Shia Marriage Connection
is a 100% totally free Canadian website for marriage minded Shia throughout the world
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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Similar websites claim to be free but have all sorts of limitations. Is this site really free?

A: Yes, all features including messaging between members are totally free after you register by creating your own free profile.


Q: Why is it free?

A: Not every website should be about money. So put away your credit card and thank God that some things in this world can still be Fi-Sabilallah.


Q: I want to help, what can I do?

A: Use the feedback form to send us a thank-you note. Believe it or not, each and every time we receive such a note, it brightens our day and reminds us that what we've created for you, with the help of Allah, is appreciated and our efforts are not in vain.


Q: I've forgotten my password, what do I do?

A: Goto Member's Area and click on the link: Forgot your password?.


Q: Other websites also record a member's hijaab preferences, Syed/non-Syed status, and the political opinions of their members. Could you add these/other fields to store more information about members?

A: Shia Marriage Connection (SMC) believes that these personal details are best left to members to discuss between themselves.


Q: Do you verify information provided by members?

A: No, unfortunately that is not practical. You may want to consider exchanging emails followed by a phone conversation and finally meeting for coffee in a public place. Use your best judgement to think, ask questions and learn about each other. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is!


Q: How does messaging (emailing) between members work?

A: After viewing a member's profile, you can send an email to them by clicking the [Send email] link at the bottom of their profile. Type your message in the form that appears. Your member ID# will automatically be included in the email message to them along with a link to your profile so s/he can visit your profile. Likewise, the email address that you provided when registering will be included in the email so the receiver can then reply directly back to you if they choose to do so. There are no "mailboxes" at Shia Marriage Connection (SMC) and messages are never stored at our site; the form webpage simply relays your message to the receiving member's email address.


Q: Why do you recommend not to use one's own regular email address for registration at SMC?

Please remember that whenever you send a message or reply to a message you have received, your email address is revealed to the other party. Since it is not always possible to know the true motivation of individuals or organisations communicating with you, and these outside parties may be collecting your email address and profile data for purposes other than marriage, we strongly recommend creating a new email address and using it for communication with other members. Google's Gmail, Hotmail and many other free email providers exist.

Q: Can I put my email address directly in my profile?

Yes, if you wish you may include any email address directly in your profile (but please see the previous question about creating a new email account first).

Q: How do I decrease the filesize (kilobytes) of my .jpg photos for uploading?

A: If a photo exceeds the filesize limit there are essentially 3 ways to correct the problem:
- resize the image's width and height (keeping the aspect ratio between the two dimensions the same to avoid distorting the picture).
- resave the image at a lower quality level. Most people cannot see the difference between 90% and 60% compression quality, yet the memory savings are substantial.
- crop the image: cut off the top/bottom/side areas.

.gif and .bmp files occupy significantly more memory for the same level of quality. Therefore ensure your image is saved as a .jpg/.jpeg file. If you do not have Adobe Photoshop to modify your photos, many software packages such as Irfanview are also available totally free of charge for download. Others, such as Online-image-editor.com operate completely over the web and therefore no installation on your PC is necessary.

Profiles will be deleted if their images contain nudity, offensive material or cartoons.


God be willing,
there is someone out there for each of us