In Islam there are 4 conditions which must be met for a marriage to be considered valid.
- Consent – There must be mutual consent from both the bride and the groom. Both must explicitly express their interests to marry each other.
- Wali – A wali is a male guardian of the bride who looks out for the best interests of her and protects her. The permission of the father, brothers, male relatives, or other individual designated as a wali must be obtained.
- Witnesses – Two adult witnesses must be present.
- Mahr – This word is often translated as “dowry” but is better expressed as “bridal gift.” The bride has a right to receive a gift from the groom which remains her own property as security in the marriage. The gift is payable directly to the bride and remains her sole property, even in case of later divorce. The mahr can be cash, jewelry, property, or any other valuable asset.
Islamically if these four conditions are met a marriage is considered legal in Islam. However, for the Masjid to perform the Nikah ceremony you must first obtain a legal marriage license from the State of NC (marriage licenses for other states will be accepted but will be subject to additional verification). The Masjid will not perform any marriage ceremony without first seeing a legal marriage certificate issued and notarized from the State. In Durham, NC you can obtain a marriage certificate by following the instructions here.
After you have your marriage certificate, please contact the IMAM by email and let us know when you would like to have your Nikah. Please provide 3 days prior notice so we can make sure the Imam is free. If you want to have the walima at the Masjid, please provide us with 5 days notice.
Note: We will only set up tables for food and lay down sheets for sitting. You are responsible for bringing all food, drinks, paper plates, cups, etc. and will be responsible for all clean up afterwards.
In Islam the Nikah ceremony is very simple and can be completed within 5 – 10 minutes. Of course you are welcome to have a longer “wedding”, but please let us know any details for this in the email you send.