Marriage in Muslim Countries - Research Paper Example

Module Marriage in Muslim countries According to the Islam religion, Allah created men and women to be each other’s companion. They should also live together in tranquility and peace for the sake of procreation. Under such circumstances, men and women would be able to bring forth sons and daughters. This would be a continuation of the human generation way into the future. The Quran insists that marriage in Islam is a virtuous institution that is approved by the religion (Cornell 12). Therefore, the Quran instructs every person that is able to marry to feel free and do so. Apparently, the Quran states that marriage is a solemn relationship that involves a family. This is an institution that brings two people, male and female together to start a family. This is cemented by a written and signed consent from the two involved parties. However, it is stated that marriage is only consented by two parties that are willing to be enjoined together. For example, a widow should not get married to another man without her consenting to it. The same applies to a divorced man or a virgin who wishes to get married. Imam Bukhari emphasizes the need for a mutual consent between the two people that should get married. In fact, he dedicated one chapter to highlight on the importance of consenting before marriage. He states that a marriage will be annulled if one party dislikes the marriage. Therefore, it is prudent for a father to ask the consent of his daughter if she likes or dislikes a marriage. If it is against her wishes, the marriage will not be cemented. Similarly, divorced women have the right and freedom to enter into a second marriage (Cornell 16). However, this is only done after the expiry of the waiting period. If a woman finds another man that she wants to marry, she has the freedom as expressed by the Quran. This is the same scenario where a widowed woman would wish to get married. The Quran states that a widowed woman who would wish to get married has the freedom to do so. However, she has the right of having one year maintenance without necessarily having to leave her home. It is only after the one year that she has the freedom of finding a man at their personal accord. As a matter of fact, this should also be done in a lawful manner. It should be an agreement between two people who have a mutual consent and agree to get married to each other without any force from other parties. The noble Quran explicitly states that this should be done in a lawful manner and should not infringe the rights of the people that are involved in the marriage. The Quran states that widows are at their own liberty to remarry even without the one year maintenance period that is aforementioned. This is reiterated by the fact that widows, virgins or divorcees have the right to select their life Partners. However, the guardians and parents have the Ijbar power, and should be involved in the marriage. Just like any other religion, there are some marriages partners that are prohibited in Islamic religion. There are some bizarre situations which jeopardize the faith of people in a religion. To begin with, Muslims are prohibited from marring their mother. Secondly, a Muslim is not allowed to marry his step mother. Though they are not blood relatives, Muslims are prohibited from marrying their step mother since they are relatives through the father (Cornell 15). Thirdly, Muslims are prohibited from marrying their grandmothers. This includes the father’s mother and the mothers’ mother. It also includes any other relative that is considered a grandmother in the family. Fourthly, a Muslim man is not allowed to marry his daughters or any of his kindred. This also includes his sisters, father’s sisters, foster mother, mother’s sisters, sister’s daughter and any other blood relative. However, there is an exemption where a Muslim is allowed to marry a step daughter that was fathered by a former husband. This is only acceptable if the marriage was not consummated. In Islamic marriage, there are some prohibitions that are temporary. However, they are only waived after some circumstances have been confirmed. First, a man is not allowed to marry two sisters at the same time. However, the man is at liberty to marry a second sister if he seizes to be married to the first sister. Secondly, a man is prohibited from marrying a woman who is already married. However, the man is at liberty to marry the women if the woman seizes to be married to her husband. When the marriage is dissolved, the woman attains the freedom of getting married to another man after the iddah period is complete (Cornell 17). This means that after the retreat period, the woman is at liberty to marry the man of her choice. Thirdly, a man is prohibited from having more than four wives at a time. This impediment only changes when one of the wives dies or gets divorce. After such an incident, the man is allowed to marry another wife. The last prohibition is clearly stated by Quran and should not be left out. It states that a person should not make a secret contract with another person. It extrapolates that a man should not propose to a woman during the iddah period. In such a time, a woman is recuperating from the loss or divorce and should be given ample time. This is done to avoid any bizarre instance, especially where raja is inevitable. Some divorcees would wish to return to their marriage partners even after divorce. Therefore, a man insinuating that he would wish to marry a divorced woman is not acceptable since the woman is still a lawful wife of the divorced husband. A man who wishes to be in marriage with such a wife is only allowed to send a message. As a matter of fact, this is vita approach to family life since it reduces any instances of a man being condemned of breaking a marriage. Consequentially, Muslims dislike divorce in their midst. They only accept divorce when it is the last resort. Saudi Arabia is one of the countries that are dominated by Muslims. Marriage in Saudi Arabia involves a number of ceremonies that should be conducted. The first ceremony is the unveiling ceremony. This is a ceremony that is respected by highly religious families. Both families meet to unveil the woman that is to be married. After the unveiling of the families, there is the engagement contract. This is done by a meeting of a small number of people from both parties. After the meeting of the two minute parties, there is a man’s party. In this party, the father of the bride signs a contract which is an action that approves the acceptance of the marriage. This is commonly known as Milkah since it is an affair of close family members of the couple (Cornell 17). The bride also signs the documents to legalize the marriage. After this, the couple is allowed to get a marriage certificate from the concerned government offices. However, this is considered traditional and customary since it involves certification from the concerned offices. On this same day, the bride and groom have to get consent from the parents of the other partner. After accepting a hand in marriage, there is presentation of shabka. This is the presentation of dowry to the bride. The bride is also presented with her engagement ring and other gifts which include jewelry. After these ceremonies, there is the presentation of dowry to the bride. The bride price is paid in cash rather than using gold and sheep. Apparently, it is also acceptable to use check, money and bank transfers. As a matter of fact, the bride price is dependent on the financial muscle of the family and its influence. After the presenting part of the dowry, the bride has to have the henna party. This is a vital party for the bride as she prepares for her wedding. The friends of the bride will attend the party and apply henna to the bride. The groom is allowed to attend the party only when they are taking pictures. This is a party that helps the bride advance her manicure, pedicures, make-up and facials. After the henna party, there is the bridal shower. This is a party that is held in respect to the bride. She is given various presents which include lingerie and other gifts that she will use in her new house. However, it is also acceptable to give presents prior, doing and after the wedding. The wedding party is the most important occasion in the whole process (Cornell 20). In many instances, the wedding is considered a woman’s party. Therefore, the men are allowed to have a party before the wedding. In the actual wedding, the groom is allowed to attend the party which is filled with women. After this, the bride is allowed to meet the male members of the groom’s family. During this time, the groom is expected to wear a Saudi dress, which is a white robe, white ghutra and some men consider wearing a turban. On the other hand, the bride has to wear a styled European dress which is white in color. After the wedding, the man and woman are legally married and the marriage is blessed. Apparently, some weddings are considered extravagant since they are expensive. However, some Muslims consider a cheap and fulfilling wedding, which many people would like to enjoy. Such weddings do not have instances where expensive jewelry is presented to the bride and groom. This is a wedding that shows two people who are committed to the marriage and cafe for each other. Work Cited Cornell Vincent J. Voices of Islam: Voices of Life: Family, Home, and Society. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007. Print. Read More