Q&A for How to Perform Nikah

So, Nikah, for it to be done, there's condition number one: she needs to give her permission. She has authority in this; if she says no, the wedding's over. Number two, the groom also needs to want to get married. Number three: it needs the permission of the guardian of the bride. And number four, it needs two witnesses. These are the preconditions. But once these happen in a marriage, what needs to be done? So the father of the bride is going to say I would be with you, my daughter. And the groom will then say, I accept the marriage of your daughter while two witnesses are there, and that's it.

Mahr doesn't have to be given to the bride at the ceremony. It can be deferred to any time in the future. It can even be deferred indefinitely if the two of you agreed to that (although it would become payable immediately upon death or divorce). But yes, it would be possible for her family to collect it on her behalf, if that was her wish.

Assuming that you are a woman, it is possible for you to marry a Muslim man if you are a Christian or Jewish woman, provided you are willing to agree that your children will be raised Muslim. If you are of any other religion (or if you consider yourself agnostic or atheist), however, then no—you cannot marry a Muslim man without converting to Islam.

It will be a part of your contract, but it might not be stated publicly as part of the Nikah—especially if the couple doesn't want to. However, you do have to declare that it exists. You just don't necessarily have to go into detail about what it is.

No, the groom must be present to accept the Nikah. Technically, the Nikah can be performed without the bride's presence (with only her male representative, usually her father, there on her behalf). However, this is seldom done. Most imams want both the bride and groom to be present.

After the nikah, the couple are now, Islamically, officially married. They are allowed to be together.

Contact an imam at a local mosque; tell him your situation. He will act as your wali.

Of course! Allah understands why you may have chosen to do this and accepts all.

No. Muslim women are not allowed to marry non-Muslim men unless they convert to Islam before the marriage.

This is permissible. According to the Hanafi school of thought, the proper procedure would be that one of the two parties select an individual to be their representative in the physical location of the other party.

You will need a wali, which is usually a father but can also be a brother or imam. Marrying without your parents knowing (secret marriage) is a not permitted and may break family ties. The Prophet said that a nikah without a wali is "invalid". So, you cannot marry without a wali.

You can have the wedding however you wish, as long as the core Islamic parts are fulfilled. Try to compromise between both families, and don't let the issue of religion get in the way of the marriage.

No. This nikah will never be valid, because a Muslim woman cannot marry a non-Muslim man.

No, you need an imam to perform the nikah. There must also be witnesses present. If you are female, then you also need a wali.

Premarital sexual intercourse is a major sin in Islam. Allah says in the Quran, “And do not come (even) close to adultery, for it is a shameful (deed) and an evil, opening the road (to other evils).” (Surah al-Isra, V: 32). As far as the child is concerned, if the child is born six months or more after the time of marriage (nikah), paternity will be established and the child will be attributed to the husband. However, if the child is born before six months have elapsed, it will not be attributed to the husband. You can (it's strongly recommended) get married to her, but your child will be an illegitimate child and there will be further laws regarding inheritance and the like due to this.

Yes, he is your guardian and the closest male figure to you, therefore he can serve as your wali.

Yes, but if your father is still alive and present in nikah, he is obliged to be a wali rather than a witness.

You will need to get divorced from your husband before you can marry your boyfriend.

Since you are a Christian, your kids and your relationship should be halal according to Islamic shari'ah rulings.

This will vary depending on the mosque. Some might even be free of cost. Check out the local ones near you and ask.

Yes, and no. A Muslim man can marry a (Christian or Jewish) woman from the People of the Book, but not vice versa (a woman cannot marry a non-Muslim man.)

A Nikah is valid when all of the requirements are fulfilled by Shari’ah. The key requirements are the Imam, two male witnesses, the contract, and the bride and groom. The marriage must be public, also, not secret.

A Wali is a male relative or guardian traditionally, and otherwise this would most likely be impermissible.

This depends on the imam and the mosque. Some might even be free of charge.

Yes, if he's raised as such. The name of a Muslim in Islam does not determine the person's faith; practicing the faith does.

No. Muslims cannot marry anyone who does not believe in (only) one God. This means they cannot marry polytheists, pagans, atheists, etc. In Islam, a marriage is not just based on lust or "love", a marriage is a religious ceremony that is the root of a healthy family, and families are the roots of society. And in the case where a Muslim "marries" (in Islam this marriage is not valid, it would be considered fornication) a Hindu, there's the question of fulfilling the husband's/wife's duties in Islam, (which differ in Hinduism) and it's not possible to be a proper Muslim or raise healthy Muslim children. This is the Islamic perspective, even though Hinduism may disagree.

Islamically, you need the Nikah papers which are like a contract between you, your spouse, and the other involved in the process. It includes things like the Maher and more. When it comes to the law, there are some people that don't register their marriage legally for whatever reason, but keep in mind that there's usually no genuine, honest good reason to not register. There are cases of people "using" the other person and then leaving them when they're done and the victim has no proof that they were even abused/in a marriage. There are also cases where in the case of a divorce, the other person won't pay what they're required in Islam such as child support, etc.

No. You cannot do a Nikah if the Imam determines that Islamically that Nikah is not accepted and they do not show up. If they don't come due to other issues such as they're unable to, then you need to do your Nikah in a way that all the necessary people can show up. There are some naive people who think Nikah is just a personal/family issue or between them and their "spouse". This is not the case in Islam and if the proper people are not part of the Nikah, then the Nikah is not valid. Meaning, whoever does this is actually doing zina. The people involved in the Nikah are required in order to protect both the man and woman in the relationship (especially the woman).

No. In Islam, you can only marry a Muslim. One of the reasons why is to prevent disputes within the family and insure the children a good Islamic and healthy environment. There are also many other reasons. The only exception is if a man is marrying a woman of "ahlul kitaab" (people of the book), this refers to Jewish and Christian women. The reason is that they are monotheistic and believe in the previous books sent down (although those books have been altered over time) so men during the Prophet Muhammad's (saw) time were allowed to marry them-although this doesn't always apply today. A Muslim woman cannot, largely to protect her from being forced by her husband to leave Islam or abused.

Yes. Non-Muslims are prohibited from entering Makkah and Madina only. They can enter any other mosque. There are no issues with that.