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How to perform nikah (nikkah)
A quick guide to how to perform a nikah (nikkah):
We'll cover: who, what, when, where, and why?
Who must be present?
There must be at least five people present.
The groom
The bride
The bride's guardian
The first witness
The second witness
Who is a woman's guardian?
Her father, grandfather, uncle, brother, or similar.
What if the woman has no guardian?
Then a responsible authority from Muslim leadership should assist her.
What is the guardian's purpose?
To guarantee the groom is a truthful, capable, and upright person worthy of marrying the bride.
Who can be a witness?
Any upright, adult, male Muslim.
Who performs the wedding ceremony?
The woman's guardian performs the wedding; that's all that's needed for it to be Islamically valid.
What about the Imam/Officiant?
There's no stipulation for an Imam to perform the wedding; this is a function of government registration or a lack of a guardian.
What must be done?
A mahr (mehr) must be named, if not it defaults to the customary norm
An offer of marriage from the bride or her guardian.
An acceptance from the groom.
Any phrases that indicate these are acceptable.
The guardian's approval.
The witnesses being present and attesting to the offer and acceptance.
The marriage should be announced.
What's a typical way a wedding happens:
The guardian says to the groom I offer you my daughter's hand in marriage according to Allah's book and His messenger's Sunnah, do you accept?
The groom says: I accept your daughter's hand in marriage according to Allah's book and His messenger's Sunnah.
The witnesses attest to this.
The bride and groom are congratulated with the Prophetic supplication:
BärakAllah lakuma, wa bäraka Alaikumaz wa Jama' baynakuma fi Khair.
The wedding is concluded. People usually congratulate the bride and groom at this moment, and sweets are sometimes shared.
When should all this be done?
There is no special time, day or place for a wedding to be performed.
There are no disliked times, days, months, or places either.
Should the offer be made before the acceptance or the acceptance before the offer? Either are fine.
When must the mahr (mehr) be given? It should be given when agreed upon by the couple.
When should the Walima be held? It can be held immediately after the nikah (nikkah) ceremony, or anytime thereafter.
Where can a Nikah be held?
Anywhere.
Can it be held online?
Yes, but only if the identities of all those above in "who" are confirmed.
Why is marriage important in Islam?
It is a means for fulfilling legitimate sexual desire.
It is a means for having children.
It is a means of protecting oneself from fornication and adultery.
It is a means to share one's life to find tranquility, love, and mercy in another person.
It is a means of building families and communities then the Ummah as a whole.
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