It was Ramadan 2007 in Damascus, Syria and Sara was watching television. TV is big during the holy month of fasting for Muslims. A California-based video blogger that called himself ‘Baba Ali’ was being interviewed on television.
Sara thought he was funny and relevant and checked out his blog. Baba Ali had posted an appeal to Muslims from all over the world to help out on a film. Being the month of Ramadan, where every good deed is multiplied ten-fold, Sara, a musician and sound engineer, responded to the appeal.
Sara agreed to create the score for the film and became part of the team. She quickly became friends with the producer, who happened in passing to mention he was thinking of starting up a Muslim matrimonial site.
Sara’s ears perked up. Her first instinct was to be too shy to say anything. Her second instinct was to ask the producer if he knew anyone that would be suitable for her. She was tired with her options in Syria of men who wanted traditional wives.
Lina: You just straight up asked?
Sara: Well, the Prophet’s wife was the one who initiated things with him, so I just thought of her.
The California-based, producer-friend did have someone in mind for Sara. Actually, he had four people in mind. The first guy was spoken for. The second guy wanted someone local. The third guy’s family wanted a Pakistani girl for him. And the fourth guy. Well, the fourth guy was Adnan, who was also part of the film crew.
The producer-friend approached Adnan and told him he had a girl in mind for him. Adnan told the producer-friend he would think about it, or more precisely pray about it, the prayer of Istikhara/guidance. Adnan prayed. And then he told the producer-friend to hook him up.
That’s when the Syria-California courtship began. Sara and Adnan started off with IM chat, graduated to voice chat, and then eventually to video chat. And then they found themselves talking to each other for eight hours a day.
Sara marshaled the resourcefulness of her relatives on the East Coast and the West Coast. Her cousin’s husband went to meet Adnan’s family in New York to check them out. Her second cousin in California somehow managed to come up with pages of information on Adnan. We don’t know how, but we know the information was halal.
Lina: So, when did you actually meet him?
Sara: Three days before our wedding day in Syria.
Sara trusted her instincts. She had another suitor asking for her hand at the time, and her instincts told her to turn him down.
Sara had no doubts about Adnan. When she saw him for the very first time, she remembers noticing her heart felt comfortable. Her second reaction was: “he’s dreamy”.
Adnan comes from a Pakistan family and was raised in New York. Sara comes from a Syrian family and was raised in the United Arab Emirates. They were married in Syria in June 2008 and are now living in Canada.
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