Nikkah (marriage) – SS3 Islamic Studies Lesson Note (Second Term)

An-Nikah is the Arabic word for marriage, a lasting contract between a man and a woman in Islam.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. define An-Nikah;
2. explain how Islam encourages marriage, quoting the Quran and the Hadith;
3. state the purposes and importance of marriage in Islam;
4. list and explain the general essentials of a Muslim Nikah.

What is marriage (An-Nikah) in Islam?

An-Nikah is the lawful and lasting contract by which a man and a woman become husband and wife.

• Meaning of the word: An-Nikah is the Arabic word for marriage.
• Nature: it is a contract that is expected to last, not a short-term arrangement.
• Who it is for: Allah encourages it for all mature men and women who are fit for it.
• Source of rules: the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet (P.B.U.H).

How does Islam encourage marriage?

Islam encourages marriage through a command of Allah in the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet (P.B.U.H).

• Command of Allah: marriage is enjoined on all mature men and women who are fit for it.
• Quran 24:32: ‘Marry the single from among you and such that are fit of your male and female slaves. If they are poor, Allah will enrich them with His bounty, surely Allah is sufficient and All-knowing.’
• Hadith on celibacy: the Prophet (P.B.U.H) said: ‘There is no monkhood (celibacy) in Islam.’
• Meaning of the Hadith: no one is allowed to practise celibacy in the name of priesthood.
• Hadith on the Sunnah: the Prophet also said: ‘Marriage is my Sunnah, whoever shuns it is not one of us.’
• Lesson from 24:32: poverty should not stop a fit person from marrying, because Allah promises His bounty.

What are the purposes and importance of marriage in Islam?

The purposes of marriage in Islam are love, peace of mind, companionship, family life, lawful reproduction and chastity.

1. Love and mutual concern

• Purpose: husband and wife show intense love and care for each other.
• Quran 30:21: ‘And among His signs is that He created for you wives from yourselves that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy. Surely these are indeed signs for people who reflect.’

2. Peace of mind

• Peace: a spouse gives comfort and rest to the other.
• Reduced tension: shared worries become lighter.

3. Companionship and counselling

• Companionship: the couple keep each other company through life.
• Counselling: they advise and correct each other in a kind way.

4. Establishing a family

• Family: it is the basic unit of society.
• Society: a stable family helps produce a stable community.

5. Lawful reproduction (procreation)

• Children: marriage is the lawful way to have children.
• Quran 16:72: ‘And Allah has given you wives of your kind, and has given you from your wives sons and grandsons…’

6. Lawful sexual enjoyment and chastity

• Lawful channel: sexual enjoyment is lawful only through marriage.
• Hadith: the Prophet said: ‘You young men, whoever can marry should marry, for it will help him to lower his gaze and guard his chastity.’

What are the essentials of a Muslim Nikah?

There are six general essentials of a Muslim Nikah: capacity, proposal and acceptance, free consent, mehr, no legal impediment and witnesses.

Notes on each essential

• Capacity: a person who cannot understand the contract cannot validly enter it.
• Ijab and qubool: the offer and the acceptance together form the contract.
• Free consent: a marriage forced on a man or woman against their will is not a proper Nikah.
• Mehr: it is a right of the bride and shows the groom’s sincerity.
• Legal impediment: examples are a close blood relation, a foster (milk) relation, or a woman who is already married.
• Witnesses: they make the marriage public and protect the rights of both parties.

Evaluation

1. What is An-Nikah?
2. Quote the Hadith that shows Islam does not allow celibacy.
3. State four purposes of marriage in Islam.
4. List the general essentials of a Muslim Nikah.
5. What lesson does Quran 24:32 teach about poverty and marriage?

Assignment

Write out Quran 30:21 and explain, in your own words, how marriage brings peace of mind and companionship to a husband and wife.