Customary practices

Asian custom of bride's sisters taking money from the groom on their wedding day

Q: I have a question regarding a tradition called "dood pilai" in Asian households.

During weddings, there is a tradition in which the brides sisters take money from the groom and in return give him a glass of milk. It's usually pre planned with the groom so he comes prepared. This event involves free mixing during the wedding and also pardah is not observed properly.

My question is, is the money which the bride's sisters took from the groom haram in these circumstances? Is it haram to use or keep it as a gift?

Does not observing modesty during this event make the money haram to keep or spend? If the groom earned it through halal means but it was transferred to me through free mixing, does it make the money haram to spend?

Secret nikaah

Q: I'm with a person for many years. But now we live in the same place because we are studying in the same state. We meet every day and shake hands or be together that puts us under extreme guilt. From the start we only had an intention to get married SO we have now. We can't tell our parents this time because we live in a high society where you are supposed to get married when you achieve something in life, have a great job and everything. But we are still studying.

Now we are at the same place so we come in touch and we want to make our relationship halaal by doing nikaah so as not to get in any haraam things. Our age is 25. Can you please enlighten us in this matter. How we are supposed to do it? When in future we will do it in front of our parents that time do we have to give divorce first? Can we marry the same person twice?

Attending a function wherein sin takes place

Q: Is this ruling correct:

Question: We have a small community in the country I live in, and weddings are an excellent opportunity to come together and meet (new) people, as everyone lives far away from each other, especially regarding marriage purposes (the potential of finding a suitable partner amongst the crowd).

Recently, two people from our community got married after someone had contacted them at a wedding they had both attended (they didn’t know about each other’s existence beforehand).

Weddings with no music rarely ever take place, sadly enough. I’d have to miss out on all of them otherwise. Thus, from this perspective (marriage purposes), would it be permissible to attend a wedding with music playing in the background?

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

Yes. It is permissible to attend a wedding even though they play music in the background.

Background Versus Primary Activity

The ruling here revolves around the central issue, the wedding ceremony. Wedding ceremonies are permissible. The presence of music in the ceremony is a secondary characteristic. This secondary characteristic does not affect the fundamental permissibility of the wedding, according to the following axiom:

“Subsidiaries are subsidiary and are not given their own rulings.” [Ibn Nujaym, al-Ashbah wa al-Nazair]

If any impermissible actions become the focal point of the event, such as mixed-gender dancing or the like-continued involvement in the wedding at this point is impermissible. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

Commanding the Good

If the music’s content is impermissible, then it is obligatory to advise those in charge of the ceremony to offer an acceptable alternative if there is a hope that your advice will result in change.

This is especially true and important for anyone who is an example or role model. [Nahlawi, Durar al-Mubaha]

The Permissible is Plenty

As Muslims, is it of central importance to know what Allah Most High permits and prohibits before taking on any endeavor, such as holding a wedding ceremony? Our plans for the ceremony must be through the lens of that knowledge.

There are many permissible avenues of entertainment that one can use for the wedding. This allows people to enjoy their time, and no one is turning away from the obedience of Allah in the meantime.

Secret nikaah

Q: I have a boyfriend and we are in a relationship and he is not socially setteld yet so his parents are not willing for nikkah now but we want a nikkah because without it we are making sins and it is haram. We want to make our relationship halal so till he will not be settled properly we want nikkah to avoid a great sins. Can we do a secret nikkah ??

Custom of a person removing the bride from the stage on her wedding

Q: I am planning to marry in 3 weeks insha Allah.

The families are making the nikah very difficult. Myself and wife to be want it to be simple and Islamic also adhering to covid protocols.

They are also requesting that we have human to remove her from the stage as is the tradition in Cape Town.

Could you please tell me if this has any basis in Islam as we are both very shy and do not want to even be on a stage of any sort.

Wedding walk ins

Q: What is the ruling of wedding walk ins in Islam? If I can put it like that. When the reception or walima is held alot of people have their families walk down the isle in the halls, like first the brides's families and then the boys families and the guests all sit around viewing this. Mixed genders. is this permissible? I don't think this conforms to sunnah. Correct me if I am wrong!