Nikah

Nikah, or nikkah, ( _ar. النكاح ), is the contract between a bride and bridegroom and part of an Islamic marriage, a strong covenant (mithaqun Ghalithun) as expressed in Qur'an 4:21.

The first part of the marriage ceremony, nikah, is the signing of the marriage contract itself.

Various traditions may differ in how nikah is performed because different groups accept different texts as authoritative. Therefore, Sunnis will likely accept Bukhari Hadith while Shia will have their own collections, for example Furu al-Kafi, thus producing different procedures. This contract requires the consent of both parties if they are adults. There is a tradition in some Muslim countries, outside of the religion, to pre-arrange a marriage for young children. However, the marriage still requires consent when the wedding actually goes ahead. A nikah allows both parties to add conditions. Islam does allow divorce (talaq) so this contract is revocable. Marriage is seen as a necessity in Islam and is seen as helpful in avoiding zina (extramarital sex), or cruelty. An unofficial marriage that does not inform the public is called the nikah urfi.

Mahram

A Mahram is a close relative who is not allowed to marry other relatives. Mahram is of two kinds: Permanent Mahrams, who are blood relatives; and Temporary Mahrams, who are related through marriage.

See also

* Walima (Marriage banquet)
* Islamic view of marriage
* Nikah urfi
* Nikah Mut‘ah (An Islamic Contract Marriage)
* Ketubah (A Jewish Marriage contract)
* Quaker wedding (Christian marriage "by declaration" signed by all witnesses present at wedding)

External links

* [http://www.nikah.com Nikah Muslim Matrimonials]
* [http://www.haqislam.org/marriage/nikah-khutbah.htm Nikah Khutbah]
* [http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/062.sbt.html Sahih Bukhari, Book 62 - hadith about marriage]
* [http://nikahsearch.com/marriage/marriage.htm Marriage Hadiths and Marriage in Islam]
* [http://www.soundvision.com/info/Islam/marriage.nikah.asp An-Nikah: The Marriage]
* [http://www.muslimwedding.org/yartix.html Articles on Marriage within Islam]

References