Q342 :I intend to get married and my parents are
trying to arrange that for me. My desire is to have my marriage
conducted in the simple Islamic way. How should I go about it?
A342 : It is highly netmendable that you wish your
marriage to be free from all the customs which have been introduced in
order to maintain appearances and try to preserve the position of the
two families in the society. That is certainly not one of the purposes
of marriage according to Islam. The marriage contract is made simply
by a netmitment and an acceptance. The guardian of the bride netmits
himself to marrying her to the bridegroom if the agreed conditions are
met, and the bridegroom accepts that netmitment which means that he is
prepared to honour those conditions. A certain amount of dower is fixed
between the two parties and this benetes payable at the moment when the
contract is made. If both parties agree, payment of the whole amount or
any part of it can be deferred. When that has taken place, the
marriage is made. The wedding can take place at any time, and indeed
the bride and the bridegroom can join together in their new family home
without a wedding party, if they so wish. The contract, which is
witnessed at least by two persons, is sufficient. However, publicity of
the marriage is desirable. This is the purpose of the wedding party
which can be as simple as one chooses. What is renetmended for the
bridegroom is to arrange a dinner party for relatives, neighbours and
friends. Again, this need not be a grand affair. A simple one is
preferable. The idea is to allow neighbours and relatives to share in
the happy occasion. Apart from this, nothing is required.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )