‘Log kya kahenge’ (what will people say) is a loaded phrase that keeps scores of South Asians up at night. This thought was at the forefront of Mr Iqbal Karimullah’s mind some years ago, when his eldest daughter Imrana told him she had met her soulmate on a Muslim dating and marriage app, Muzz.

Though he liked the boy and approved of the match, even after the initial meeting was a success, the cardiologist from Luton worried about what his family and friends would think.

“The boy was absolutely brilliant and I know they are soulmates. But when I found out this match was set up through a dating site I told my wife and daughters ‘nobody is telling anybody’,” he said. “People would judge us, because ‘log kya kahenge’ is the mindset of my generation.”

He spun an alternative story, and told his community the boy and girl met through mutual connections as both parents work for the National Health Services (NHS).

“It was later that I realised that Muzz has done a great favour to us. These two boys are the most wonderful sons-in-law one could have. My daughters found their soulmates. Now I tell others who are afraid like i was: believe in Allah and don’t live in fear. Your children’s happiness is what ultimately matters.”

Founded by a young British Pakistani entrepreneur from Manchester, Muzz is a slick, easy-to-navigate mobile phone app which enables Muslims from across countries, sects and ethnic backgrounds to meet with an aim to get married. Previously known as Muzmatch, Muzz had to rebrand with a new name after losing a trademark infringement case in 2022 to a major tech giant behind Tinder.

It is not a hook-up or casual dating app, its founder insists, as there are many other platforms catering to that market. “It’s geared towards marriage. Successful couples find someone on their own terms, who respects their faith, culture, tradition and family. It couldn’t be more halal,” Muzz founder and CEO Shahzad Younus says.

Its brand has unmissable pink branding, and often features catchy statistics about the success of Muzz couples. At a London bus-stop near the Regent’s Park Mosque, one ad read “It takes Muslims 5 months to get married on Muzz. To the guy who met his wife in 3 hours, Mashallah.”

In Pakistan, the campaign employs humour and puns, with the messaging largely in Roman Urdu. “There are 22 crore people in Pakistan and you are still single?” reads one translation of the Muzz billboards that are everywhere in Lahore and Karachi.

With an attractive interface and aesthetically pleasing design, the app invites users to sign up, share some information about themselves and then find a match within its community of 8 million global members. Since its inception in 2014, Muzz says connections on its platform have resulted in 400,000 marriages globally. In Pakistan, one of the platform’s largest markets, the app has resulted in 12,000 marriages.

To sign up, users give certain information about themselves, such as profession, age, education and a photograph, though there is an option to blur photos for those who are uncomfortable. A typical profile will show superficial information such as a user’s height, but it also signals more serious and personal information: whether they were previously married, whether they have children or are open to having children, how religious they are in terms of prayers, eating halal and generally practising Islam.

Interestingly, one of the key questions asked by the app is when the user is looking to get married, with options ranging from within a year to four-plus years. This makes it easy for both men and women to gauge seriousness, intent and interest when finding a match.

The welcome message says the app is a place for those “seriously seeking marriage” and warns users to “keep things halal” or they will be blocked. It also has an option to add a chaperone to the conversation, if users are not comfortable communicating without supervision.

Younus talks about the “crisis” of young Muslims unable to find a partner and why he quit a career in investment banking eight years ago to work full-time on this platform. “I met so many people who said how hard it is to find a partner. I looked at what was out there… horrible websites which were expensive, awkward and old-fashioned. I was convinced I could do something better,” he says.

It prompted him to quit his job and work on the app full-time out of his bedroom. “Marriage is important to Muslims, but everyone I knew told me other Muslim marriage sites were terrible. The birth of Muzz coincided with the smartphone taking off. Mainstream dating apps blew me away, and that’s when the penny dropped for me. I wondered, why don’t Muslims have a modern app to help them connect with someone?”

For Younas, the app “is the heart of the business”. “We know our customers use sophisticated apps such as Instagram and Snapchat, so we spend resources to build a visually impressive, responsive, quality product. Everyone knows a good app when they see one.”

From the early days of Younas standing outside mosques to promote his idea via cards, the company has come a long way. It now works out of a large office in Aldgate East, with 80 employees. In 2017, it raised $1.8 million in a seed funding round, with a further $7 million in series A funding in 2019.

Younas says it “changes lives”. “We have grown and grown - 400 people a day tell us globally that they met someone on Muzz. Muslims travel across the world to meet partners. It is bringing the ummah together, even those from different sects and communities.”

He credits the success and growth of the app to how families are evolving and young people want more ownership over the matchmaking process. “Family networks are not as strong as they used to be. The internet has broadened horizons, accessibility and travel. Young people who are actively interested in other cultures and want to be empowered to take the responsibility to find partners on their own terms.”

He hopes to create a positive impact on the Muslim world, and dreams about Muzz being the “the first Muslim centric unicorn” because “none really exist catering to a Muslim need. It will open the door for other Muslim startups’’.

In terms of influence, Muzz is making waves. Its average user is 26, at least university educated, and currently on the lookout for a spouse. It is also beginning to inspire a different generation, like Mr Karimullah’s, to be open to new avenues for their children to meet their future partners. He announced during one of his daughter’s wedding speeches that the match was made with ‘cyber help’.

“All parents worry about their kids, and this is so helpful. There is no way my daughters would have met these wonderful boys without Muzz. Now, I’m it’s biggest advocate.”

An abridged version of this story was published in Dawn on Feb 15, 2023.