| | Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi's Answer:
The matrimonial agencies fulfil a need for some Muslims. As long as these agencies do their work in a proper Islamic manner by protecting the honour, dignity and chastity of Muslims there work is Halal. These agencies should protect the privacy of the individuals. They should deal with the basic issues of age, family background, education and profession. They should not indulge in the intimate details of individuals. Traditionally in Islamic societies this work was done by the parents, family members or some close friends. However, now with a large number of people migrating from one country to another, many people do not have their families that can help them to get married. We also have, alhmadulillah, a large number of new Muslims. They do not get much help from their families for Islamic marriages. Therefor it is good that there are some agencies that help single Muslims to get married.
Allah says in the Qur'an, "Help marry those among you who are single, or the virtuous ones among your captives, male or female: if they are in poverty, Allah will give them means out of His grace: for Allah encompasses all, and He knoweth all things." (al-Nur 24:32). There is a great blessing in helping people to get married. I would encourage the Islamic centres to establish matrimonial committees for this purpose. However, this work should be done with great care and sensitivity.
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