Muslim (Sahih) Marriage Rituals & Traditions
Introduction
Page
Did you know that in India the newspapers
dedicate over ten pages every Sunday to Matrimonials
(marriage columns)?
|
Bride wanted
for 29 year old tall, handsome, renowned scientist, looking for fair
(skin), beautiful, intelligent, obedient, well-educated,
cultured vegetarian family with traditional values and is
trained in classical music. Apply with horoscope.
|
Does this sound like a personal ad you would
consider placing in the newspaper?
Nikah, which refers to the act of marriage in
Muslim tradition, is a very sacred and important contract between a man and
woman. A religious ceremony is not necessary in order for a couple to
be legally married. However, there are some requirements that one should meet
in order to marry. In the Muslim tradition, the family plays a significant
role in the marriage. Most Muslim marriages in India are handled by the
parents. Often parents register their son or daughter in a marriage bureau
or hire a marriage broker to find a suitable match. Then they are
given names and addresses of possible matches from a list. If the parents
are interested in a certain partner for their child, they begin to correspond
with the other family in order to ascertain more information. In
some instances the girl's father may hire a go-between to help find his daughter
a suitable boy. For example, a farmer may hire the village barber who
will travel and get news of available men.
It is very important to really get to know the family in which you are
interested because India has such a strict caste
system. Therefore, it is crucial
to examine the background of the family and match up the virtues each person
possesses based on their horoscope. If both partners have several virtues
in common and their horoscopes match up, then this would make for a successful
marriage. If in fact the family has found a suitable candidate for their
son or daughter, the families will visit each other and interview one another.
Since India is a patriarchal
society, the girl and her family are expected to visit the man's house. If
the male candidate is interested he will write to the woman's family to express
his approval. As a result, if the girl and her family approve of the man
they will respond by either accepting or rejecting the man's proposal. The families
later determine all the details of the wedding. If there are many disagreements
at this point, it could lead to a termination of the wedding plans. Parents
almost always arrange the marriages in India. However, sometimes if their
child is involved in a romantic relationship based on love than the parents
may oblige the child's wishes. This rarely happens, but is most likely
to occur in large cities since young people are more independent, educated,
and they may work. In the rare instances in which a marriage
is for love, it is normally settled by the man and woman on their own, without
the consent of their parents.
(Picture of a family all together at a wedding. Notice their
dress and that they are not wearing shoes. You will see the women wearing
traditional saris but many of the men dress in Western-style attire.)
What are the ingredients
of a Muslim marriage?
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