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:

assalam wa alaikum brother,
hope things arre fine with you and may Allah answer all your prayers, I have read and have seen also how nikah are performed lately. I would like to follow the sunnaht way by performing nikah in a masjid, my question is, is the bride supposed to be present in the masjid during nikah? or can she stay home while the groom does it in the nikah with her witnesses? please answer quickly
jazakhAllah 

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Answer:

Sunnah way of Nikaah

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.

Your Question: I would like to follow the sunnaht way by performing nikah in a masjid,

In light of the teachings of the Quran and the Sunnah, the following acts are considered the obligatory conditions of a marriage or ‘nikaah’ contract:

The proposal by the groom and the acceptance by the bride

The determination of the ‘mehr’ gift.

The presence of two witnesses to the ‘nikaah’ contract

The presence and consent of the guardian or ‘wali’ (there is a difference of opinion amongst the scholars in Islam whether this is obligatory or not.)

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."

And it is the preferred Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) to offer a ‘walima’ or marriage banquet after the Nikaah. The Messenger of Allah (saws) strongly advised the believers not to invite only the rich to the banquet, but make sure that even the poor are invited.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.106 Narrated by Abu Huraira

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “The worst food is that of a wedding banquet (walima) to which only the rich are invited while the poor are not invited. And he who refuses an invitation (to a banquet) disobeys Allah and His Messenger (saws).”

The Sunnah is to make the marriage an easy and affordable affair, but unfortunately today a lot of customs and rituals have crept in the process of marriage, most of which have absolutely no basis in Islam. Most of these processes are no more than a boast and a show, one party trying to outdo the other’s wedding, and an open ground for the spread of indecency, and the mix gathering of the sexes; thus playing straight into the hands of the Shaytaan. So much wealth is squandered in such marriages that it tends to become a burden on the poor of society when it is their turn to get married.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 17 Surah Israa verses 26-27:

26 And render to the kindred their due rights as (also) to those in want and to the wayfarer: but squander not (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift.

27 Verily spendthrifts are brothers of the Shaytaan; and the Shaytaan is to his Lord ungrateful.

If there is one term which would describe a marriage according to Sunnah in todays time, then that word would have to be ‘simple’! The simpler the marriage, the closer it would be to the Sunnah.

Your Question: is the bride supposed to be present in the masjid during nikah? or can she stay home while the groom does it in the nikah with her witnesses?

It is not obligatory for the bride to be present herself during the Nikaah ceremony, if she does not wish to be present; but her consent to the marriage is absolutely obligatory.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 9.79 Narrated by Aisha

I asked the Prophet (saws), "O Allah's Messenger (saws)! Should the women be asked for their consent to their marriage?" He (saws) said, "Yes." I said, "A virgin, if asked, feels shy and keeps quiet." He (saws) said, "Her silence means her consent."

The bride can be present at the ceremony if she wishes to do so, or she can appoint a ‘wakeel’ or advocate her consent to her guardian (preferably in front of the witnesses). If the Judge or the person performing the Nikaah is satisfied with the witness of the guardian regarding the consent of the bride, he may perform the marriage. If the Judge or the person performing the Nikaah smells any foul-play or is not completely satisfied regarding the witnesses to the bride’s consent to her marriage, he is well within his rights to seek clarification from the bride herself.

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