Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

islamualaikum

i am a poor man i want to get married i dont have enough money please tell me the cheapest way to get married according to islam

thnx

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Answer:

Cheapest way to get married

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Islam has absolutely encouraged the concept of marriage, and has made the whole concept of marriage an extremely inexpensive affair. But unfortunately, we have burdened ourselves in the name of marriage, and invented our own rites and rituals which makes this a task and trial for the believers who are strained in their finances.

The only condition of obligatory expense in marriage is the ‘mehr’ which the groom is obligated to give to his bride. And the Sunnah is to offer a marriage feast or ‘walima’ to the guests as an announcement and celebration of marriage.

The ‘mehr’ can be as inexpensive as two sandles, or two handfuls of flour or dates, or even the declaration of the ‘shahaadah’! And the ‘walima’ or marriage feast can be as simple as dates, yogurt, a cup of tea, etc. or as grand as a whole sheep!

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 3209 Narrated by Anas ibn Malik

AbuTalhah married Umm Sulaym, the ‘mehr’ between them being acceptance of Islam. Umm Sulaym had become a Muslim before AbuTalhah, and when he asked her in marriage she said, "I have become a Muslim, so if you become one I shall marry you." He then accepted Islam and that was the ‘mehr’ arranged between them.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 3206 Narrated by Amir ibn Rabi'ah

A woman of the Banu Fazarah was married for a ‘mehr’ of two sandals. When Allah's Messenger (saws) asked whether she was satisfied with two sandals regarding her person and her property and she replied that she was, he gave his approval.

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 2105 Narrated by Jabir ibn Abdullah

The Prophet (saws) said: ‘If anyone gives as a ‘mehr’ to his wife two handfuls of flour or dates he has made her lawful for him.’

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.89 Narrated by Anas

The Prophet (saws) stayed for three days at a place between Khaibar and Medina, and there he consummated his marriage with Safiyya bint Huyay. I invited the Muslims to a banquet which included neither meat nor bread. The Prophet (saws) ordered for the leather dining sheets to be spread, and then dates, dried yogurt and butter were provided over it, and that was the Walima (banquet) of the Prophet.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.395 Narrated by Anas

The Prophet (saws) seeing a yellow mark (of perfume) on the clothes of 'Abdur-Rahman bin 'Auf, said, "What about you?" 'Abdur-Rahman replied, "I have married a woman with a Mahr of gold equal to a date-stone." The Prophet (saws) said, "May Allah bestow His Blessing on you (in your marriage). Give a wedding banquet, (Walima) even with one sheep."

Your Statement: i am a poor man

Beloved brother in Islam, poverty is neither considered a virtue, nor a sin in Islam; but rather one’s material wealth is one’s share which has been Decreed by the distribution of Allah Subhanah as a test, to see who does what in the condition ordained for him by the Lord Most Merciful.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verse 71: Allah has bestowed His gifts of sustenance more freely on some of you than on others.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 42 Surah Shuraa verse 12: To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth: He enlarges and restricts the Sustenance to whom He Wills: for He knows full well all things.

The abundance of wealth is not dependant on the will or intelligence of the person; but rather on the Will and Distribution of Allah Subhanah. He enlarges or restricts the provisions of sustenance to whomever He Wills and Pleases.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 5244 Narrated by Anas ibn Malik ; AbuSa'id

The Prophet (saws) said, "O Allah, grant me life as a poor man, cause me to die as a poor man, and resurrect me in the company of the poor." Aisha asked him why he had said this, and he (saws) replied, "Because the poor will enter Paradise forty years before the rich. Do not turn away a poor man, Aisha, even if all you can give is half a date. If you love the poor and bring them near you, Aisha, Allah will bring you near Him on the Day of Resurrection."

Your Statement: i want to get married

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 3096 Narrated by Anas ibn Malik

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "When a man marries, he has fulfilled half of the deen; so let him fear Allah regarding the remaining half."

Getting married is a natural ‘fitrah’ of mankind and absolutely encouraged in Islam; so much so, that the Messenger of Allah (saws) called it ‘half of the deen’!

Your Question: please tell me the cheapest way to get married according to islam

The only expense that is obligatory upon you in getting married is the ‘mehr’ or gift which you would have to offer your bride according to your means. The other expense is the ‘walima’ or marriage feast, which can be as simple as offering dates or a cup of tea to the invitees.

If one cannot even afford that, then one should follow this advice of the Messenger of Allah (saws):

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.4 Narrated by Abdullah

We were with the Prophet (saws) while we were young and had no wealth whatever. So Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "O young people! Whoever among you can (afford to) marry, should marry, because it helps him lower his gaze and guard his modesty (i.e. his private parts from committing illegal sexual intercourse etc.), and whoever is not able to marry, should fast, as fasting diminishes his sexual power."

And the best way to get married is to seek a good god-fearing believing woman, who will accept you for who you are, and not how much you are worth.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.27 Narrated by Abu Huraira

The Prophet (saws) said, "A woman is married for four things, i.e., her wealth, her family status, her beauty and her religion. So you should marry the religious woman, (otherwise) you will be a loser."

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan