Sharing jokes and warm fuzzy feelings!

Suhail Bux and Sabeeha Mulla met on SingleMuslim.com. What followed was a unique and romantic journey to Nikah and to the rest of their lives together. We met up with the happy couple in London, when they shared their story with us.


Who knew that you were on SingleMuslim.com?

Suhail:  My family knew that I was registered on the website. My friends also knew.

Sabeeha:  My mum, my best friend and a few of my colleagues knew about it. They wished me good luck.

 
Were you registered on any other matrimonial websites?

Suhail:  No, just SingleMuslim.com.

Sabeeha:  No, I wasn’t registered on any others. SingleMuslim.com was recommended to me.

 
Did you try any other avenues to find a marriage partner before trying SingleMuslim.com?

Sabeeha:  Through family but I had no luck with that.

Suhail:  I had a few ups and downs through family but I think everyone knows how they go. So I thought I’d take charge of it myself and I went on SingleMuslim.com.

 
So, please tell us about your journey, from first contact to Nikah.

Suhail:  I noticed Sabeeha’s profile first. I knew what sort of person I was looking for, I put that into the website search and I found Sabeeha, who is the perfect match for me! From her profile she seemed genuine. Sabeeha didn’t put a photo on the website. It was the profile itself that attracted me – the way she described herself and her personality.

I thought, “This is the one!” So I sent her a message and she replied within a couple of hours! That was two days before Valentine’s Day.

Sabeeha:  When I received the first message, I wasn’t sure. I never wanted to move up North. My family laughs at me now! But I thought there’s no harm in trying. It is up to Allah and whatever he has planned will work out. So I messaged him back and we got chatting from there. After a few days we exchanged numbers. We started talking and we met the following week.

Suhail:  I drove down from London to meet Sabeeha. I wanted to keep the meeting more formal than romantic because I wanted Sabeeha to be comfortable. I picked her up outside her house. I pulled up in the car and there she was! My heart was in my mouth! I took her to a sheesha cafe near Ilford. We sat and talked and we just clicked.

Sabeeha:  I was very nervous but I left everything in Allah’s hands. I thought, Allah is there to guide me and if he is The One then everything will go smoothly. When I got into the car first he had my favourite song on – that made me more nervous! But as we started talking we clicked straightaway and I felt at ease. I felt like I’d known him for a very long time. He was just natural and nice.

Suhail:  I had lived in London and we talked about that. I remember getting my phone out and showing her pictures of my nephews and nieces and pictures of my friends as well. If it was any other girl I would never have done that. Then I took her for a meal.

Sabeeha:  I wasn’t hungry – I was still nervous!

Suhail:  We still had butterflies in our tummies! Sabeeha had to go to a wedding so I dropped her off at home about 7 and...

Sabeeha: That’s when my mum came to meet him first. That’s when he got really nervous! (Laughs.) But I think my mum was more nervous.

Suhail:  We couldn’t go inside as she had a house full of relatives so we sat inside my car. Good job it was clean! (Laughs.) I’ve got a cool mother-in-law!

When I went home I said to my parents, “I’ve found The One. This is her name. This is her number. I’ll leave it to you now to get the ball rolling.” It was up to me to get out there and find The One and they were happy with it. Sabeeha came up to Blackburn and met my parents, my family and my friends. I wanted Sabeeha to know who we are as a family. We are both Guajarati – both from India but different districts. Sometimes they clash and we didn’t want that happening. Our parents were okay with it. When Sabeeha’s mother and grandmother came to my house we talked and we were happy with everything. We arranged another meeting and I went to Sabeeha’s house in London with my parents and family members. Both families were happy so we arranged a date for the Nikah.


 
How much did you know about each other?

Suhail:  When we sent texts and emails, it was non-stop. And late nights on the phone! It’s still the same Masha’Allah. Even now the butterflies are still there. I can’t wait to be with her. And when we talking there’s that sense of love; it’s always there. It’s a warm fuzzy feeling waiting to get out!

Sabeeha:  That warm fuzzy feeling is always inside me and the more I talk to him, I just want to be with him even more. I can’t be without him. That’s how it is.

 
Would you say it was love at first sight?

Sabeeha:  I would say that, yes. My expectations were different: I never wanted to go up North and now look how it’s changed! I’ve found the love of my life and I’m extremely happy.

Suhail:  I never actually thought of finding someone in London even though I lived there.

Sabeeha:  I can’t believe we lived so close and we never met. It’s a small world.

Suhail:  And she knows my aunties; they lived nearby!

Sabeeha:  It’s nice that both families have clicked too.

 
How important to you is family involvement?

Sabeeha:  Very important. Obviously, not only are you marrying the guy but you’re marrying the family as well. I’m family-oriented so I wanted to meet everyone involved in his family.

Suhail:  I’m the same. I have a large family and I’ve always had them around. I am old-school when it comes to family values. Sabeeha has a nanny and I don’t. All my grandparents have passed away and I love the fact that I now have a grandparent. I call her nanny!

Sabeeha:  And you have a laugh and a joke together.

Suhail:  We do. She lives in Preston and I drive over to see her whenever I get a chance.

Sabeeha:  When I first met Suhail’s parents, his mum asked if I would be happy to live with them. I liked the fact that his sisters are close by on the same road.

Suhail:  My mum was concerned about the distance. London is a busy city and Blackburn is a small town. That was the main worry for my mum as she wanted Sabeeha to be happy.

 
It sounds like it was all plain sailing for you. Were there any problems at all?

Suhail:  I wouldn’t say that there were any difficulties. 

You made a lifelong commitment in one meeting. Do you think that was a bit hasty?

Suhail:  I will never regret the decision I made. I kept praying. I asked Allah, “If she is The One, please create love for her in my heart.” And He did – straightaway! I had butterflies but she didn’t make me nervous. And I didn’t expect to meet her mum at the first meeting but I did and I thought, “That’s my future mother-in-law!”

Sabeeha:  My mum is quite young and she was born here so she knows how things work. She said to me, “If you want to find your own partner, you’re welcome to. Just make sure he’s the right one for you and be careful.” She kept asking if I was sure, but I was - 100 per cent. I can understand her concern, but after Suhail’s parents came to our house, she was at ease. Suhail was so innocent, decent, down-to-earth, a family guy – the kind of guy I wanted.

Suhail:  I like messing around and on the day I first met her, I wondered shall I be the same or a bit more responsible or mature and then I thought, no, I’d be lying to myself and lying to her. If she falls in love and I’m not that person, then that will cause problems in the future. So I tried to be myself from the beginning; joking and having a laugh. I know a sheesha cafe is not the best place to meet a girl for the first time but I wanted to tell her that I don’t smoke but I do enjoy the sheesha cafe and this is me!

I trust her. She trusts me and she fell in love with who I am. That’s what I love about Sabeeha: she makes me feel at ease. And that’s what love is all about – someone who loves you for who you are and doesn’t want you to change.

 
What makes your relationship special?

Sabeeha:  Our bond is getting stronger and stronger. We’re so close. We text all day long – telling each other what we’re doing, sending pictures...

Suhail:  We mess around. Sometimes I say something stupid just to make her laugh. Even when I’m not with her, knowing that I am making her laugh is the best thing.

 
Tell us about your Nikah day.

Sabeeha:  It was quite stressful finding a venue. We had originally booked a venue for July 23rd and then found out it was double booked! I was quite annoyed –I had put a deposit down and got invites. It took ages to find another venue and I checked several times that it hadn’t been double booked too! It was stressful but it was fun and exciting getting my jewellery, my clothes, the mendhi and decorating the mosque.

 
What was your most memorable moment?

Sabeeha:  I was so eager to see Suhail but my uncles and cousins had blocked the stage and he couldn’t pass.

Suhail:  I did in the end. My mate took my hand because he could see an empty gap. We sneaked through there.

Sabeeha:  That was the best feeling of the day, just seeing him. He had tried to gatecrash the mendhi to see me but he got kicked out eventually.

Suhail:  The most memorable time for me on that day would be when everyone was looking our way and I gave Sabeeha a kiss on the cheek. Everyone was shouting...

Sabeeha:  All I could hear were my uncles saying, “One more! One More!”

Suhail:  Normally at Asian weddings no one does that.

Sabeeha:  At the end of the day, he caked my face! (Laughs.)

Suhail:  She was going to get me and she had a cake in her hand behind her back. So I thought I’d get her first.

Sabeeha:  And he had to put the picture in the photo album! It was horrible, all up my nose!

Suhail:  The practical jokes started when I surprised her on her birthday before the Nikah and they haven’t stopped!

 
A few questions about the website now. How did you hear about SingleMuslim.com?

Sabeeha:  My friend Ayesha got married a couple of years ago and she met her partner through SingleMuslim.com. She recommended that I go on it. At first I was a bit uneasy but I thought I’d give it a try. I wanted to find someone myself rather than getting family involved. I was only on there about a month and I met my perfect husband!

Suhail:  My friend urged me to go on. I read through all the reviews and did a thorough check up. I was only on the site for two days before I met Sabeeha. I don’t think that it was more than two weeks that I was on altogether.

 
Would do you think about the website?

Sabeeha:  I found the website very reliable, simple and easy. Other websites are not so reliable. It’s very friendly too.

Suhail:  Doing the profile was really easy and it was really easy to navigate around the site.

 
What features, such as Live Chat, did you use?

Sabeeha:  The features were good but I didn’t use the Live Chat, although it looked convenient. I just messaged a few people. My friend Ayesha met her husband via Chat as he was from abroad.

Suhail:  I didn’t use the Live Chat because I knew what I was looking for.

 
Did you meet any other potential marriage partners through SingleMuslim.com?

Sabeeha:  No, I didn’t but I did talk to a few guys via messages. Some of the guys I found uptight so I was a bit hesitant but then I met Suhail and he was different – unique, witty.

Suhail:  I didn’t have time to! I was only on there two days!

 
How do you feel about males paying for the service and females receiving membership for free?

Sabeeha:  I didn’t know about that until after I’d registered. Other websites make you pay. It’s a nice gesture and it works.

Suhail:  I didn’t know that until today! I don’t have any issues with it.

 
Do you have any suggestions for improving SingleMuslim.com?

Sabeeha:  Not really, no. The website itself is very convenient and reliable.

Suhail:  SingleMuslim.com is a really reliable website and I would recommend it to everyone. I want everyone to go on the website! Nowadays, everyone is working and no one has time to go out and look for the perfect match.

Sabeeha:  Some people want to find their own life partners rather than giving their parents the hassle and trouble of finding someone for them. That’s how I felt.

Suhail:  My parents were looking but they’re both in their fifties and diabetic and I didn’t want them to have the stress of looking for a girl for me. So I went on the website - no hassle at all!

 
What advice would you give others who are still looking for their perfect partner?

Sabeeha:  Just be natural, be yourself. Be truthful and say it as it is.

Suhail:  I’d say exactly the same. You’re there for one reason: to find your perfect match. If you are lying then you can’t expect to meet your soul mate. Be truthful and Allah will help you find someone.

 
What are your plans for the future?

Sabeeha:  I definitely Insha’Allah want to have kids. We bought a house in January so we’re doing that up. I definitely want to have kids soon; that’s my main goal.

Suhail:  Insha’Allah we’ll get our own cricket team! (Laughs.) For the future, Insha’Allah, Allah will keep our love strong and keep us together for eternity. I couldn’t ask for anyone better than Sabeeha.

On that happy note, we end our interview with Suhail and Sabeeha, and all that remains is for Managing Director Adeem Younis to present this fun-loving couple with their free tickets to Umrah. Thank you both for sharing your story. Enjoy your reward!