Marriage: Payment in cash or kind to bridegroom’s family Q363 :In my home country, a girl is married only if her parents are able to pay an amount of money in cash or kind to the bridegroom’s family. Without such payment, marriage does not take place. In some cases, you find people going from house…

Marriage: Partners are chosen by Allah or by our will? Q362 :People say that our names together with the names of our marriage partners have been written down long before we are born. How much of this is true? Is every one’s marriage partner chosen by Allah’s will or do people’s efforts play any part…

Marriage: Parental consent for marriage Q361 :I know a non-Muslim girl who is ready to accept Islam and whom I wish to marry. My parents disagree with me and say that I should not marry her. Would I be ‘not dutiful’ to my parents if I go ahead and marry her? A361 : Being dutiful…

Marriage: One that cannot be sanctioned Q360 :As my parents refuse to sanction my brother’s marriage to a girl who follows the Muhavira faith, the two of them have been living together for sometime. We have been trying hard to persuade the girl just to say the kalimah, so that she becomes a Muslim and…

Marriage: Nullified automatically Q359 :I have been married for five years, but recently my wife’s conduct toward me has changed dramatically. She always quarrels with me for the most trivial things. Recently, I saw a photograph of her taken in a restaurant with a man sitting with her over a cup of coffee. Since then,…

Marriage: Nothing forbidden can invalidate something lawful Q358 :We would be grateful for your comments on a ruling given in “The Majlis”, a newspaper published in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The lady who put the question was told that her marriage is no longer valid, and it is forbidden for her to live with her…

Marriage: Need for observing the legal formalities Q357 :What I would like to know is whether I am married to my man, although we have not signed any marriage contract. Our “marriage” took place in an office when I was in one room and everyone else was in another because they were all men. We…

Marriage: More beneficial use of the money spent Q356 :For decades, Muslims in my region have been observing traditions and customs in marriage and weddings which are totally unnecessary and which have adversely affected their social and economic status. As I am preparing to get married soon, I feel that I should put the money…

Marriage: Marrying a divorcee Q355 :Could you please explain what is necessary when marrying a divorced woman. If I want to keep this marriage a secret from my parents, would it be permissible? A355 : Marrying a divorced woman is effected in the same way as all other marriages. You must make sure, however, that…

Marriage: Interfaith marriages – Permissible though not advisable Q354 :You have said in the past that a Muslim may marry a Christian or a Jewish woman. However, we read in the Qur’an the following instructions: “Do not marry unbelieving women until they have believed: a slave woman who believes is better than an unbelieving woman”…