, 2011 at 4:37 PM

Mashallah, I’m glad this initiative is going full steam. May Allah grant halfourdeen more success in the future, and hopefully many strong marriages will evolve as a result.

Great work Baba Ali!

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west african

January 20, 2011 at 8:13 PM

mashAllah nice initiative. my question is if you have people from west africa and not only americans and brits?

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A (Sister on HOD)

January 21, 2011 at 3:24 AM

Salams from my experience I do my own research on the potential matches and ask people, subhanallah once you start looking you will always find a common friend on facebook or a common friend on linked in, there is always a way to find out. And also of course there is always the aspect of getting the prospective to come and meet you and your family in a halal way. There are many ways, of course with cautiousness you can connect with good people Inshallah and possibly get a match. Allah knows what is best for us.

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Sara

January 21, 2011 at 3:54 PM

Keep doing your thang Baba Ali :) MashAllah this is so good

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Another sister

January 21, 2011 at 11:31 PM

Salaam,

I really like the HOD project. I’ve been on the website only recently. Overall it is great. The ability to ask your own questions is the best part. You know what you deem important, and aren’t limited to a few generic questions.

A few questions/comments for Baba Ali. Another sister brought this up, and I want to reiterate. Is there any way you can facilitate verification of the information people provide? One of the reasons many people join matrimonial sites is because we have trouble finding people in our local communities and seek to spread a wider net. But once we do that, it’s hard to verify certain details.

Second, I’ve noticed that many of the brothers have very empty looking profiles. So empty I can hear the crickets chirping. Now of course, this is not your responsibility, but it would be really great if you could get the word out (maybe post a video about this). Sisters are turned of by a profile that lacks information, or is just a few sentences long. Since that’s all we have to judge the other person by, if they write nothing we assume they are nothing (harsh, I know).

And lastly, there doesn’t seem to be as much diversity on the website. I’m spreading the word about your website to all my friends. But I think it would be great if you could spread the word as well to different Muslim communities (African American muslims, convert muslims, UK muslims, desi muslims, etc.). And that’s why I’m actually very happy to see this post on MM.

Once again, thanks for opening your website and for making it affordable to everyone. May Allah bless you and your team for your good intentions and actions.

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fouziaÂ²

June 23, 2011 at 2:22 PM

you r right , we as women searching for real muslims , but we dont find them , so we stay single .

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Jafar

June 26, 2011 at 10:23 PM

Salaam,

Very informative article thank you for sharing.

Jazakallah Khair

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ibrahim

December 2, 2013 at 6:13 AM

Baba Ali, pls I need your attention.

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Mohammed

August 22, 2020 at 9:57 AM

I got married through halfoureen.com. Alhamdulillah

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