Have you ever been to a Muslim Wedding?” Most of you all would have gone to the wedding for their special and scintillating “Wedding Briyani”. Nikkah” as we all know! Muslim weddings are so intimate, grand and it marks a festive gathering of both bride and groom families. There are many customs and bountiful cultures that surround the Muslim weddings. Every Muslim follows numerous rituals and unique traditions in their ceremonies. Surprisingly, 172 million people marry by traditional Islamic rules in India. And, in today’s blog post, let’s present you with the beautiful Muslim wedding rituals that make the wedding special and intriguing There are pre-wedding rituals, wedding rituals, and post-wedding rituals at every wedding. Here are the rituals that Islamic weddings follow.

Salatul Ishtikara

It’s a pre-wedding ritual in which the Imam (priest) performs a prayer to seek Allah’s blessings for the marriage. This ritual marks the official announcement of the marriage before the respective family members and relatives.

Imam Zamin

Followed by the announcement is the Salatul Ishtikara. This is basically a visit from the groom’s mother to the bride’s home. She brings gifts and sweets gold or silver coins or sometimes even heirloom jewellery to the bride. They wrap their gifts in a silk scarf and tied around the wrist of the bride, marking her formal welcome and acceptance into the new family.

Mangni

Mangni is the engagement. Close friends and relatives come together to witness the ring exchanging ceremony. Both families shower each other with gifts and jewellery. Mangni is the public declaration of the betrothal of the bride and groom. Some people do this ritual even on the day of wedding and it depends on both the families.

Manjha

Manjha is the Muslim version of haldi ceremony. It takes place two days before the wedding. The bride and groom wear yellow clothing in their respective homes and get smeared with a paste of turmeric and sandalwood in rosewater. There are some celebrations that are being followed, and then they are bathed in holy water. Both the bride and groom are not supposed to leave their respective homes until the wedding.

Mehndi Ceremony

No matter what a wedding is incomplete without a Mehndi ceremony. It is a very important ritual in a Muslim wedding. The women of the bride’s family and her female friends gather together. A professional or relative good at Mehndi draws beautiful and newest bridal Mehndi designs on the bride’s hands and feet. The groom’s initials are hidden in the design and he has to find it on the wedding night.

Sanchaq

The groom’s family visits the bride’s family with gifts including sweets, a bridal outfit with accessories and jewellery. This is the final pre-wedding ritual, signifying the blessing, affection, and support of the groom’s family to the bride.

Baraat

The most exciting event of the wedding day is the entry of the baraat. The groom uses a beautifully decorated car to reach the wedding venue. He is escorted by his relatives and male friends. A family member of the bride goes to escort him. It is a splendid, loud procession, declaring that the wedding is going to happen in few hours.

Groom Welcome

The bride’s family receives the groom at the wedding venue. He is served with a cool drink that he has in the company of the bride’s brother or closest brother figure (Cousin). They spray rosewater on the groom, and around him to create a beautiful path for him to enter.

Nikah – The Wedding

It is the primary wedding ritual performed by a Maulvi. The men sit around the groom and the women sit around the bride. The bride’s father is the Wali of the bride. The groom’s family offers her Mehr to seek her consent. Prayers from the Quran are recited by the Maulvi. The Ijab-e-Qubool is the most pivotal Muslim wedding ritual. The bride and groom are kept separate from each other. The Maulvi asks both of them to consent, and they have to say “Qubool Hai” thrice to give their consent. This is similar to the Christian “I do”, only. The bride and groom have to say it thrice and they are behind a hijab that separates them from each other during the wedding. This is followed by the Nikah Nama. This is the official marriage contract where the duties of the groom and the bride, as per the Quran, are recited in presence of two witnesses each from the bride’s and groom’s families. After the official marriage is signed, a Khutba is recited, followed by the marriage vows in the Quran. In the end, the elders perform durud, or blessing on the new bride and groom.

Arsi Mushraf

The bride and groom finally look at each other through a mirror kept in between them. This is after the wedding, but still a part of wedding rituals.

Rukhsat

This is the first post-wedding ritual. The bride waves goodbye to her family. It is obviously an emotional moment. But, when the bride arrives at her new home, she is received with a warm welcome by her mother in law. The Holy Quran is placed on the bride’s head to symbolise her duties as a wife.

Walimah

This is the public declaration that the marriage is done. This is basically the reception party. The bride and groom are treated royally. The bride is introduced to the members of the groom’s extended family, relatives, and friends. There are gifts, a lavish spread of food, and fun and dancing.

Chauthi

On the fourth day from the wedding, the bride and groom visit the bride’s family. The bride’s family greets the groom with a lot of affection and gifts. There is a lavish spread of deliciously prepared food and a lot of gifts for the bride and the groom from the bride’s family. This marks the end of all formal Muslim wedding rituals in between the two families. These are the Muslim marriage traditions that the bride, the groom, and their families are expected to live by. Some of the wedding ritual may be different from the other.