The Requirements for the Muslim Marriage

The Muslims practice monogamy, which is just contrary to common beliefs. In the Muslim matrimony, the males are the bread earners of the household. The women stay at home and do the household chores. However, in the Muslim society too, education among women has revolutionized and the females step out of the home for professional reasons. The ladies have their primary rights on the home where they stay, and their husband and sons are obliged to protect them and fulfill their requirements. For a Muslim Matrimony, there are some requirements to be fulfilled, which are: 1. The choice of spouse: the marriage proposal usually comes from the man. The Muslim marriage is decided by mutual consent, the consent of both spouses is required. The parents generally choose the future husband of their daughters. If there is no impediment to the marriage, a marriage contract is made between the groom and the marriage guardian of the bride, who gives her consent for the marriage. 2. The marital status: The Mosques generally demand that civil marriage has already taken place, in order to avoid any risk of litigation, but this requirement does not apply everywhere. The point is that religious marriage must take place before the consummation of the union. In case any one of the spouses is divorced, he/she has to wait three months after the dissolution of first marriage to be able to remarry. During the waiting period, it has to be verified that the woman is not pregnant with the child of her former husband. Otherwise, if the bride is pregnant, the proposal of marriage can only take place after childbirth. 3. Mixed marriages: There are certain conditions in Muslim matrimony that differ according to the man or woman. A Muslim can marry a non Muslim, with the sole condition that it is the monotheistic religion that is Jewish or Christian. The union of a Muslim and an atheist or polytheist (Buddhist, for example) is prohibited. A Jewish or Christian lady, who is married to a Muslim man, remains free during the marriage to practice her own religion. However, the children born of the couple will have to follow Islam. Muslim women, in turn, can only marry a Muslim. If a woman chooses a person who is not Muslim, he will have to get converted to Islam in order to be eligible for to marry a Muslim woman. The boy then needs to get a religious education for several months and get a certificate of conversion. At the time of wedding, the couple has to appear before the Islamic judge, and two witnesses are also required for the marriage. The groom has to present the bride with dowry, which includes money, jewellery, expensive gifts, and sometimes property too. This step is taken to safeguard the future of the bride. An agreement is signed under the Islamic law, after which the bride and groom are declared as husband and wife. Like other communities, the Muslim matrimony also involves wedding celebrations that go on for many days, and include lip smacking fests, which savor the taste buds of the invitees.