Indian wedding glossary · Wedding day rituals
What is Nikah?
Also written: Nikaah, निकाह, نکاح
Nikah is the Islamic marriage contract, in which the bride and groom each give their consent in front of witnesses and a qazi, the mehr is agreed, and the nikahnama is signed.
- Who keeps it
- Muslim families in India and across the world.
- When
- On the wedding day, after the mehndi and other functions, before the rukhsati.
About Nikah
What should you know about Nikah?
The qazi or maulvi asks each of them whether they accept the marriage, and they answer "qubool hai", in many families three times. The terms, including the mehr, are written in the nikahnama, signed by the couple, two witnesses and the qazi. Prayers and a short sermon are usually part of it.
In many families the men and women sit separately during the nikah. It is followed by the rukhsati and later the walima.
In the order of functions
Where does Nikah come in an Indian wedding?
On the wedding day, after the mehndi and other functions, before the rukhsati.
- Before the weddingFixing the match, the engagement, the date and the card.
- The functionsPujas, haldi, mehndi, sangeet and the family days before the wedding.
- Wedding day ritualsFrom the baraat to the pheras, nikah and anand karaj.
- After the weddingVidaai, the new home, the reception and the first visits.
Planning your own days? The free wedding function order planner puts your functions in a sensible order with dates.
On the card
What do families write on the invitation for Nikah?
Bismillah. Nikah of Ayaan and Zoya, Saturday, 14 February, after Asr namaz, at Taj Banquet, Lucknow.
Related words
Words that go with Nikah
- Mehr
Mehr is the gift of money or property that the groom gives the bride as part of the nikah, agreed between the families and written in the nikahnama; it belongs to the bride alone.
- Walima
Walima is the wedding feast hosted by the groom's family after the nikah, to celebrate the marriage with relatives, friends and the community.
- Rukhsati
Rukhsati is the bride's departure from her parents' home after the nikah in Muslim weddings, when she leaves with the groom and his family.
- Mangni
Mangni is the word many families in Rajasthan, Haryana, UP, Bihar and many Muslim households use for the engagement, when the match is announced and the bride receives a ring and gifts.
- Mehndi
Mehndi is the ceremony where henna is applied to the bride's hands and feet in detailed patterns, while the women of the family sing, dance and celebrate around her.
Questions
Nikah, answered
What is Nikah?
Nikah is the Islamic marriage contract, in which the bride and groom each give their consent in front of witnesses and a qazi, the mehr is agreed, and the nikahnama is signed.
Which families celebrate Nikah?
Muslim families in India and across the world.
When does Nikah happen in the order of wedding functions?
On the wedding day, after the mehndi and other functions, before the rukhsati.
What do families write on the invitation for Nikah?
Bismillah. Nikah of Ayaan and Zoya, Saturday, 14 February, after Asr namaz, at Taj Banquet, Lucknow.
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