Answer
Wa `alaykum as-Salamu wa Rahmatullahiwa 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 his response to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
The service, as stated and publicized by them, is fine; however, I would prefer to call it ‘Islamic Matchmaking’ rather than ‘Halal Dating.’ Dating has connotations that are not palatable to the Islamic taste.
Having served as an Imam serving the Muslim community in Toronto, Canada, for almost four decades, I consider such services very crucial.
As Muslims, we ought to propagate marriage at a time when it is dying and becoming increasingly unpopular among the new generations. Sadly enough, the percentage of young men and women tying the knots are fewer as compared to those who simply become complacent about marriage, or keep postponing it indefinitely until they end up as lifelong bachelors.
It is, therefore, important that as a community we should encourage creative ways of facilitating marriages. Helping people to meet prospective candidates for marriage in a clean setting is definitely an important step. It should be followed up by other educational incentives promoting marriage as well courses on anger management and strategies on building a successful marriage.
In conclusion, those who have come up with this novel idea should be commended. I would urge the parents to encourage their sons and daughters who are of marriageable age to make use of such services.
Allah Almighty knows best.