Weddings are always a time of joyfulness and celebration across all spectrum of religion, race or culture and the Islamic wedding ceremony is no different. It signifies the beginning of a highly recommended act in Islam; the marriage institution. Variations exist among different Muslim cultures, hence this article will be looking at the Shari'ah prescription for a wedding ceremony. The ceremony comprises two main aspects which are the marriage contract and the wedding feast or Walimah.

The Marriage Contract

This may take place as part of the "larger ceremony" and thereby precede the wedding feast directly with all invited guests in attendance. It may also be a separate event from the feast with only the immediate families in attendance. There are four main conditions which if fulfilled, make a man and woman lawfully wedded in Islam. These are:

*The proposal and acceptance

*The consent of the legal guardian of the bride.

*The Mahr (similar to a dowry)

*Presence of witnesses

The proposal and acceptance show that a woman must never be forced into a marriage if she is unwilling, even though this practice may be widespread in some Muslim families. This was explicitly forbidden by the Prophet of Islam in one his sayings.

A first time bride should be married off by her father in the real sense of the word. The father must approve of the groom for the marriage to be valid, however he is not allowed to misuse this position of his. The bride has a right to change who her legal guardian for her marriage is if her father is being unduly unreasonable about the groom. For women who have been previously married this is not a precondition.

The Mahr is more like a compulsory wedding gift from the groom to the bride. It is different from a dowry in that it is the bride that specifies the gift she wants and it is solely for her and not for her family. She may ask for anything she desires as long as it is within her groom's capabilities.

Lastly, for a wedding contract to be valid there has to be a minimum of two witnesses. Where the contract is part of the feast, there is usually an imam in charge of directing the course of events. He will make it a point of duty to ask about all these four points before then declaring them man and wife.He may also give a short sermon about the duties of the married couple to one another. The mere fulfillment of these conditions without the presence of an imam is sufficient to make a marriage contract valid.

The Wedding Feast

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