The Rishta Nata (RN) Process is described as follows:

The candidates or their family members can register and create a profile on www.rishtanata.us. Once the profile is submitted, username (same as email address) and a temporary password is sent to the contact email provided in the application. It is recommended to log in to the RN site as soon as possible, go to “My Account” and change your password.

Each application is reviewed by the National Secretary and if found complete and genuine, assigned to a member (facilitator) of the team. This RN team member becomes the primary contact for the candidate. You will be notified about the details of the facilitator via an email; you can also find the facilitator details and his/her contact information under “My Account”. Usually but not always, the facilitator is from the same geographical area. If for any reason, you would like to have a particular member of the team as your facilitator, please contact the National Secretary.

If you are a member of the US Jama’at, you will be able to “Find a Match” after your profile has been verified.  According to the criteria you use, you will have access to limited portion of a certain number of profiles without disclosing their identity, i.e., name, date of birth (age will show instead), family information and Jama‘at.

Out of the available profiles, you may select up to three at a time and submit them for consideration. Your request will be submitted to the facilitator assigned to you. Your facilitator will review all the choices that you have submitted and will discuss available options with you.

If there is interest shown by you and any of the other candidates whom you have selected, and with the knowledge of both parties, full profiles can be shared with both parties and they will each be notified accordingly. If there are profiles for you to review, you will also see this message under “Profiles to view” under “My Account”.

If a profile has been shared with you, you will not be able to perform any further ‘Search’ while that profile is still under consideration. However, if you decide not to pursue that profile, please notify your facilitator; your ‘Search’ option will be re-activated.

Similarly, if you have already submitted three profiles, you will not be able to perform any further search until you delete some or all of the previously selected profiles. You may do so by going to "My Preferences" under "My Account".  

The RN Department strongly encourages the interested parties to share photographs directly, after initial interest has been expressed. However, the RN Department may share photographs with the interested party at your request.

While the RN Department will make every effort to verify the credentials of the candidates, it should be noted that the responsibility of the RN team is only to facilitate contact between the families. Subsequent discussions, further verification of the credentials and moral character, and final decisions are the responsibility of the candidates and their families.

The RN Department strongly encourages you to continue to pursue any and all other options available to you. However, in keeping with the best Islamic practices, if there is a Rishta under consideration, the RN Department should be notified and no further ‘Search’ should be made until the decision on the Rishta under consideration has been finalized.

Please feel free to contact your facilitator, or the National Secretary for any further clarification.