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Nikah: marriage questions answered by scholars

This topic has 7 questions. Each is a short summary of a qualified scholar’s answer, with a link to the full fatwa.

About this topic

Nikah is the Islamic marriage contract. It is made through an offer (ijab) and an acceptance (qabul) between the bride and groom, or people acting for them, in one sitting, in the presence of witnesses and with a mahr agreed. In many communities an imam or nikah khwan leads the ceremony, recites a short sermon (khutbah) and helps record the details in a document such as the nikahnama, and many countries also ask couples to register the marriage under civil law.

Because a nikah is both an act of worship and a contract, people often have practical questions about it: who may attend and where it can be held, how the offer and acceptance should be worded, which customs at the ceremony are appropriate, when the walima should be held, and whom one may marry. The questions below were answered by qualified scholars at the sources credited with each one; we summarise them in our own words and link to every full answer.

Questions and answers

  • Would a nikah with a Christian woman who accepts his conditions be valid, and is it advisable?

    A man asked whether his nikah would be valid with a woman from his workplace who was raised Buddhist, became Christian five years ago, and agrees to no alcohol or pork at home, halal food only and a Muslim upbringing for the children. The respected scholar known as the Ifta Research Fellow, with the answer checked by Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera and Mufti Zubair Patel, replied that the nikah would be valid if she is Christian in her own belief and not merely through her parents, and that her earlier Buddhism does not change this. The answer adds that marrying a Christian woman while living in a non-Muslim country is makruh tahrimi, a grade it describes as close to haram. It warns that promises made before marriage can be hard to keep, for example the home may later drift on alcohol, and that couples often disagree about raising children once they arrive. It notes that if the couple separate the children may end up raised outside Islam, so it does not recommend this marriage.

    Answered by Ifta Research Fellow, FatwaCentre.org (via IslamQA.org)Summarised on Nikkup

    Read the full fatwa on IslamQA.orgOpen this question on its own page

  • Is it permissible to scatter dates over the guests at a nikah?

    The asker wanted to know whether scattering dates over people at a nikah is permissible. Maulana Abid Attari Madani answered that it is permissible, citing a report that the Prophet had dates scattered at some marriages and that Imam Abu Hanifa saw no harm in the practice. The answer says taking the scattered items is fine when the host allows it, and notes that Ibn Abi Layla disliked it on analogy, a view the answer sets aside because of the reports and common custom. It adds two cautions: since nikahs are often held in mosques, doing it there would breach the mosque's etiquette, and dates should not be thrown where they will be trampled or wasted in drains or mud.

    Answered by Maulana Abid Attari Madani, Dar-ul-Ifta Ahl-e-Sunnat (Dawat-e-Islami)Fatwa #FatwaQA-035Summarised on Nikkup

    Read the full fatwa on FatwaQA.comOpen this question on its own page

  • Is it permissible for a Muslim woman to marry a man raised Muslim who does not pray?

    A woman asked whether she may marry a man who was raised Muslim but does not pray. Mufti Ebrahim Desai answered that in choosing a spouse the most important quality to look for is religiousness and good character, and that other considerations come second. The answer reasons that someone who neglects the rights of his Lord is unlikely to fulfil the rights of his wife. It cites the hadith that a woman is married for her religion, wealth and beauty, and advises choosing the one with religion, and it advises against marrying a person who does not pray, because spouses should help each other practise Islam, and the wife may become lax herself. The answer is framed as advice, not a ruling on validity.

    Answered by Mufti Ebrahim Desai, Darul Iftaa MahmudiyyahFatwa #41680Summarised on Nikkup

    Read the full fatwa on askimam.orgOpen this question on its own page

  • Is a nikah valid if the officiant never said 'I have given her to you' but asked the groom if he accepted?

    A woman asked whether her nikah is valid, since the officiant told the groom that he had given the bride's name in marriage with her father's permission and a stated mahr, then asked if he accepted, without using the words 'to you'. The respected scholar, an Ifta Research Fellow at FatwaCentre.org, answered that the nikah is valid. The offer was directed at the groom and everyone present understood his reply as acceptance. The answer relies on a statement from Ibn Abidin's commentary that a mistake in naming is harmless when the person is present and pointed to, because pointing identifies someone more reliably than a name. It does not discuss other wordings.

    Answered by Ifta Research Fellow, FatwaCentre.org (via IslamQA.org)Summarised on Nikkup

    Read the full fatwa on IslamQA.orgOpen this question on its own page

  • Is it permissible to marry in Muharram, and when should the walima be held?

    The questioner asked whether it is allowed to marry in the month of Muharram or on the day after Eid ul-Adha, and whether the nikah and walima may be held on the same day. Mufti Ebrahim Desai answered that Islam sets no prohibition on marrying in any particular month, and Muharram, being one of the sacred months, is a permissible time. The walima is a sunnah meal that is best held after the marriage is consummated. If it is held earlier, it is still valid. The reply does not go into other customs about wedding dates.

    Answered by Mufti Ebrahim Desai, Darul Iftaa MahmudiyyahFatwa #36598Summarised on Nikkup

    Read the full fatwa on askimam.orgOpen this question on its own page

  • Can a bride's guardian demand money for the nikah on top of mahr and dowry?

    The question concerned a custom in some areas where a girl's father or guardian demands a large sum for giving her in nikah, kept separate from her mahr and dowry and taken for himself. Mufti Fuzail Raza Attari answered that demanding and accepting such money is impermissible and haram, because it amounts to a bribe. The reply adds that the person who took it must repent and return the money to the one it was taken from.

    Answered by Mufti Fuzail Raza Attari, Dar-ul-Ifta Ahl-e-Sunnat (Dawat-e-Islami)Summarised on Nikkup

    Read the full fatwa on FatwaQA.comOpen this question on its own page

  • Can non-Muslim relatives enter the masjid to attend a nikah?

    A couple who had both recently accepted Islam wanted the bride's non-Muslim father and another relative to be present at their nikah in the masjid. Mufti Ebrahim Desai replied that non-Muslim relatives may come into the masjid, provided they dress appropriately and respect its sanctity. The answer is about entering the masjid only; it does not discuss whether they can serve as the witnesses of the nikah.

    Answered by Mufti Ebrahim Desai, Darul Iftaa MahmudiyyahFatwa #14528Summarised on Nikkup

    Read the full fatwa on askimam.orgOpen this question on its own page

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