[1] Sarah Joseph co-founded the magazine with her husband, Mahmud al-Rashid, in September 2003.

[2][3] Joseph was the magazine's editor, and al-Rashid was a volunteer publisher and editor-in-chief.

[4] It was the first mainstream Muslim magazine in the UK to experience cross-over interest from non-Muslim readers and its circulation reached 30 countries.

[5] Writing in the Journal of Middle East Women's Studies in 2010, Reina Lewis claimed: "For emel, lifestyle has the potential to situate modern Muslim practices as part of contemporary consumer culture while simultaneously celebrating Islam's historical heritage.

"[6] Lloyds TSB partnered with emel to launch what it claimed is the first user-generated content driven community website targeting British Muslims, as part of a campaign to promote the national rollout of its sharia-friendly banking services.