It should be clear that a Muslim should seek a righteous spouse for marriage. Religion and good character should be the top concern of every Muslim when looking for a spouse. This is compatible with the Prophet’s guidance: “If a person of acceptable religion and character presents himself for marriage, marry him, otherwise, there would be widespread sedition and rampant corruption in the land.”

We’d like also to clarify that Islam encourages marriage and urges youth to get married whenever they are capable. As for contacting marriage candidates, Islam lays down some rules that should be observed.

1. Unmarried man and woman cannot sit together alone in a place without the presence of mahram of her. In case of discussing marriage proposals or plans via the internet or any other means, a brother or one of the parents, or any mahram should attend such a meeting.

2. They must observe haya’ (shyness or modesty) in all their correspondence and conversations.

3. They should avoid publishing the girl’s photo (even with hijab) via the internet. However, they can exchange information about each other without publishing these information.

4. The internet is not sufficient for choosing a spouse. it is not enough for a man or a woman to decide to marry a certain person through online chatting or some information published on the Internet. That would pose a kind of risk. Marriage is a solemn contract that has to be decided wisely. In choosing one’s partner one has to follow the rules and teachings of Islam in order to have a successful marriage and a prosperous life.

Elaborating on the issue of inter-cultural marriages in general, we’d like to cite the following fatwa:
“Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has told us that “there is no difference (superiority) of an Arab Muslim over a non-Arab Muslim or of a non-Arab Muslim over an Arab Muslim except in the level of taqwa (or God consciousness and fear).” Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) also instructed the Muslims to choose their spouses based on the level of piousness and not based on wealth, family lineage, or looks. Also, cross-cultural marriages do have their built-in problems since you would be sharing your life with a person (and his family) who come from a totally different culture, so, try to be clear about the issues that may cause problems in the future.”
Finally, do not forget to perform istikharah prayer asking Allah to guide to right decision and to grant a good righteous spouse.