The honest questions

Things every committee asks before they sign up.

All of them, in one place. If yours is not here, write to us and a person answers, usually the same day.

Is Barakah really free?

Yes. Free events stay free, with no cap on attendees and no card on file, branded pages, QR check-in, committee roles, and a Hijri-aware calendar all included. We only charge when you sell paid tickets, and only on the tickets you actually sell.

How much do paid tickets cost?

Six per cent of the ticket price plus a dollar a ticket, all in, with card processing already included. Nothing monthly, nothing to set up, and nothing if an event does not sell. On a forty-five dollar ticket that is $3.70 to us. The fee comes out of the payment, so you never receive an invoice from us.

Can I sell in my own currency?

Yes. Price your programs in your own currency and Stripe pays out to your own bank account, in your own money, on your own schedule. We have organisers in Sydney, London, Riyadh, Dubai, Doha, Kuala Lumpur, Toronto and Chicago, and nobody has to work out an exchange rate to attend a halaqah.

Who owns the attendee data?

You do, completely. Export it or delete it whenever you like and it leaves with you. We never market to your attendees, never sell the data, and never use it to promote anyone else's program. Card details go straight to Stripe and never touch our servers.

How does QR check-in work?

Every ticket carries a QR code. On the night your volunteers open the scanner on their own phones, point the camera at the ticket, and the answer comes back in under a second: checked in, already in, or not valid for this event. There is nothing to install and no hardware to hire, and several people can scan at once on different doors while the count stays in sync.

What if somebody forgets their ticket?

Search their name on the door and check them in by hand. It happens at every event and it takes about four seconds. You can also add someone who never booked at all, if you decide to let them in.

What happens to my page if I cancel?

Nothing is held hostage. Your page stays live until you take it down, your contact list is yours to export at any moment, and any money Stripe still owes you is paid out on the normal schedule. There is no notice period and no exit fee, because we would rather you stayed by choice.

Can my whole committee manage one event?

Yes, and roles decide what each person can open. An admin can do everything except billing, an editor can build pages and email the list, and a steward on the door sees the roster and nothing else, never your revenue and never your contacts. Invite as many people as you need at no extra cost.

Can I match my organisation's branding?

Yes. Set your logo, colours and fonts once in the brand kit and every page, ticket and email follows. If you want your own web address, that is thirty dollars a month and we handle the setup with you.

Do you handle refunds?

Yes. Refund a booking in full or in part from the attendee list and Stripe returns the money to the card it came from, usually within five working days. Our fee comes back to you as well, so a refunded ticket costs you nothing. You write your own refund policy and it is shown before anybody pays.

Can I run courses, not just one-off events?

Yes. Sell a whole term in one enrolment, offer instalments, or let somebody try a single class first. Students get the joining link before every session, the recordings if they miss one, and a certificate at the end if you issue them. A course can be taught in a room, over video, or at their own pace.

We already use another platform. Is moving hard?

No. Keep running what you have and put your next program on Barakah. Import your list as a CSV from Eventbrite, TryBooking, Humanitix or a spreadsheet, and duplicates are matched on email rather than created twice. Most organisers move one event, see how the night goes, and bring the rest across afterwards.

Is my money safe?

Payments run entirely through Stripe, which is PCI DSS Level 1 certified, the same standard the banks are held to. The money is paid into your own Stripe account, not ours, and we never hold your funds. Every page and email is served over HTTPS and attendee records are encrypted at rest.

What if I need help the night before?

You get a person, not a ticket queue. Call us, jump on a video call, or ask a question by email and we answer in the evenings, because that is when committees actually work. For a first large program we can be on site on the day to set up the scanners with your stewards.

Why do you give ten per cent away?

Because a platform serving the ummah should be part of it. Ten per cent of what we earn is given as sadaqah every quarter, to a charity you choose, on behalf of your organisation, and you get the receipt to show your community. It comes out of our share, never yours.

Still unsure

Ask a person instead.

Write to us and somebody answers, usually the same day, and often in the evening because that is when committees actually work.

Your turn

Answered? Put your first program up.

Free to start, no credit card, and nothing to cancel if you never sell a ticket.

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