Nikah, the Islamic marriage, step by step.
What a nikah needs to be valid, what happens on the day, and a checklist to plan it. Hanafi rulings first, with the other madhhabs shown where they differ.
Nikah checklist
What makes a nikah valid (Hanafi)
- Offer and acceptance
- In one sitting
- Witnesses
- 2 men, or 1 man and 2 women
- Consent
- Of both
- Mahr
- Due, even if not named
- Wali
- Strongly advised
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Guide
The nikah, what it needs and how it is done.
A nikah is the Islamic marriage contract. It is made when the bride, or her representative, makes an offer and the groom accepts it in the same sitting, in front of two witnesses. A mahr is owed to the bride. The khutbah, the announcement and the walimah are sunnah. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Marriage is part of my sunnah."1
1. Offer and acceptance (ijab and qabul)
One side says, for example, "I give myself (or my daughter, Aminah) to you in marriage for a mahr of ...", and the other replies, "I accept." Both are said in one sitting, in clear words, in the past tense or a form that means the marriage is made now. Either side may speak through a representative (wakil). In many communities the imam asks the bride for her permission first, then puts the offer to the groom, who accepts in front of the witnesses.
2. Witnesses
Two witnesses must hear the offer and acceptance together: two adult, sane Muslim men, or one man and two women.2
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Hanbali
- Two upright (adl) Muslim men. Women's witness is not accepted for a nikah.
- Maliki
- Witnesses are needed before the marriage is consummated, but not necessarily at the contract itself. Announcing the marriage is essential.
3. The wali (guardian)
An adult, sane woman may contract her own nikah, and it is valid, because Allah attributes the marriage to the woman herself (Quran 2:230, 2:232). It is still sunnah, and wise, for her wali, usually her father, to arrange it with her consent. If she marries a man who is not a suitable match (kufu) for her without her wali's agreement, the wali may take the matter to a judge, and in the view many later Hanafis give fatwa on, such a marriage is not valid at all.3
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali
- The wali is a condition of the nikah. A woman cannot marry herself off, even if she is an adult. They rely on the hadith "There is no marriage without a wali."4 The wali must still have her consent.
In every madhhab, a woman who has been married before must give clear consent in words, and a woman who has not may give it by her silence. A marriage forced on someone against their will is not allowed.5
4. Mahr
The mahr is the bride's right. It does not have to be named for the nikah to be valid, but it is still owed. In the Hanafi school the minimum is 10 dirhams of silver, about 30.6 g. See today's value and Mahr Fatimi on the mahr calculator.
5. The khutbah of the nikah
It is sunnah to begin with the khutbat al-hajah that the Prophet ﷺ taught, praising Allah and reciting three ayat about taqwa: An-Nisa 4:1, Al Imran 3:102 and Al-Ahzab 33:70 to 71.6 The imam often adds a short reminder about the rights of husband and wife. The khutbah is sunnah, not a condition: the nikah is valid without it.
6. The dua for the couple
بَارَكَ اللَّهُ لَكَ، وَبَارَكَ عَلَيْكَ، وَجَمَعَ بَيْنَكُمَا فِي خَيْرٍ
Bārakallāhu lak, wa bāraka ʿalayk, wa jamaʿa baynakumā fī khayr
"May Allah bless you, and shower His blessings upon you, and join you together in goodness."
Sunan Abi Dawud and Jami at-Tirmidhi, from Abu Hurayrah; at-Tirmidhi graded it hasan sahih.
7. Announce it and hold a walimah
A nikah should be made public, not kept secret. The walimah is a meal the groom gives after the marriage. The Prophet ﷺ told Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf: "Give a walimah, even with one sheep."7 It is a sunnah in the Hanafi school, and a confirmed sunnah or obligation in others. Keep it simple, and invite the poor as well as the rich.
Register it with the law too
In the US, the UK, Canada and the UAE, a nikah on its own may not count as a legal marriage. Register it civilly as well, so that the wife's and children's rights, inheritance and immigration status are protected.
- Sunan Ibn Majah, from Aishah; its chain has weakness, and the meaning is confirmed by Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, from Anas ("whoever turns away from my sunnah is not of me").
- Al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Kitab al-Nikah.
- Al-Hidayah; Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, on kafaah and the narration of al-Hasan ibn Ziyad.
- Sunan Abi Dawud and Jami at-Tirmidhi, from Abu Musa al-Ashari.
- Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, from Abu Hurayrah.
- Sunan Abi Dawud, Jami at-Tirmidhi and Sunan an-Nasai, from Abdullah ibn Masud.
- Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, from Anas. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
Good to know.
What are the conditions of nikah in Islam?
Offer and acceptance in one sitting, two witnesses, the consent of both, and a bride and groom who may lawfully marry each other. A mahr is owed. In the Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools the wali is also a condition.
Is a wali required for nikah in the Hanafi school?
Not for an adult, sane woman, whose own nikah is valid. But the wali's involvement is strongly advised, and if she marries someone unsuitable without him, the marriage can be challenged.
Can a nikah be done without the parents knowing?
In the Hanafi school it can be valid with two witnesses, but a secret marriage goes against the sunnah of announcing it, and the other three schools require the wali. Involve the families.
Can a nikah be done online or over the phone?
Most scholars, including many Hanafi ones, say the offer and acceptance must be in one sitting with the witnesses hearing both sides. A common solution is for one party to appoint a representative (wakil) who attends in person.
Is the walimah obligatory?
In the Hanafi school it is a sunnah. Some scholars of other schools held it to be obligatory. Accepting an invitation to a walimah is strongly encouraged.
Is the nikah valid if the mahr was not mentioned?
Yes. The wife is then owed mahr al-mithl, the usual mahr of women like her in her family.