We asked our audience to share their love stories, tales of chance meetings, intentional steps, and everything in between. What came back was a mosaic of experiences, each unique yet equally exciting. Some spoke of stolen glances that turned into lifetimes together, others of introductions carefully arranged by family, and many of friendships that slowly unfolded into love.

This is our eighth story.

Please note that these stories are not for giving advice and are about documenting the lives of Muslim women who got married 🧡

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Firdaus & Malik

My mother-in-law and I both taught at our local Islamic school, and we quickly became friends. She has been teaching for over 25 years, so I often went to her for advice, and she really took a liking to me. I later learned that she would tell her family all about me. Fast forward to an iftar dinner in the community that my sister and I attended – my now husband saw me greeting his mum with salaams. He was sitting at a different table, so I didn’t notice him. After the iftar, he apparently asked his mum who I was.

SubhanAllah, the very next day I spoke to my now mother-in-law and mentioned that masha’Allah her son had beautiful hair, as we had all introduced ourselves at the gathering, and I had noticed it then. A few days later, he asked his mum to find out if I would be open to meeting, and I said yes. We decided to wait until the end of Ramadan to begin the courtship process.

We started off meeting once a week, but our sit-downs would last five to six hours, and we continued this for about five months. The entire experience felt very natural and truly God-ordained, subhanAllah – and as they say, the rest is history.

Our relationship evolved in a very intentional way. We tried to keep the courtship as halal as possible by having chaperoned sit-downs, and we focused on figuring out whether we were compatible before letting feelings get involved.

Over time, I realised he was the one through his consistency. Whenever I spoke up about something I needed him to work on, especially in terms of communication, he would genuinely make the effort to improve. He was also very kind, patient, family-oriented, and had many of the qualities I wanted in a husband.

We also had many conversations where we both expressed how it truly felt like we were written for each other. That feeling, along with everything else, is what led us to decide to get married. Now, when we look back, we marvel at how everything was the qadr of Allah ﷻ.

How was Premarital Counselling?

We’ve been married for a year and three months now, alhamdulillah. I’m a huge advocate for premarital counselling, especially as a therapist, and my husband and I did take part in it ourselves.

I would strongly advise every couple not to skip this step, as it really helps set the marriage up for success (with the help of Allah). There are many things that people tend to forget to discuss, and premarital counselling helps uncover those important conversations.

My perception of love has definitely deepened. Before marriage, it felt more like a romanticised, surface-level version – something shaped by media, books, and outside influences.

After marriage, it has become a love that is deeply rooted in commitment. It’s about truly seeing my husband, understanding him, and coming to realise why we were written for each other. It’s also about actively working to protect and nurture this part of my deen as best as I can.

The main thing I was looking for in a spouse was a true companion – someone who would be a witness to the rest of my life, just as I would be to theirs.

Some important qualities Muslim women should look for include honesty and transparency – especially when it comes to financial matters – as well as emotional intelligence and patience.

Avoid arrogance, an inability to take feedback, emotional unavailability, and inconsistency!