Muslim Wedding or Nikah is celebrated on a
grand scale for a period of five-days. Muslim wedding can be
conducted at any convenient time, as there is no concept of
auspicious time. The Nikah ceremony can take place either at the
bride or bridegroom's residence or at a place that is convenient for
both parties. Just as in any other Indian wedding, here too marriage
ceremonies can be divided into pre-wedding, wedding and post-wedding
celebrations.
Pre-Wedding Rituals:
Here is a
short description of the pre-wedding rituals followed in a typical
Muslim Nikah.
- Legan Chir: When the date of
marriage is finalized, cash present is sent to the bride's father
by the groom's father. The ceremony is known as Legan
Chir.
- Day 1 and Day 2 Ceremonies:
On days one and two, first the bride's people and then
the groom's, go to the other party's house, carrying mehendi paste
in a plate. The children carry candles, which are lit before
entering the respective houses. Dinner is served and songs teasing
both the boy and girl are sung.
- Manjha Ceremony: On the
third day, manjha ceremony takes place. The prospective bride is
seated on a small square table and anointed with haldi (turmeric)
provided by the boy's family. Following this ceremony, a married
friend will accompany the bride everywhere and at all times. This
friend will also spread the turmeric over the bride's whole body
before she bathes. For this ceremony the bride is supposed to wear
yellow clothes and no jewelry. There is, again, much celebration
and singing.
- Mehndi Ceremony: The Mehndi
ceremony is held at the home of the bride on the eve of the
wedding ceremony or a couple of days before it. Following the
tradition, the female relatives of the bride anoint her with
turmeric paste to bring out the glow in her complexion. A relative
or a mehndiwali applies mehndi on the hands and feet of the bride.
The event has a festive feel to it with the women singing
traditional songs. The bride wears sober clothes on the day.
According to custom the bride must not step out of the house for
the next few days until her marriage. The bride's cousins
sometimes apply a dot of mehndi on the palm of the groom.
Wedding Rituals:
Muslims observe
a unique set of rituals at the time of their wedding. Please read on
to find out how Muslim Nikah is conducted.
- Welcoming the Baraat: The
groom arrives at the wedding venue with a wedding procession or
baraat consisting of relatives and friends. A band of musicians
strike up some traditional notes to announce their arrival. The
groom shares a drink of sherbet with the bride's brother. The
bride's sisters play pranks and slap the guests playfully with
batons made of flowers.
- Nikaah: It is on day four
the actual Muslim Nikaah or wedding ceremony takes place. Nikah
can be conducted at the home of the bride or the groom, or at any
other convenient venue. The nikaah ceremony is presided over by
the qazi or law officer. The qazi appoints two men as witnesses
(Gawah) on the groom's behalf, to receive orders for the nikah
from the bride's family. In addition to the presence of two
witnesses, the presence of the two 'Walis' (the bride's and the
bridegroom's father) is also necessary. The bride's father is
required to care for and protect her rights and the groom's father
to endorse his rights.
In orthodox Muslim communities, the
men and women are seated separately in Zenana (for woman) and
Mardaana (for men). The Maulvi reads selected verses from the
Quran and the Nikaah is complete after the Ijab-e-Qubul (proposal
and acceptance). The validity of the Nikaah depends on proposal on
one side, usually the groom's (Ijab) and acceptance on the other
side, the bride's (Qubul). The mutual consent of the bride and
groom is of great importance for the marriage to be legal.
Besides, the Islam marriage law demands that neither of the
parties must be legally incapacitated from entering into the
marriage.
On the day of the Nikaah the elder members of the
two families decide the amount of Mehar (nuptial gift). In Muslim
Nikah, Mehar is a compulsory amount of money given by the groom's
family to the bride. The qazi personally asks the bride if she has
agreed to marry the groom and whether she accepts the quantum of
mehar. Once the bride gives her consent the qazi reads the
marriage contract to the groom. After the groom gives his consent,
the Nikaah-Nama or marriage contract must be signed by the bride,
the bridegroom, their Walis, the witnesses and the Qazi. The
Nikaah-Nama also contains certain terms and conditions, which are
in accordance with the religion and agreeable to both parties. A
noteworthy condition is that in case of a disagreement between the
two partners, the girl has a right to divorce her
husband.
After the Nikaah-Nama is signed, the Qazi delivers
a sermon called Khutba, consisting of verses from the Quran which
were recited by the prophet and which lay particular emphasis on
obligations toward women. The Qazi explains the meaning of these
verses to the audience with an explanation of the mutual rights
and duties of the spouses.
- Blessing the Groom: After
the wedding ceremonies are over the groom receives blessings from
the older women and offers them his salaam. The guests pray for
the marital bliss of the newly wed couple.
- Dinner, Prayers and Aarsimashaf:
Dinner is a lavish spread. Usually, the women and the
men dine separately. After dinner, the newly-weds sits together
for the first time. Their heads are covered by a dupatta while
they read prayers under the direction of the maulvi (priest). The
Quran is placed between the couple and they are allowed to see
each only through mirrors.
Post-Wedding Rituals:
Post-Wedding rituals followed in Muslim Nikah are
similar to what we see in other Indian weddings. However, here the
customs are followed under different names and some cultural
variations can be observed.
- Ruksat: The bride's family
bids her a tearful farewell before she departs for her husband's
house. The bride's father gives her hand to her husband and tells
him to take protect and take good care of her.
- Welcoming the Bride: At the
groom's house, the groom's mother holds the Islamic Holy book
Quran above the head of her newly wed daughter-in-law as she
enters her new home for the first time.
- Chauthi: The Chauthi is the
fourth day after the wedding. It is customary for the bride to
visit the home of her parents on this day. The bride receives a
joyous welcome on this day.
- Valimah: The Valimah is the
lavish reception that the groom's family hosts after the Nikaah.
It is a joyous occasion that brings together the two families,
their relatives and friends.
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