Islamic Center of Rome

Nikah (Marriage) Services

The Islamic Center of Rome provides nikah (marriage) services for Muslims according to the Qur’an and Sunnah. Please read carefully the following requirements and guidelines below and submit the completed application at least two weeks prior to the pre-marital counseling meeting. In Islam the overall sunnah of nikah is to be simple and free from extravagance. In choosing simplicity, Allah Ta’ala will bring barakah and blessings in one’s marriage.

عن عائشة - رضي الله عنها ، قالت : قال النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم - : إن أعظم النكاح بركة أيسره مؤنة . رواه البيهقي في شعب الإيمان
The most blessed nikah is the one which carries least expense. [Mishkat-ul-masabih; Bayhaqi in Shu'ab-il-imaan]

Nikah Application Form

Download here (PDF)
This form should be filled out completely and returned to the Islamic Center along with copies of ID documents at least two weeks in advance of the nikah ceremony.

Requirements

• A confirmed appointment must be made at least two weeks in advance for the counseling meeting and nikah to be performed.
  
  
• A valid legal marriage license is required. This should be obtained from your local county probate court. The Floyd County Probate Court has its requirements on its website. Both bride and groom will need to go together to obtain the license from the courthouse. The required information will be like on this form.
  
  
• Both the bride and groom must be Muslims. A Muslim wali/wakeel (guardian/proxy — e.g. father/brother) should be present for the bride.
  
  
• Two witnesses, adult male Muslims, are required for the nikah. 
  
  
• If one or both of the individuals have been previously married, you are required to inform the Imam before the time of your nikah and any divorce documents must be presented with the application form.

Procedure

• Premarital Counseling Session: Before the nikah is performed, the groom and bride and their families, if applicable, must attend a premarital counseling meeting. Our premarital counseling requirement is designed for the couple to gain greater insight into a harmonious marriage that is guided by Islamic teachings and principles. We pray that this process prepares both of you for the journey ahead.
   
• Nikah: At the agreed upon date and time, the bride, groom, wali/wakeel, and two witnesses will meet at the Islamic Center or other location agreed upon for the nikah. Bride and groom must bring the marriage license with them as well as original forms of photo identification (Driver's License, State ID, Passport, etc.). The wali/wakeel and witnesses must bring an original form of photo ID as well.
  
  
• Bride's Permission: Two witnesses will go in the presence of the wali/wakeel as he obtains bride's permission to give her in marriage to the groom.
  
  
• Khutbah: The sunnah khutbah [sermon] will be recited first by the imam performing the marriage. This khutbah includes three verses of taqwa, and a hadith or two about marriage, exhorting the couple and those present to fear Allah and attain taqwa (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasai, Ahmad).
  
  
• Ijaab & Qubool: After the khutbah the imam will ask the wali/wakeel (1) to propose offer of the bride’s (taking her complete name) marriage (2) to the groom (taking his complete name) (3) for the stipulated amount of mahr (4) in the presence of the two witnesses. Once this is done, the imam turns to the groom and ask him to express his acceptance of the bride's marriage (taking her name) for the stipulated amount of marriage payment. The groom has to reply in complete terms such as, “I accept her in my marriage” or ” I have accepted her in my marriage” or “I do marry her.” It is preferable that he say this and not just “I do” or “I accept.” In Arabic:
  يقول وليُّ الزوجة: بسم الله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله ـ يا فلان بن فلان زوجتك ابنتي وموكلتي فلانة بنت فلان على حكم كتاب الله وسنة رسول الله، والصداق المتفق عليه     
  ويقول الزوج : قبلت منك زواج فلانة بنت فلان لنفسي على حكم كتاب الله وسنة رسول الله، والصداق المتفق عليه
  
  
• Du'a: The imam (and others present) should then recite the following du’a,
  بارك الله لكما وبارك عليكما وجمع بينكما في خير
  May Allah bless you and have His blessings descend upon you and unite you in goodness.
  Thereafter, he will make other du’as for the couple and those present.
  
  
• Walimah: It is then sunnah the next day or the day after once the couple have consummated their marriage or entered into privacy together to provide a walimah reception. This is provided by the groom and his family and is not a responsibility of the bride. The Messenger of Allah (upon him be peace) provided walimah after many of his marriages by feeding the people a goat. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Messenger of Allah (upon him be peace) provided a walimah on the occasion of the consummation of his marriage with Zaynab bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her). He provided meat and bread to the fill off his guests (Bukhari). On the occasion of his marriage to Safiyyah bint Huyay ibn Akhtab he even had what may be considered a “pot luck” nowadays in North America where each person brought what he had and they sat down together and ate it (Bukhari and Muslim). Again, the time of walimah is up to two days after nikah.

Guidelines

• Ladies and men will sit separately for the ceremony. Women will be able to hear the nikah proceedings over the speaker system.
  
  
• Light refreshments may be served after the nikah.
  
  
• There will be no photography or music during the nikah ceremony.
  
  
• The official marriage license will be signed by the representative of the Islamic Center performing the nikah. The completed license will then be returned by either the bride, groom, or imam to the county courthouse for registration.
  
  
• The details of the nikah based on Islamic requirements will be recorded on a document which will be signed by the bride, groom, guardian (wali/wakeel), the witnesses, and the imam. The Islamic Center will provide one copy of the Islamic marriage certificate, stamped with the Islamic Center seal, to each of the bride and groom. The Islamic Center will keep one copy of the marriage certificate along with copies of ID documents for its records. (It is important that you retain this Islamic certificate, as you may need it in the future, e.g. if you undertake Hajj/Umrah.)
  
  
• The names on the photo ID/marriage license will be the names that will be written on the nikah certificate. We will not write any other names. The date of marriage will be recorded as the actual date that the ceremony takes place.
  
  
• It is mustahab to do nikah in the mosque and the nikah ceremony should be free from un-Islamic rituals.

Mahr and Dowry

• One of the essential elements of a nikah is that the man agrees to pay the woman a mahr. The mahr is not a gift, but is a mandatory requirement upon the groom, established by Allah in the Qur'an, whereby an amount of money or possessions with monetary value is paid to the woman at the time of nikah ceremony or later in the future for her exclusive use.
  
  
• There is no concept in Islam of a dowry/jahaiz or gifts paid from the bride (or her family) to the husband (or his family). There should be no expectation or demand for this custom to be carried out. See this fatwa for details or this.