What Are The Amazing Rituals Of A Chennai Muslim Marriage?

In India, wedding means ceremonies, regardless of faith, so for Muslim matrimony in Chennai, it goes the same way.

Islam is among the world’s largest religions. There are 172 million followers of Islam in India alone. However, according to their faith, marriage as such is regarded as an integral part of Islam’s community and is among the primary tasks of a Muslim, ordered by the Holy Quran.

It helps a Muslim in his family and the next generations to maintain and spread Islam. You can learn about the entire rituals of Muslim marriages in India in this blog.

Muslims are very passionate about their marriage ceremonies and the ceremonies last 3–4 days. Pre-marriage, marriage, and post-marriage rituals are classified through.

Pre-wedding Rituals:

● Salatul Ishtikara -
A ritual during which the families of the married couple address the religious figure of the nearest mosque (also called Imam) to conduct some religious prayers for the pair. The ritual gives the pair an opportunity to receive blessings for their marriage from Allaah and the Elders.

Arranged Muslim matrimonials are popular amongst Muslims, and this ritual is organised to confirm the compatible relationship between couples and families and to obtain Allah’s blessings for their marital partnership.

● Imam Zamin -
The ceremony in which the mother of the groom meets the bride on a pleasant day. She also has a gold or silver coin rolled in a silk scarf, which she binds up around the hands of her future daughter-in-law. This ceremony illustrates how the bride officially embraces her kin.

● Mangni -
A ritual to seal two persons formally in holy union. The exchanging of rings with the presence of family members and friends between the bride and the groom is witnessing this occurrence. The households also exchange gifts with their relatives in form of dry fruit, jewellery, etc.

● Manjha -
This ritual requires a paste on the bride’s faces, hands, and feet, particularly for indigenous Muslims. The paste consists of turmeric, sandalwood, and rose water. The event brings all the women in the household together and enjoys the application of the paste on the bride. The Chennai brides do not leave the house until after the wedding day. The bridegroom also performs a similar ceremony in his home.

Wedding Day Rituals:

● Baraat -
The Baraat is the procession that starts at the residence of the groom and continues until around the wedding. Normally, the family of the bride sends a car to escort the wife in the car with a close relative. There is a lot of music and dance involved during the ceremony as the family celebrates the gathering. The Baraat is the start of the big day and the groom gets a great entry to the venue.

● Welcome -
When the bride and groom who generally meet via matrimonial sites in Chennai, enter the wedding place, the family members of the bride greet him at the door. His brother in law, who offers him company and invites him warmly to the place and offers a drink of sweet Sherbet. The family members of the bridegroom are greatly welcomed and are sprayed with ittar or rose water on to the marriage site.

● Nikah -
A religious priest or maulvi shall be present for the marriage or nikah ceremony. The boys and girls sit for this ceremony formed through matrimony sites, in various positions, women around the bride and men alongside the groom. In order for her marriage to be accepted, the family of the bride offers the groom with Mehr who usually means a pre-determined sum of cash.

The Maulvi first begins with the Nikah by saying a Quraan prayer. After that, he questions the bride if she accepts the Mehr to marry the groom. Here is the sentence ‘Qubool Hain,’ asked the bride? ‘Three times in a row (Do you give your approval). In an assertive and positive tone, the bride must answer, saying “Qubool Hain.” The Maulvi then goes to the boyfriend and repeats the process.

It is called Ijab-e-Qubool. The groom and bride must stay apart so that they cannot see each other. A signature of the Nikahnama or a wedding arrangement follows the Ijab-e-Qubool. The Nikahnama explains the roles and practices of the bride as well as the groom as mandated by the Quran.