Getting married in Islam

[glo]

What exactly happens at an Islamic wedding?
I understand that it takes place in a mosque, and two witnesses need to be present ... but apart from that, what do the bride and groom say to each other? Is there a declaration? What roles do the witnesses play? Is anything signed?

Also - just in case anybody know the answer to this - do Muslims (in the Western world) tend to get married legally (i.e. in a registry office) too? Or do they often just get married Islamiccaly, but remain legally unmarried?

For those, who do have more than one wife, it is obviously impossible to marry more than one woman legally ...

Thanks. I'm just being nosey! :rollseyes

[Malaikah]

:sl:

Not so sure about how they officially get married. The bare minimum, as far as I know, is that you need two witnesses, the girls guardian and the groom. I'm not sure if shaykh needs to be there. All they have to do to be married is for the guardian to offer the girl to the husband and the husband says yes (having meet previous conditions of course, such as everyone entering the marriage willingly, correct ages/religions etc).

And then you have the actual wedding party which differs from culture to culture.

Most people will also marry legally so that they can be recognise as a married couple and receive the benefits and security entitled to married couples.

Obviously polygamous families can not be recognised legally, but I don't know if it is illegal for them to marry by Islamic law.

[shev]

In Turkey you have to get married legally . Because it is secular country. so for that reason people get married in both religously and legally. but it is because mosques don't have right to give a written page. I also wonder how it is in other islamic countries?

[tomtomsmom]

I have been to one Islamic wedding. My husbands best friend did it at his house. They had the Imam come there. I wasn't allowed inside during the talk so I have no idea what was said, but hubby told me some stuff. The Imam read from the Quran and asked each family if they accepted the marriage. It took about 10 minutes and then the party started. The Imam that did it also has the power to legally marry people (like a preacher would) so they had a marriage license and everyone signed it. So they are married both ways now:D

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[Chechen]

In Chechnya the couple has to first go see a group of elders who have to make sure that both of the sides' families agree about the marriage. Then the couple is taken to an imam and I'm not sure what happens during that time but he is the one who marries them and after that there's a sort of party which is organised at the husbands house and anyone is welcome to come, during the party there's enormous tables full of food and people just sit, talk and eat and then at the end they start dancing the traditional Chechen dance. But during the party, aside the dancing moment, the men and women are in seperate rooms and the husband isn't even allowed in the house during the party he has to stay in another house where his friends can stay with him.

[Muslim Knight]

:sl:

Not so sure about how they officially get married. The bare minimum, as far as I know, is that you need two witnesses, the girls guardian and the groom. I'm not sure if shaykh needs to be there. All they have to do to be married is for the guardian to offer the girl to the husband and the husband says yes (having meet previous conditions of course, such as everyone entering the marriage willingly, correct ages/religions etc).

The shaykh is someone who is delegated the task to perform the ceremony. He is the one who says, "[Groom name], I marry you to [bride's name]..." if not the guardian of the bride himself. He is usually appointed by the religious authority, the Qadi and whatnot.

And then you have the actual wedding party which differs from culture to culture.

This is known as Walimatul Urus. In short, Walimah.

[Ra`eesah]

My husband and I had to get married by the courts because of documents and paper work otherwise I don't think we would have. Also one of my friends had to get married through the courts as well because they wouldn’t let her newborn daughter take her fathers name because they were not "legally married.

by the way " Hier stehe ich, ich kann nicht anders."It didn't let you put the whole thing in did it?

[glo]

by the way " Hier stehe ich, ich kann nicht anders."It didn't let you put the whole thing in did it?

I am very impressed! :thumbs_up
No, I didn't have enough space to put it in. :)

The whole quote goes 'Hier stehe ich. Ich kann nicht anders. Gott helfe mir! Amen'
Spoken by Martin Luther in 1521, when he had to defend his theological views against the Church.

Sometimes I think I know how he must have felt, when I read the heated religious debates in this forum and others ...
By the end of the day, I can only follow God in the best way he has revealed to me - and I have to rise above what other people think I should or shouldn't believe.

I can do nothing else. May God help me! :)

Peace, sister