Muslim Matchmaker (2025) s01e05 Episode Script

1
[uplifting music playing,
Mel Wesson "What I Am to You?"]
Have we been going round
the same old ups and downs ♪
[Hoda] Hi, Fahim!
Walaikum. How are you?
Wa alaikum assalam. I'm good.
Nice to see you all together.
How are you?
We're good.
I'm down here in Houston,
-wanting to catch up with you.
-[song concludes]
You know,
everything so far so good.
Noureen is amazing.
I care about her.
When I found out
about the age difference, right?
'Cause it's not
that big of a deal.
How old are you?
If you don't mind.
-Twenty-nine.
-Oh.
-Yeah.
-[pensive music playing]
I mean, I'm 33, so.
Oh, wow.
-[music fades]
-[Fahim] My mom did say
that she wasn't very fond
of the difference.
Does your mom's opinion
carry deep weight with you?
I'm guessing you have
a good relationship with her.
Yes. You know,
she respects my decisions,
my opinions. But, right,
she'll say something like,
"I don't know
if this is a good idea."
"I don't know
what society's gonna say."
"I don't know what family's gonna say.
But think about it."
[Asma in Arabic]
[chuckles]
It's been a tough few days,
but I'm hanging in there.
Meeting family is a very,
very big deal.
But I just think that,
after three months,
what we really want you to do
is just to assess at that point,
like, do I see a future
with this person?
[gentle music playing]
Muslim Americans really deal
with family input
when it comes
to these big life decisions.
We don't live
an individualistic life.
We don't live a life
that doesn't have
communal obligations
and communal responsibilities.
Sometimes families
really impede the process.
You have to be able to protect
what you have
and to withstand
the outside pressures
if it's what's important to you.
You really have
all the ingredients, Fahim,
-to be such a great partner.
-Thank you.
Honestly,
you don't have to live
[chuckles] to anybody's
expectations. That's all
I just wanna tell you.
[Fahim] I like to live life
that way, but sometimes,
when other people are involved,
that's when it gets tough.
I really hope that Fahim
will give Noreen a proper chance
and a true weighing
of who she is
outside of just the opinion
of his mom
or what seems to be
her disapproval of Noreen's age.
Let me think on it.
[sighs] You know
-[speaks indistinctly]
-I don't wanna [chuckles]
-Yeah. Yeah.
-Yeah.
[music fades]
[theme music playing]
[theme music fades]
[rock music playing,
This Is Edie "Play the Long Game"]
I just wanna play
the long game with you ♪
Don't you ever think
of throwing in, so soon ♪
Leaning into
the whole health stuff?
Trying to love myself.
That's why I'm making
fried chicken tenders
and mac and cheese as a reward.
When would be the time
for me to tell you
that I have an aversion
to chicken? [chuckles]
Who wants to eat anyways?
It's gross.
-Yuck. I was just thinking
-So sorry.
-about not eating this at all.
-[laughs]
[Yasmin] So, I had
a little conversation with Faryal.
So, I didn't know whether
to bring chocolates
or flowers, so I kinda got you
chocolate roses.
Oh, nice. Oh, that's so sweet.
Thank you.
-Yeah, tell me.
-[Yasmin] I just explained to her,
this isn't a swipe left,
swipe right culture.
Like, we're not trying to do
what you could do
all on your own.
It obviously
hasn't worked until now.
In terms of compatibility,
I think,
there wasn't really much
of a connection.
I just don't think
we have that much in common.
Assuming physically, he wasn't
what she has in her head,
but that piece
you can't manipulate.
And I explained to her
about the aligning core values,
that she didn't give it
enough time
on the parts about him
that are very family-oriented,
commitment-oriented.
And the biggest thing,
that he would let her shine.
Do you feel
it resonated with her,
-you telling her these things?
-[Yasmin] She was
-Or was it also kind of a
-a little bit defensive.
And I think it might've landed
by the end
when she kind of
got excited about us
getting her another match.
-[serene music playing]
-[chuckles]
So, we've gotta find somebody
for both of them.
Exactly. I think with him,
it doesn't hurt
to try just something
very, very different.
Ready to move on.
-All right, let's do it.
-Okay.
[pop music playing,
Nine One One "This Feelin'"]
It doesn't matter
how I got this feelin' ♪
I got this feelin'! ♪
That I'll be alright! ♪
[song concludes]
-Assalamu alaikum, Uneeb.
-Hey, wa alaikum assalam.
Well, I wanted
to catch up with you and see,
since you met with Faryal,
how that went.
So, my date with Faryal
was actually a lot of fun.
I really enjoyed talking to her.
She was really nice.
-She was super kind.
-[music fades]
I don't know. We just got along
really, really well.
[quirky music playing]
So, I'm really into,
like, movies
and TV shows
and stuff like that.
So, I'm into the whole
Comic-Con thing.
A little obsessive
with that stuff.
And I was really excited
after our date.
I was expecting
to go on another one,
to be honest with you.
-[music fades]
-Okay. And what happened?
Then she messaged me,
and was like,
she got more friend vibes.
And she didn't want
to continue.
And I was pretty shocked.
Okay.
So, it was kind of just
-a one-and-done situation.
-[soft music playing]
Yeah, I was a little confused,
because, when, you know,
I was talking to you
and we were like,
"Hey, don't get into
very heavy stuff."
"Don't talk about kids.
Don't talk about marriage yet."
"It's just the first date.
Just feel the person out."
So, I'm taking it easy.
I'm like, "All right, cool."
You know,
I'm just going to vibe.
But maybe because
I took it too easy,
maybe I It seemed like
I wasn't as interested.
I don't know.
But it also made me
my anxiety
was really high, right?
So, that's why I was getting
flustered a little bit.
What did you like about her?
She was very easy to talk to.
She was very understanding.
She didn't know
a lot of the things that
I know about
pop culture and stuff.
She hadn't watched
Back to the Future,
but she promised
she would actually,
watch the movie.
And I'm going to message her
every year and ask her
[laughs] if she watched it,
just to find out,
'cause she told me she would.
[sighs, chuckles] I'm gonna
go ahead and say don't do that.
All right, fine.
I won't do that. [laughs].
Like, if she had
changed her mind,
I probably would've been like,
"Yeah, I'm still down to try.
Like, I would've.
-That seemed very desperate.
-[both laugh]
No. No, I never u
I never like to use that word.
-Yeah.
-Obviously, you know that,
we try to encourage people
to give it
-more than one meeting.
-Yeah.
I think Uneeb is ready
for another match
with a lot of hand-holding.
I don't think that he's ready
to just like go out
into the wild
on his own and do
his own thing completely.
I would love to be stay friends
with her and stuff like that.
-I think she's really sweet.
-You don't need to stay friends.
-I'm just gonna put this out there.
-Okay. [laughs]
[music fades]
[Daniel Murphy
"Turned It All Around"]
Look alive ♪
Watch me dive right in
See the sky ♪
It's so clear
It's blue for miles ♪
[Omar] I've come to Houston
for my third date with Mariam.
The spark was definitely there.
I'm not entirely sure
which way this is gonna go.
This third date
is pretty critical.
-She doesn't like it.
-I like it.
-I like it but
-This is your "I like it" face?
-[both laugh]
-Good to know.
-We're chilling.
-[Omar] Yeah.
[both] We're vibing.
-As you like to say, we're vibing.
-You're getting the lingo.
I went into this process
with Omar.
I took it very seriously.
This is not a joke to me.
Like, when I say
I'm ready for marriage,
I know that is a responsibility.
[Mariam] My dad always says
the moment my mom spoke,
he fell in love with her.
He was like,
"I'm gonna marry that girl."
And I think about that
sometimes.
Like, my grandmother saw,
actually, my dad
before he went to talk
to my grandfather.
And she turned to my mom,
and she said,
"That's your husband."
Yeah, she knew.
My mom was like,
she's like 18 years old.
She's like, "What?"
Then they got married, I think,
after my dad finished
his master's three months later.
And I think it's a very
beautiful love story.
Muslims fantasize a lot
about marriage, their wedding.
This is like how
you become adult
in Muslim culture,
is like, you get married.
And when it starts to get real,
that's how you know.
Omar has to decide what path
does he want to go down.
I need someone to know who I am
and appreciate that Islam
is important to me
and that this is
the right way of doing things.
[folk music playing,
James McLean "Covered in Light']
You cut under the amber ♪
Clear your way
through the shadows ♪
It's hard to see
the darkness when ♪
You're still covered
in the light ♪
[song concludes]
[tense music playing]
[music fades]
[enlightening music playing,
Amira Jazeera "Still Thinkin' Bout Me"]
You're still thinkin'
about me ♪
You're still thinkin'
about me ♪
-[pleasant music playing]
-Salaam alaikum.
Wa alaikum assalam.
What's going on?
-I'm just in my mom-mobile.
-Yes.
[Yasmin] And I'm really excited
to see you
because I know you and Omniya
are going through
questions right now.
I'm very easy to paint.
-I got two eyes and a mouth.
-[chuckles]
-[Fulani] That's it. That's four things.
-[chuckles]
-You know, in one day
-How did that just come
-to your head like that?
-[laughs]
Now, I wanna see
how things were going.
Yeah. Things are solid,
and I'm excited about seeing
the process through.
I talked a little bit
with my family
about the compatibility,
just all my experiences so far,
you know,
and just being
really candid with them.
-[music fades]
-I'm not gonna lie.
There's definitely a couple
of reservations,
especially when it comes to,
you know, her location
where I'm at,
and just the responsibility
that I feel like I still have.
What I'm doing here.
-Yeah. [sniffles]
-Yeah.
It's not that where you start
is where you have to stay.
Look at us.
We started in Cleveland.
And now we've been here
for 20-something years.
You have a beautiful family
that cares about you, loves you.
They're trying
to prioritize your feelings
-and your connections.
-Right.
That's like a gift
from Allah, man.
-It is.
-[Yasmin] And you know,
how are you feeling,
like, in your heart?
Honestly, even though
I do feel some reservations
about Omniya, like,
I'm gonna always maintain
an open heart.
I'm maintaining an open mind.
And I'm steadfast
in the commitment
of the rule of three.
To get to know the individual
and just not look at things
from a superficial standpoint
but just really focus in on,
just like the meat
and the potatoes of,
you know,
what it means to connect
with somebody
and honestly it's just like,
I'm looking forward
to our meeting in D.C.
That's the things
Everything coming
-to a head, you know?
-Yeah.
I have a lot of clients
who I just no longer work with
because they're not really
committed to the process.
In fact, why I feel like
the rules of three
are so important is because
they teach you so much
about yourself,
and they give you
the practical dating experience
you need in order to figure out
what is that really works for me
and what doesn't.
This man is ready
for a committed relationship.
He's actually ready
for marriage.
I really think that meeting her
maybe will give you
-that final decision.
-Mm-hmm.
And inshallah,
it'll get you one step closer
to figuring out
who should be your life partner.
Like, that's gonna be
a really telling sign for me.
Not saying everything's
dependent on that,
but everything
is low-key dependent
-on that, you know?
-[laughs] That
Low-key it's judgment day.
-[both laugh]
-[music fades]
[Guesthouse
"Love You Like Never B4"]
I've made my fair share
of mistakes ♪
I've taken you for granted ♪
One more second
I'm goin' with it ♪
Been out of my mind, my mind
Oh my ♪
[Hoda] You were supposed to meet Mariam
for your third date, right?
I don't think
she wanted to see me.
[song concludes]
So some You guys
It didn't work out.
-Things did not work out.
-Things did not work out.
[pensive music playing]
[Asia] You didn't tell me
about this guy,
and I wanna know what happened.
So, we were supposed
to go on a third date,
but I decided
I didn't want to see him.
She sent me a message saying,
like, "I think
we want different things
in life."
And then after I had, like,
responded saying,
I just, like,
wishing her the best,
she blocked me on Instagram.
-I blocked him on everything.
-[music fades]
I never wanna talk
to this man ever again.
Like, he's just He's immature.
He's ridiculous.
It was the easiest block of my life.
The moment
I knew Omar wasn't for me,
I cut it, because
why am I wasting my time?
I don't like bullshit. I'm like,
"This guy is bullshitting."
I could just see
straight through it.
Like, this guy, he had,
like, a charm about him.
But I was like, "This is fake."
I told him, like,
"We have traditions
in our culture,
especially in our religion."
Like, if you're not
getting married after a year
-Yeah.
-what are you doing?
-We don't have premarital sex.
-[Asia] Yeah.
So, what are you doing
for five years? Like
-[both laugh]
-Like, I don't get it.
I think the moment that I learned
he was a DJ, I should have left.
Mariam obviously was surprised
by your timeline.
She was pissed.
Yeah. But honestly,
I mean, I don't blame her.
I'd be mad if I lost me, too.
-[chuckles]
-[Yasmin] Oh!
-[Omar] So
-Did you just hear that?
I did. [chuckles]
Yeah, yeah. [chuckles]
[tense music playing]
Do you feel like for you and Mariam,
long distance was a factor?
I think, regardless, even if
we were in the same city,
things wouldn't have worked out.
-[Hoda] Okay.
-[music fades]
But I was just curious,
maybe, if, you know,
you guys have
a different perspective.
No, I think, like,
we kinda talked about,
I think you guys brought out
a not great side in each other.
And I think you being closer
wouldn't have changed that.
-[tense music playing]
-[grunts]
I just feel like
it didn't have to explode.
Like [laughs] I'm pissed
just thinking about it.
Like, you just,
you talk to one of them,
you hear one thing.
I don't want to dive into
what she said,
but it turned into her,
like, crying on the phone,
every other phone call.
And then that felt
like every FaceTime became
a little too heavy.
-Yeah.
-You talk to the other one,
you hear the complete opposite.
That did not happen.
There's only one person I've ever cried
in front of in my life
that's not my parents.
[slurps]
And then you're just left
in the middle,
scratching your head of,
"What the hell
actually happened?"
I guess I'm partially to blame
because I didn't set boundaries.
-[music fades]
-I feel like in the first date,
I believe that you brought up
baby names.
[quirky music playing]
I like names that, like, rhyme,
like Talia and Dalia.
[Mariam] Talia's pretty.
Talia and Dalia.
-Dalia, yeah.
-Yeah. I like Musa.
-Musa.
-I want a little moose.
[both chuckle]
-We could call him Moose.
-[laughs]
Hopefully, it's understood
that it's coming from
a playful side of things.
Okay.
-[music fades]
-How can I be serious
within, like, 30 minutes
of knowing you?
[soft tense music playing]
Talking about marriage
and children in a woman's mind,
that's a really,
really big step.
-Yeah.
-[Yasmin] And some women
-would run away from you.
-Uh-huh.
But other women
that are searching
for that commitment,
they're gonna hear that and go,
"Wow, he really likes me."
Yeah. We differed,
I would say, pretty heavily
on what we want.
Okay, so are you really ready
to settle down?
I've been in a phase
where I felt like I was ready
to get married.
Okay.
And I feel when you know,
you know.
And you know pretty quickly.
I also think, like,
we are at the mercy of God.
And if you're not honest
and sincere
and true and you out here,
then you're wasting
everybody's time,
-including yourself.
-Yeah.
And I don't think
God can be fooled.
[music fades]
-[soft dramatic music playing]
-In this process, like you said,
you're nothing
without your honesty,
and I don't feel
that either of them
were honest with themselves
or honest with each other.
I think, like,
during this whole experience,
I realized I'm the shit.
I'm awesome.
I don't deserve this.
Like, even if I do have issues,
they're not like that.
[Asia] Yeah, absolutely.
[Mariam]
If I meet my match naturally,
they need to prove to me
that they're worthy
of me talking to them.
That's when I enter
the dating pool.
Until then, I'm single as a Pringle,
and I'm happy about it.
Okay, as long as you don't go,
like, saying that you're single
as a Pringle, in the future,
-it will be okay.
-[both chuckle]
-I think it's cute. It's a Mariam's thing.
-[Asia laughs] No.
-You're like, it's a fail. Okay.
-[mellow music playing]
[Mariam] So, a part of what
this matchmaking process
has taught me is that
I actually am conservative.
And I think that the thing
with me and Omar
was that I think
the religious bar
for me was so low.
I was so open,
because I really wanted
to try the process.
And I realized
that I am conservative,
and not only am I conservative,
I deserve someone
who is equally
as conservative as me.
Because according to God,
I am the prize.
And I never thought
of it like that before.
[Photronique
"Real Love Will Find a Way"]
[Mariam]
I would rather stay single
than be with someone
who doesn't understand me.
Love will find the way ♪
Real love is worth the wait ♪
I know I'm gonna get married.
It might not be in this life.
Could be in the next life,
but I'm gonna get married.
Allah already wrote it for me.
And I deserve the best.
Someone will see me
for who I am.
I need to hold out for that,
'cause that person will really
be the one that loves me.
find the way, find the way,
Find the way, find the way ♪
[song concludes]
[pop music playing,
Guesthouse "Love Is a Risk"]
Every day I seem to take
another chance ♪
Telling you how
I really feel ♪
Yeah, Love is a risk ♪
One that I want to take ♪
If you believe in love
It's a piece of fate ♪
I think Noureen and Fahim have
a shot at making it work.
At this point,
they have handled getting
to know each other
with a lot of respect
and a lot of openness.
And I'm excited to see
if they can, like,
bring it into
a more serious commitment.
Things are going
so well with Fahim.
There is a thoughtfulness
that was surprising to me.
I've just been single
for, like, a long time.
[chuckles] So, this feels like,
"Oh, somebody else thinks
about me?" That's nice.
We can be fragile like glass ♪
[Noureen]
I want that for myself.
Hearts can be broken fast ♪
[Noureen] But the intrusive
thoughts are creeping in.
Truly, that I was gonna
find out something bad
or something bad
was just gonna happen.
Fahim and I
are very logical people,
and this is a very illogical
thing happening to us.
And I think throughout
this process of dating Fahim,
we have a really special
connection that you can
Don't come by often.
Love is a risk
One that I want to take ♪
-With you ♪
-[song concludes]
[serene music playing]
[Fahim] I'm glad
we're taking advantage
of the one
of the last nice days
-[Noureen chuckles] Of fall?
-in fall in New York
-before it gets too cold.
-[Noureen] Yeah.
-This is a good spot to set up?
-This is good?
-Yeah.
-Yeah. Yeah.
What do you want me to do?
[Fahim] Nothing. I got it.
I'm gonna I have a blanket.
-[Noureen] You have a blanket?
-[Fahim] A nice blanket.
[Noureen] Cute. I could help you
with that part, at least.
-[music fades]
-[clicks tongue] Thank you.
Came prepared, actually.
-[Noureen] Came very prepared.
-[Fahim chuckles]
[Noureen] Oh, my God.
I love chai.
-[Fahim] So we could stay warm.
-[Noureen] Did you make the chai?
[Fahim] I did.
I make a great chai.
I don't believe you.
What's in that bag?
Wait, depends if you like
my chai or not.
[birds chirping]
It's good.
You remember when we went
on our painting date?
[Noureen] Yeah.
[Fahim] And you said
you liked the Murakami bears?
-Yeah.
-I got you something.
[soft tender music playing]
-[gasps] This is so cute.
-[chuckles]
-Oh, my God, thank you.
-[chuckles]
Wait, this is really sweet.
This is actually really cute.
Okay. So what should
we name him?
No, you have to help me.
I'll do the dak nam.
-You do the official name.
-Okay, cool.
-Yeah, yeah.
-Nice, nice loophole.
I feel like it should be
like a "Z" name.
-A "Z"?
-A "Z," I don't know why.
-No, I wasn't.
-[laughs]
But I feel like Zayn
might be good. Your turn.
Babu. I like Babu.
-We can't do that. That's my dad's name.
-[laughs]
[Fahim] Your dad's name's Babu?
-No way! [laughs]
-That's what my mom calls my dad!
-[laughs] No way!
-No, we can't do that.
-We can table it for now.
-Yeah.
We can table it.
-[music fades]
-[pleasant music playing]
[Fahim sighs, clears throat]
So [clears throat]
you know, I recently
It's gonna be
a tough conversation.
I recently had a conversation
with my mom.
About us.
[music fades]
You know, the one thing
that she did
kind of question
or, like, be like,
"Oh," was the age, right?
-[intense music playing]
-[Fahim] And
she said, like, you know,
"We don't normally do that,"
this, that.
[clicks tongue]
Yeah.
How do you feel about that?
Um
[Noureen]
The other shoe has dropped.
Parents are gonna have
an opinion.
And that can be hard
to deal with.
It's disappointing.
But, you know, it just
what Allah has
prescribed for me
is what Allah has
prescribed for me.
And if that's Fahim, it's Fahim.
And if it's not, it's not.
[snivels]
[sniffles]
[music fades]
-[soft dramatic music playing]
-[Fahim sighs]
I don't really know.
I've never had
this problem before,
so I don't really know
how to handle it.
Right? Like, I'm really close
to my parents,
and so, like,
I already told them
you're younger than me
and my parents don't care.
That's good.
So, you know, I understand
where my mom
is coming from, like, right?
It's cultural. Like, it's what
she knows best, right?
But I do feel like
our parents' issues
are things for us
to handle, right?
So, like, you're gonna have
to handle your mom
and her issues with my age.
Obviously, I want your mom
to like me
and I wanna get along with her
and stuff like that.
But if she has a problem
with my age,
that's something
that I cannot actually control.
-Right, right.
-So, that's your realm.
Does that make sense?
Someone's concerns about my age
shouldn't be a problem.
Everyone's opinion
does matter, right?
But at the end of the day,
it is just us
and what we're doing together.
We're a two-person team.
[music fades]
Yeah, no, it totally
makes sense. I agree, right?
It's something that
I'm gonna continue
having conversation
with my mom about.
And like you said,
it's gonna be my battle,
-right?
-Yeah.
I can break some barriers, right?
-[both laugh]
-You don't always have to do
as society or culture
wants you to do, right?
Like, you know, who cares
if you don't follow all the "rules"?
[pleasant music playing]
Putting our relationship
in a box, a bit unfair.
Yeah.
-It's me and you.
-[both laugh]
So you know how in Bangladesh, right?
After a wedding or when
they're celebrating something,
what do you always have
at the end of the day?
-Mishti.
-And anything specific?
-Doi?
-Doi, yeah.
Yeah. So I got some doi
-to celebrate. [chuckles]
-You got doi for us. [chuckles]
[music fades]
-We'll just go right in. Ready?
-[Noureen] Okay.
[both] Cheers. [chuckles]
[Noureen]
What are we celebrating?
This going well.
[victorious music playing]
I really respect both of them
for sticking to the process
and trusting the process.
Very, very commendable.
I really hope
that they can see eye-to-eye
and walk down the aisle.
[Fahim]
[Noureen] You still have
to give him a dak nam. I didn't forget.
We live in a day and age where it's like
if you ask something
too intentional or too deep,
it becomes, like, weird and abnormal,
and it's almost like
you've lost sight
of what the purpose is, right?
The purpose is partnership.
The purpose is finding
a strong connection with somebody.
I've realized
that I have just let
a handful
of negative experiences
dictate how I feel,
and it's time
to just let that go.
The fear exists,
but I also know who I am,
and I know what I bring
to the table,
and I know how I love.
-[Noureen]
-[both laugh]
[Fahim] What are the odds?
[Noureen laughs]
No. Yeah, I know.
-[music fades]
-[uplifting music playing]
[music fades]
[Menshiva]
I see you've made us tea.
-[all chuckle]
-Yeah, yeah,
have some green tea.
The blue one is,
-no sugar.
-[Menshiva] Okay.
I also put out some snacks
for you guys.
I don't know if I told you guys,
but I have been working
with a matchmaker.
-Oh, interesting.
-Yeah. So her name is Hoda.
-[whimsical music playing]
-And it's been pretty good.
I mean, at this point,
like, whatever helps,
-whatever works.
-[laughs]
[Uneeq] How long he's been
wanting to get married?
-Since he was a baby.
-[both laugh]
[Uneeq] I think he's been
a bit unlucky.
And he also needs to focus
about what he doesn't want.
And I think
that will help guide him
in finding the correct person.
Full disclosure, I actually have
already met one person.
-Oh. Okay.
-Yeah.
So, tell us all about it.
-Let me grab my tea.
-[all laugh]
-[Uneeb] Ready for the tea.
-Ready for the tea.
-[chuckles]
-[gulps, smacks lips]
So, we had a really great date,
I thought.
But she told me
that she got "Friend vibes."
She knew what she wanted.
[clicks tongue]
Unfortunately, it wasn't me.
But, you know, she stuck to it,
so I respect that.
I think one of the things
that I'll probably want to do
is try to have them know
my intentions
a little bit more,
so that I don't get
friend-zoned.
I feel if I see the person
and I'm interested,
I should show that
a little bit more,
which is interesting,
because being Muslim,
I'm very reserved,
and I don't like to
-The halal gap.
-[Uneeb] Yeah. [laughs]
I think the first time we met,
I kept bumping into her.
Like when we were walking.
-So, there wasn't much halal.
-[all laugh]
Oh, yeah, that's right!
Oh, my gosh.
I remember walking
and he's like,
-kept bumping into me. And I'm like,
-[Uneeq laughs]
-"Do you know how to walk straight?"
-[all laugh]
So, your game
is just being clumsy?
-[Menshiva] Yeah, pretty much.
-[Uneeb] That's what I need to do.
[Menshiva]
That's what you need to do.
[Uneeb] I need to be clumsy
-and uncoordinated.
-Then you can get this girl.
Yeah. I mean, it happens,
But it's hard not to get
in your head about it
-[Menshiva] Of course.
-a little bit.
Rejection sucks regardless.
-I like the matchmaking process.
-[somber music playing]
I just feel like other people
aren't following the rules
[chuckles]
that I'm following.
You're a great catch.
You are a great person.
People that don't see
how great of a person,
the gem of a person you are,
I kinda feel bad for them.
[all laugh]
He's just an overall
genuine person with anyone,
especially with his family.
He's there for us,
100% all the way.
When you do meet someone,
you just don't show
your true self
-right away, you know?
-[Uneeb] Yeah.
It's like a superhero.
You're into superheroes,
but you are one.
You're great.
But that other person
that's inside that costume
is just as important.
Just be transparent.
Just show her what you are.
[melancholy music playing]
[Uneeb] When
you're growing up in America,
there's no one place
to feel accepted.
Comic books
were a big part of my life.
I do feel like they made me
a little bit of who I am.
The first time I learned about
what an electrical engineer was
with Tony Stark, and then
I was like, you know what,
that's something I wanna be.
Comic books definitely helped me
through some tough times.
I was selected to work
on the Freedom Tower,
now known
as World Trade Center Tower 1.
It was really exciting.
But unfortunately,
there was a lot
of hostility there.
There would be signs
and flyers all over
the construction site saying,
"No Muslims at Ground Zero".
I still remember
the things people would say
and how the elevator conductors
wouldn't wait for me
and they would purposely,
like, leave me on the floors.
And I was just a kid.
I was just in my 20s.
But, you know,
I knew it was important,
so I took it on the chin.
I learned about responsibility
from comic books.
So, it's one of those things
where you never know
where wisdom comes from.
I think about it with pride
more than I think about it
from a trauma perspective.
I so Go on Instagram,
and I sometimes
go to World Trade Center [chuckles]
and I just see people,
taking pictures there.
And it feels good
that I worked on that,
no matter what it took.
One day, I'll be able to take
my kids and tell them,
"Hey, I worked
on that building."
I chose to be part
of this amazing project
and be able to say that
a Muslim worked on it.
I'm very ready for my partner.
I've had a lot
of successes in life,
and I've had a lot
of sadness in life.
And I think
that's one of the things
about having a partner
that makes it so wonderful,
because you're never
by yourself.
You're a team.
And I definitely want
someone on my team
and wanna be on their team.
[music fades]
[somber music playing
Windel M. Edwards "Do It Now"]
[Fulani] The way I didn't even
tell y'all to pose.
Just being able to shoot y'all,
especially now in this moment.
It's such a full circle moment,
right?
-First of all, you shot us
-Such a full circle.
in this park
when we got engaged.
-I forgot!
-[Monifa] Then you shot
our wedding in May.
Muhammed is one
of my close friends.
You know, I was introduced
to Monifa,
-as a friend of Muhammed.
-[solemn music playing]
[Fulani]
She started off as the homie,
and then they were able
to flip it
into some romantic love stuff.
I'm trying to get
like y'all at this point.
I think so many
of our clients think
that the finish line
is getting married,
finding somebody to married.
It's not. It's staying married.
-And
-[Yasmin] Yes.
a huge part
of that is gonna start
right at the beginning,
'cause did you choose
the right person
and the right things
that you should care about?
Hoda talks about the voluntariness
of a relationship.
Every single day,
you should say to your spouse,
I am choosing you today,
and I'm choosing you tomorrow,
and I might not choose you
in the future
if you don't choose me, too.
You wanna be with somebody
who you feel
that there's
a strong connection with.
-100%. 100%.
-[Muhammed] Yeah. Yeah.
We're really,
like, best friends.
And I mean,
I think that's, like,
the best part.
Even on the bad days,
I'm like, "That's my homie."
-Yeah, I would still choose her
-Yeah. Yeah.
no matter what.
You know, watching
the respect that he had for her
and, you know, how he honored
the platonic side
of their relationship,
I can see why
even though there wasn't
an initial connection
that I felt
was strong with Omniya,
there was a lot of things
that did show,
congruency, alignment,
and compatibility.
-Allah truly provides.
-Have faith.
And I You know, I'm gonna
always hold you down.
-[both chuckle]
-I'm gonna always hold you down.
I love you.
And I want the best for you.
And I want this spouse,
whoever it is,
to be there for you.
For you to be there for them,
-you know?
-[Fulani] Yes, sir.
-Come on.
-[Fulani] Inshallah, Ameen.
-Inshallah, Ameen.
-You smell good.
Do I have a decision
in my mind about Omniya?
Omniya's somebody who's
I enjoy talking to.
She's extremely insightful.
Me and Omniya, we might be like,
you know what?
We thought it wasn't here,
but we had to go
this other way to romance,
maybe a different route.
[pleasant music playing,
Guesthouse "I'm Shining"]
So good, so good
I'm shining ♪
I'm shining ♪
No bad news
can bring me down ♪
Set me back
Come back around ♪
Living it up
Living it loud ♪
Ten feet tall
Head in the clouds ♪
'Cause right now ♪
[Fulani] Honestly,
I'm really excited,
and I'm hopeful.
This could be the person.
This could be it.
This just might be
my forever person.
And I'm open
to that possibility.
[song concludes]
[cheerful upbeat
music playing]
[music fades]