Answer
Wa `alaykum as-salamu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
1- Your question indicates that you are seeking halal and therefore, it is our advice to put your full trust in Allah the Almighty and seek His help by means of duaa (supplication) and istighfar (asking Allah for forgiveness).
2- You can also seek the help of the imam of a nearby Islamic Center and righteous Muslim sisters in your community to get a good proposal.
In her response to your question, the prominent Muslim scholar and Da`iyah, Zeinab Mostafa, states:
First of all, I pray to Allah the Almighty that He gives you the righteous husband you are looking for.
Dear daughter, you should know very well that you are searching for what is halal and that you are not seeking the haram. You should try to attend social gatherings, family gatherings, participate in social activities in the mosque and in the community so that people get to know you closely.
This might help you in your quest for marriage. There is nothing wrong in asking for marriage and there should never be embarrassment in this regard because you are not asking for anything that is haram.
There is nothing wrong if you think you are getting older and chances of marriage are lessening, that you use any of the Islamic matrimonial services online, provided that you take all the precautions and follow the right procedures.
You cannot depend on the Internet when deciding on this major decision in your life. You have to agree and meet in person in the presence of your family to get to know each other and then proceed with the marriage arrangements.
If you are rejected, that is all right; consider it that Allah the Almighty does not want this marriage to happen. As for being teased, you should not worry about that and make sure that you choose your husband carefully.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.