Family Background:
My name is Sharif. I’m 25 years old. My father is from Pakistan and is a physician of internal medicine. My mother is a retired nurse and is a white American convert to Islam. I was born and raised in a relatively small town in western New York State called Hornell, which is my mother’s hometown.

Life Goals:
The central ambition that guides all of my endeavors is a longing for truth and the pleasure of my Creator. Accordingly, I try to organize my life around the complementary goals of moral/spiritual growth and academic pursuit. I have an intense passion for learning—as well as writing and teaching—which I hope to share with my future wife. My main interests are Islamic studies (especially Quranic studies), Biblical studies, and philosophy of religion.

Besides my career goals (see below), my dream is to live a calm, happy, and simple life in the service of God and in the company of a loving wife and children. I hope to rear my children with a strong moral sense, religious consciousness, social awareness, and intellectual foundation for their faith, so that hopefully they will be assets to Islam and to the world. 

Education and Career Goals:
My career goal is to be an academic specializing in Quranic studies, specifically the literary appreciation of the Quran and the study its traditions with reference to their Judeo-Christian literary and historical context.  My hope is that insights into these fields will benefit both Muslims and non-Muslims with a deeper appreciation of the Quran and even provide some people with a strong basis for conviction.

I am currently completing my last year of undergraduate studies at the University of Washington (in Seattle), in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. Before moving to Seattle, I spent three years in Irving, Texas, where I studied Arabic at Bayyinah Institute and subsequently worked as a writer and researcher, and authored a book with Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan called Divine Speech: Exploring the Quran as Literature.  I still continue to work for Bayyinah as a researcher, through which I fund my education at UW.  After completing my undergrad, I plan to pursue a MA and PhD focusing on Quranic and Biblical studies.

Finances:
Alhamdulillah, I am already financially independent. In addition to my work with Bayyinah, I make a sizeable yearly income through investments that I share with my father. Once I complete my studies, I intend to also pursue a teaching career on the university level.

Personality:
In terms of personality, I am very laid back in my interactions with others but serious about my own responsibilities. I spend most of my time learning. There are few things more enjoyable for me than to find some time at home to relax between my duties, whether through picking up a book that interests me, watching a lecture, having a meaningful conversation, tuning into an online news show, or even on occasion watching some Japanese animation. I also love writing and it is the primary avenue through which I hope to enact change in the world and serve the needs of others. I see my niche in the world as closing some of the intellectual gaps I see in the Muslim community, such as in how we appreciate the Quran or think analytically and philosophically about important matters in our faith.

I hope to be for my future wife a source of emotional and spiritual support, intellectual nourishment, caring advice, and financial stability, and look forward to a fulfilling life in the service of God and in raising a loving family—bi idhni ’llāh.

What I Am Looking For:
There are four main qualities I seek in a potential spouse; all of them are essential for me and so are listed in no particular order. First, physical attraction and chemistry is of course of great importance to me. In connection to that, I would prefer to marry someone younger than me or around my age. Second, I desire a religiously committed Muslim girl with whom I can share my spiritual journey and continually work with in pursuit of higher goals. Third, I desire someone who has a strong intellectual curiosity and passion for learning, especially the Quran. Because learning, teaching, the exchange of ideas and intellectual growth are so important to me, this is something I hope will provide a significant part of the basis for our relationship. Moreover, I want someone with whom I can learn a little bit of the Quran every day, studying it, memorizing it, and appreciating its benefits, gems, and miracles. Finally, I desire someone who is extremely loving. I want my wife to be my dearest and closest companion, and my constant source of love, support, affection, and repose, and I also want to represent that for her.