How to Perform Nikah.

The nikah is the traditional Islamic marriage ceremony. The nikah has 3 main components: a willing couple, witnesses, and a mahr, or gift that the groom gives to the bride. Once you have these things in order and find an imam to perform the ceremony, you will be well on your way to having a successful nikaah.

Part One of Two:

1:.Planning the Ceremony
Agree to get married. The cornerstone of a nikah is a mutual agreement between two people to get married. Prospective spouses should fully discuss getting married before making any arrangements. If you want to be traditional, you may also have a formal proposal of marriage and consult your parents to make sure they approve.[1]

Some mosques and imams may not perform nikah without the presence of parents or guardians, so parental approval may be especially important if you want to perform nikah in a more conservative mosque.[2]

2: Find an imam to perform the ceremony.
If you attend a mosque regularly, simply ask one of the imams there to perform nikah for you. If you do not attend a mosque regularly, search for imams in your area who perform nikah ceremonies. You may have to pay a fee for this service.[3]

3:Find a space to hold the ceremony, preferably a mosque.
Nikah can technically be held anywhere, so you can arrange to have the ceremony in your home, a banquet hall, or any other space you’d like. If you want to be traditional, though, hold the ceremony in a mosque.[4]
Contact mosques in the area you plan to hold the ceremony to ask about their availability and what price, if any, they charge.
Wherever you want to hold the nikah, make sure the space is large enough to hold all the guests you plan to invite.

4: Agree on a mahr.
Mahr is the traditional gift that the groom gives to the bride when entering into marriage. The gift is traditionally a sum of money, but it can also be property or objects. It is meant to be a symbol of the groom’s commitment. There is no minimum or maximum mahr, and it is usually determined based on the finances of the groom.[5]
Traditionally, the bride and her family have a say in the mahr because it is meant to give the bride some independence in marriage by enabling her to have money of her own.[6]
The bride and groom should determine what they want the mahr to be before the nikah.[7]
The couple can agree to have the mahr given during the nikah or at a later date.[8]
While traditionally mahr is money or something the groom buys, you can be creative if you’d like. Some grooms have made their mahr’s specific acts of commitment, like memorizing the bride’s favorite verses of the Quran and reciting them during the Nikah.[9]

5:. Find at least 2 adult muslims to witness the ceremony.
Traditionally, these 2 witnesses need to be men. Ask the imam performing the nikah what their requirements are for witnesses. Some imams may allow women to serve as official witnesses. These witnesses are usually family members or close friends.[10]
If you are unable to find muslim witnesses, ask your imam if it would be possible to have non-Muslims witness your nikah. Some imams may be more flexible than others.

6:. Ensure that the bride has a guardian present if you want to be traditional.
Some traditional mosques require that the bride’s father, brother, or other male guardian be present to give her away to the groom. Ask the imam performing your ceremony if they require this.11}

7:.. Obtain an official marriage license from your local government.
Contact your local government or city hall to learn about this process in your area. A marriage license will make your marriage legal and recognized by civil authorities. Some mosques and imams may require you to have your marriage license before they perform nikah.[12]

Part Two of Two:
Holding the Nikah

1:..Have the imam give a marriage sermon if you want to follow tradition.
There are traditional sermons on marriage that imams often give during nikahs. These usually involve specific prayers and readings from the Qur’an.[13] If you have specific requests about the sermon, bring them up with your imam.
For example, you might ask the imam to read specific passages from the Qur’an that are meaningful to you.

2:.. Have a traditional proposal and acceptance if desired.
Traditionally, the imam has the father ask the groom if he will accept his daughter in marriage. Tell your imam if you would like to do this during your nikah. If you do have this part of the ceremony, the imam will usually instruct all parties what to say and when.[14]

3:.. Sign the Nikah contract in front of your witnesses.
This will make the union official. Sign it in front of just your 2 official witnesses, or in front of all of your guests. Depending on the mosque or imam, the witnesses may or may not be asked to sign the document as well.[15]

4:.. Hold a walima or marriage banquet if desired.
This generally follows the nikah and gives the new couple a chance to celebrate their nikah with their guests and members of the community. If you invite people to witness your nikah, it will generally be expected that you will hold a walima afterwards. It does not need to be lavish, but you should make sure you provide enough food for all of your guests.[16]