Allah in Quran says:”your wives are a garment for you, and you are a garment for
them”.[Quran] Marriage is of high importance in Islam. The male and female complete each
other. Allah has created male and female pairs so that they can live with each other after
marriage and support each other in every walk of life. Islamic Marriages are quite simple and
doesn’t require a lot of money to marry in Islam.

Allah says in Quran:” It is He who created you from a single soul, And made its mate of like
nature in order that you might dwell with her in love….”.[Quran] The male and female are made
for each other and marriage is the way in which they should spend their lives and help each
other. Nikkah is that auspicious ceremony which binds the two souls in the ways prescribed in
Islam for marriage. Marriage in Islam is considered the reflection of nature. Islamic Marriages
consists of NIKKAH, BARAT and WALIMA. Nikkah is the binding of two souls for life. Barat
is the ceremony in which the bride departs from her parent’s house to go to her husband’s house.
Walima is the celebration of marriage and the groom holds this ceremony.

Although there have entered much new traditions and they are gaining popularity as like
other religions Muslims also take the event of marriage as a milestone in the life of both bride
and groom as well as their respective families. One of these traditions is calling upon all the
distant relatives and friends to attend the ceremony that may go on from a week to three days
time. Despite the fact that Islam, the religion advocates upon the simplicity and prohibits the
extravagant behaviors and excessiveness but not many are following the Islamic pattern. You can
see a lavish display of expensive outfits, women adorned with gold jewelry and of course, the
prodigality is eminent.

Islamic marriages are celebrated in their own unique manner that varies from one Islamic
country to another. Even the difference is great between the regional marriage ceremonies.
However, the core Islamic traditions remain the same only that every culture incorporates some
of its own traditions that leads towards the divergence.

When two adults, male and female, decide to live with each other then Islam gives them the
permission to do so by undergoing the process of marriage. A male and a female cannot live
together without marrying each other, as it is not allowed in Islam. Men and women are created
in pairs. The basic concept of marriage is to provide protection to one another. Husband and
wife are like clothes to each other. Both of them protect each other’s dignity and maintain their
respect in the society. It is the duty of the husband to protect his wife and provide her with the necessities of life and it is the duty of the wife to respect her husband and do not do anything from which her husband forbids her.

Islam has given rights to both husband and wife. There are certain duties assigned to both
husband and wife which they are bound to perform and will be answerable about them on the
Day of Judgment. Both the husband and wife are given the right of divorce if they are unhappy
with each other. They can break the bond of marriage and can live separate lives by getting
divorce.

Islam gives right to the men to do polygamy. However, there is a very strict criteria for those
who wish to indulge into second, third or fourth marriage. The polygamist has to provide all
of his wives with equal amenities and facilities along with the equal treatment. He is asked
to perform a balance among all his wives, which is very difficult to achieve. Muslim women
are allowed to take khulla or apply for the annulment in court in case of bad marriage and
relationship. After following the iddat period or wait of 90 days she is allowed to remarry. The
ex-husband is bound to pay for the well being and expenditure of his children if any he had with
the woman he divorced or if she took khulla from him. According to Islamic point of view, the
women after getting divorce or annulment of marriage and in case if she is widow, should get
married again to any man of her choice. However, various norms and cultural barriers by the
society have incorporated within these Islamic traditions and beliefs thus, depriving the women
off their fundamental rights to live the way they want.

Muslim male and female are very much allowed to choose their life partners while staying in the
limits of Islam. The girl can express her liking and disliking, as there is no concept of forceful
marriages in Islam. Marriage is the reunion of souls but not just uniting of two bodies and Islam
is the religion that gives every man and woman the right to choose.

Marriage is that relationship between man and woman that consists of love and understanding.
Male is incomplete without a female. They cannot live together until they are married according
to the laws of Islam. Allah states in Quran:” and since He created the male and the female from
a single nature, from a single self.”[Quran] Marriage completes a male and a female and it gives
them the right to have a family. Nikkah is the ritual in which the bride and the groom are bonded
for life in the presence of family members, relatives, friends and witnesses.

Marriage according to Islamic Shari‘ah is the only way in which marriage can be done is
Islam. Islam has laid down laws for both the bride and the groom. The marriage should be kept
as simple as possible so that not much load is laid on both parties and the wedding rituals can be
performed in a happy manner. Dowry constitutes of some the very fundamental household items
given by the bride’s parents to their daughter when she departs for the groom’s house. Dowry
must consist of a very few necessary things as it does not mean to put a lot of pressure on the
bride’s parents so that they might have to take loans to buy the items given in the dowry.

Allah has provided the Muslims with code of life in form of religion and the last prophet of Islam
Mohammad (Peace be upon him) has set many examples for the Muslims to follow and have
blessed lives. However, those who fail to understand simple codes provided by Islam written
in Quran and epitomized by last prophet of Islam often fall into devastating situations and
problematic life. The main concept behind marriage in Islam is to prevent adultery and provide
the society a set of rules to abide by them in order to keep the sanctity and peace. Following
these beautiful simple and understandable concepts can be the reason to bring balance in the
society. Marriage is an institution and by following the Islamic shari`ah Muslims in all parts of
the world can bring harmony and amity in their lives.

Allah has made men and women in pairs. Islam introduced the concept of family to the world. The marriage of two people marks the start of a family. Two people bonded according to the teachings of Islam have the right to start their own family and have children. According to Islam
there is clear description of those relations that are forbidden to marry and called mehrum and those called namehrum are those relations that can perform the nikah or get wedded to each other. Islam gives much importance to the institution of marriage and family life.

Islam gives the right to two adults who wish to marry each other in accordance with the rules
laid by the Islamic Shari‘ah. It gives the right of protection to every woman when she is married.
For this purpose, the concept of Haq Mehr was introduced. This is the amount of money that is to be given by the husband to her wife whenever she demands it. It is decided at the time of nikah and the groom cannot create bed relations until he has paid the Haq Meher to the bride or
if she wishes to demand later on but this is entirely up to her. This is basic right of a woman and if a person refuses to pay this amount to her wife, he will be held guilty on the Day of Judgment according to Islamic beliefs.
The husband is bound to give her woman in the wedlock all facilities and amenities of life. He is suppose to take care of her during sickness and in health and the woman is bound to keep her only for the man whom she married. The concepts are very clear and written in Quran as well as
Muslims have examples from the life of last prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who was the best husband to his wives.