The Muslim wedding, also known as the Nikah ceremony, is one of the most celebrated occasions in Islam because marriage is a Prophetic tradition. With more than 1.9 billion Muslims around the world, the traditions followed at a wedding can differ greatly depending on families, sects, and cultures but the fundamentals of the Nikah ceremony and getting married as a Muslim are always the same.
Traditionally, the Nikah ceremony often takes place in a mosque and the leader or imam of the mosque officiates the Nikah. Most couples will set up a time for the Nikah and invite family and friends to attend the ceremony. In the Islamic tradition, the Nikah is supposed to be as simple as possible, so as not to place a financial burden on the couple.
Nowadays, it’s also common to have the Nikah ceremony either at a venue or at the bride’s house, and depending on the family, the event can become quite glamorous as people tend to mix Islamic and Western traditions.
The Meaning of the Nikah Ceremony
The Nikah is a religious ceremony for a Muslim couple to be legally wed under Islamic law. It’s a Prophetic tradition and the only permissible way that a man and woman can be married. This ceremony makes the wedding official because in the Islamic tradition it’s not permissible for a couple to be intimate without a Nikah. The Nikah legitimizes the relationship in front of God and it’s when the couple says, “I accept.”
“Marriage in Islam is a blessing,” says Imam Steve Mustafa Elturk, “and it is considered a very important part of faith.”
